Back in 2024, I was contacted by two Romanian film professors, Andrei Rus and Doru Nitescu of the Universitatea Nationala de Arta Teatrala si Cinematografica “I.L.Caragiale.” They had translated David’s and my textbook, Film History: an Introduction, the first of our books to appear in Romanian. As part of the activities around its release, they kindly offered me a Doctor Honoris Causa from their university. Of course I accepted, and my sister Karen and I headed for Bucharest. It was a moving ceremony (me giving my acceptance speech below) and a lovely visit to Bucharest.

That visit helped lead to the Criterion Channel’s new March program of Romanian New Wave cinema. The lineup of films which became available on March 1 is:

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Cristi Puiu, 2005), 12:08 East of Bucharest (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2006), 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Christian Mungui, 2007), Police, Adjective (Corneliu Porumboiu, 2009), Aurora (Cristi Puiu, 2010), Tuesday, After Christmas (Radu Muntean, 2010), and Sieranevada (Cristi Puiu, 2016)

Naturally I prepared for the trip by watching as many Romanian films as I could find, in part because it was hinted that I could meet some of the most prominent of the New Wave directors during my visit, which proved to be the case. We had all too short a conversation with Christian Mungiu, who runs a film festival and had to dash off to introduce someone after the starter course. Andrei and I dined with Radu Jude. Doru, Karen (on the right below), and I had a very pleasant and lengthy dinner with Cristi Puiu and Anca Puiu, his wife and producer. She played a considerable role in helping organize the Criterion series.

After I returned to the USA, I contacted my friends at Criterion and asked whether Puiu’s Sieranevada, which I blogged about from the 2016 Vancouver International Film Festival, might be a candidate for release on DVD/Blu-ray. It was unavailable in the US in any format. In my entry I wrote, “Watching the lengthy opening shot, which largely involves the main character’s car being double parked and blocking a DHL truck, I did quickly realize that I was seeing a terrific film.” Finally seeing it again, I could appreciate the elaborate staging as the characters move in and out among the crowded group of vehicles.

It turned out that Criterion’s schedule of disc releases was already planned for years ahead. The option of a program of Romanian New Wave cinema, however, was a possibility. Soon it became a reality, and the Head of Programming for the Criterion Channel, Aliza Ma, made it happen. It didn’t quite make into the 2025 schedule, which would have coincided with other celebrations for the twentieth anniversary of The Death of Mister Lazarescu‘s release. It won numerous prizes, most notably the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes. It is considered to have launched the Romanian New Wave.

Shortly thereafter Christian Mungui’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days (2007) won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. It dealt with the harsh punishments for those who had or performed abortions under the Communist Regime, as the woman trying to help her friend end her pregnancy encounters suspicious hotel staff and a very reluctant abortionist (see bottom). It cemented worldwide awareness of important films coming from Romania. These directors and others have continued to make films that show up at international festivals and win or are nominated for awards. I particularly like Police, Adjective (2009), which also won the Un Certain Regard Award, as well as the FIPRESCI prize.

Some of the films are grim, others have a surprising amount of humor mixed in. The most overt comedy in this group is Porumboiu’s 12:03 East of Bucharest. It takes place on the sixteenth anniversary of the rebellion that toppled the Communist reign and Nicolae Ceausescu. Three men in a provincial city form a panel in a rather makeshift television studio to discuss what acts of rebellious heroism they or anyone else in their city accomplished on that fateful day.

The Channel’s series is an excellent opportunity for people unfamiliar with the movement to get an introduction to some of its most important films. Those who saw some or all of them when they came out can watch those unavailable on home video to see them again.

For anyone who enjoys this series, here are some suggestions for a further exploration of the Romanian New Wave.

You may wonder why there is only one Christian Mungui film in this series, given that he’s one of the most widely known of these filmmakers. It’s probably because Criterion already offers access to two excellent films by him. Beyond the Hills (2013) which David blogged about from the Vancouver Film Festival, will remain available on the Channel and on a Criterion Collection disc DVD or Blu-ray. Mungui’s Graduation (2016), which David blogged about, also from Vancouver, is available on Criterion discs.

I’d like particularly to recommend Mungui’s R.M.N. (2022), an excellent film about immigrants working in a small town and encountering resistance from the locals. It doesn’t seem to have had a release in the USA, but a British Blu-ray by Picture House is available through Amazon America and UK.

Those who enjoy the two films by Corneliu Porumboiu might want to check out his 2019 film The Whistlers (La Gomera, 2019), which David blogged about from the Torino Film Festival. It’s available from a number of streaming services for a fee and free for subscribers to Apple TV+.

I unfortunately did not see all of Radu Muntean’s Tuesday, After Christmas. I could only find it via a used DVD on eBay. It froze halfway through, and nothing could coax it to proceed. So I shall finally find out what happened in the end by watching it on the Channel. I have seen his suspenseful later film Întregalde (2021), available on a Grasshopper DVD.

Recently Radu Jude has become a highly popular and prolific Romanian director. One might ask why he is not represented in this series. Possibly there were rights problem, but one could argue that his distinctive style places him outside or at least on the fringes of the New Wave. I have only seen three of his films, the relatively early and more conventional The Happiest Girl in the World (2009) and somewhat more eccentric Everybody in Our Family (2012), as well as the definitely eccentric Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023) at the Wisconsin Film Festival.

Speaking of which, for those in Madison and surrounding towns who plan to attend this year’s Wisconsin Film Festival, Jude’s KONTINENTAL ’25 will be on the program. Variety‘s review says it retains his “dark absurdist edge.” (The schedule will be available online on March 5.) It’s playing at many other festivals as well.

The Channel’s Romanian program will remain online for a year.

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Thanks to Cristi and Anca Puiu for help with this entry.