The films

1. 17Tue 17 Nov · Day 1Take the VaxA River’s Gaze
2. 18Wed 18 Nov · Day 2Gone Guy
3. 19Thu 19 Nov · Day 3Fire & IceGrounded Between Borders
4. 20Fri 20 Nov · Day 4Plaha

1. 

   17Tue 17 Nov · Day 117:00–20:00 · Scandinavia HouseShown first, then A River’s Gaze

   Take the Vax

   Short film15 minUSA, 2021

   Directed by

   Edsta

   Screenplay by

   Edsta

   Starring

   Fesal JaberAlso producer

   A man reluctant to take a vaccine becomes the target of a mysterious figure: the vaccine itself. A tense blend of suspense, psychological horror and social commentary on conformity and personal autonomy. Edsta, a Romanian-born filmmaker based in New York, conceived it on a subway ride in December 2020 and made it with a crew of two, himself and lead actor Fesal Jaber. It has won 24 awards.

   Register for the screening →Tue 17 Nov in the programme →

2. 

   17Tue 17 Nov · Day 117:00–20:00 · Scandinavia HouseShown after Take the Vax

   A River’s Gaze

   Feature film92 minRomania, France, SloveniaOriginal title Malul vânăt

   Directed by

   Andreea Borțun

   Screenplay by

   Andreea Borțun

   Down in a quiet valley, under the watchful presence of the river, many things remain unsaid while grief lingers beneath the surface. Lavinia is a tempest: impulsive, flawed, struggling to understand how to love. She wants to be a good mother to her 14-year-old son, Dani, and dreams of building him a palace under bluer skies. As the four seasons pass, mother and son are caught in a constant push and pull, while Lavinia’s unresolved love affair with her ex-partner shapes her own choices and Dani’s future.

   A Q&A with director Andreea Borțun follows the screening.

   Register for the screening →Tue 17 Nov in the programme →

3. Feature documentaryRough cut

   Gone Guy

   Directed byAndrei Dăscălescu

   18Wed 18 Nov · Day 217:00–20:00 · Scandinavia House

   Gone Guy

   Feature documentaryRough cut

   Directed by

   Andrei Dăscălescu

   Produced by

   Ligia Ciornei

   Radu belonged to a generation told that life is a series of correct decisions: the right degree, the right career, the right city. He made all of them. Then he sold his furniture and cycled across the Americas for 39 months, 34,500 km from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Ushuaia. What begins as an escape from heartbreak becomes a story about the strangers who saved him when the road became impossible.

   A Q&A with director Andrei Dăscălescu and producer Ligia Ciornei follows the screening.

   Register for the screening →Wed 18 Nov in the programme →

4. Short filmWork in progress

   Fire & Ice

   Directed byValentin Fogoroș

   19Thu 19 Nov · Day 317:00–20:00 · Scandinavia HouseShown first, then Grounded Between Borders

   Fire & Ice

   Short filmWestern musicalWork in progress

   Directed by

   Valentin Fogoroș

   Starring

   Samuel DruhoraAlso executive producer

   A genre-bending Western musical with an international cast, shown before its final cut. Samuel Druhora, a Romanian-American actor and singer with leading roles in Les Misérables, Evita and Fiddler on the Roof, stars in the film and is its executive producer.

   Director Valentin Fogoroș and Samuel Druhora join the Q&A after the screening.

   Register for the screening →Thu 19 Nov in the programme →

5. Feature filmWork in progress

   Grounded Between Borders

   Directed byLigia Ciornei

   19Thu 19 Nov · Day 317:00–20:00 · Scandinavia HouseShown after Fire & Ice

   Grounded Between Borders

   Feature filmRomania, UkraineWork in progressOriginal title Între granițe

   Directed by

   Ligia Ciornei

   Screenplay by

   Ligia Ciornei

   Produced by

   Viorel Chesaru

   When war breaks out in Ukraine, three women meet at the Romanian border: an Italian woman searching for her missing husband and their unborn child, a Romanian mother trying to save her daughter, and a young Ukrainian surrogate who must choose between survival and motherhood. The film blends documentary reality with fiction.

   A Q&A with director Ligia Ciornei and producer Viorel Chesaru follows the screening.

   Register for the screening →Thu 19 Nov in the programme →

6. 

   20Fri 20 Nov · Day 417:00–20:00 · Scandinavia House

   Plaha

   Series, selected episodesRomania, Moldova, 2025

   A series by

   Igor Cobileanski

   Directed by

   Igor Cobileanski

   Screenplay by

   Igor Cobileanski, Alex Cozer, Val Butnaru

   Director of photography

   Cristian GuguAlso producer, with Adrian Buraga

   Between 1987 and 1990, as the Soviet system collapses, an idealistic student turns into the boss of a feared criminal network tied to business and corrupt politics. His main opponent is a journalist he has known since university.

   A Q&A with Cristian Gugu, producer and director of photography, follows the screening.

   Register for the screening →Fri 20 Nov in the programme →

Tuesday to Thursday the screening runs at the same time as the talks at One Vanderbilt, so pick one. Friday has the screening only. The 20 selected projects are invited to every screening.