Ever-Surprising Bogdan Apetri Introduces His Most Recent Films at Film Forum

After more than a decade of creative silence, award-winning director and writer Bogdan Apetri, one of the most astonishing debuts of the Romanian New Wave, is back in theaters with a haunting, genre-defying trilogy examining the dark undercurrents under the apparently serene, uneventful life of a typical provincial town in contemporary Romania. The first two films, Unidentified and Miracle, open in New York at Film Forum (209 W Houston St, New York, NY 10014) on June 3-4 & 9 with special screenings followed by Q&As with director Apetri and stars Ioana Bugarin and Bogdan Farcaș.

The events are organized by Film Forum and Film Movement with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York.

Special screenings followed by Q&As with director Bogdan Apetri and stars Ioana Bugarin and Bogdan Farcaș:

MIRACLE: Friday, June 3 and Saturday, June 4 at 8:00 PM - book your tickets HERE

UNIDENTIFIED: Thursday, June 9 at 8:00 PM - book your tickets HERE

You can catch MIRACLE at Film Forum beginning Friday, June 3 at various times daily. Please check out the details and buy tickets HERE.

MIRACLE / MIRACOL

Director: Bogdan George Apetri, 2021, subtitles, 118 minutes

Divided into two chapters, MIRACLE follows young nun Cristina as she sneaks out of her isolated monastery to attend to an urgent matter. Her enigmatic journey takes her all around town, but she is seemingly unable to solve her problem and find the man she is looking for. Out of options, she returns in the evening only to meet an unexpected fate on her way back to the convent. The second part of the film deals with Marius Preda, a determined police detective trying to understand what happened to her. Marius retraces Cristina’s journey, step by step, through all the places she visited. In a perfectly mirrored structure, his investigation uncovers clues and revelations leading not only to the unfathomable truth behind Cristina’s mysterious actions, but possibly, to an actual miracle as well.

Selections, nominations & awards:

Grand Prix (Best Film) – Warsaw FF 2021; Critics’ Prize - CinEast - Central and Eastern European FF 2021; Venice FF 2021 (Horizons competition; world premiere); Zurich FF 2021 (competition); Vancouver IFF 2021; Hamburg FF 2021; Stockholm FF 2021 (competition); Tallinn Black Nights FF 2021; Lyon Quais du Polar FF 2022; Cleveland IFF (Central and Eastern European competition); International Thriller FF - Reims Polar 2022

UNIDENTIFIED / NEIDENTIFICAT

Director: Bogdan George Apetri, 2020, subtitles, 123 minutes

A small city in north Romania. Despite growing debts and an entangled personal life, Florin Iespas, a police detective, is determined to solve a hard case no one seems to care about. Ordered to put down the file, the cop continues his off-the-record investigations, soon turning up a strong lead for two hotel fires that resulted in several deaths. The suspect is Bănel, a security guard of Roma descent, but he denies everything. Faced with the refusal of the Police Chief to support his inquiry, the mistrust of his colleagues, and his own inner demons, the cop is forced to come up with a convoluted plan and take extraordinary measures in order to bring it to its inevitable conclusion. Under the appearance of a sharp, tightly woven detective movie, the film is a story that speaks on issues in the police system, power abuse, sexism, masculinity and prejudice.

Selections, nominations & awards:

Special Jury Award – Warsaw FF 2020 (world premiere); FIPRESCI Prize – Transilvania IFF 2021; Audience Award – Anonimul IFF Sfântu Gheorghe 2021; Thessaloniki IFF 2020 (Meet the Neighbors competition); International Thriller FF - Reims Polar 2021; Cheltenham IFF 2021; Prague IFF – Febiofest 2021; CinEast - Central and Eastern European FF 2021; Cottbus FF 2021; Bengaluru IFF 2022; Best Leading Actor (Bogdan Farcaș) & Best Screenplay (Iulian Postelnicu & Bogdan George Apetri) awards and other five nominations (Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing & Best Sound) - Gopo Awards 2022