Directed by Radu Jude
The Romanians are back with another bone-dry, pitch-black comedy—this time bearing a particularly cynical view on happiness, the cruelty of families, and the making of inept television commercials. In his feature-film debut, Radu Jude is already a master of uneasy hilarity. When a plucky provincial duckling of a young lady wins a contest, she must travel with her parents to the buzzing metropolis of Bucharest to claim her prize.
But there’s a catch—in fact, there are several, the most troublesome aimed straight from home… Jude’s film is a bittersweet experience that’s as nasty as it is enjoyable, and as true to life as fiction can get over one hot summer afternoon. And as “the happiest girl,” Andrea Bosneag is a breakthrough discovery.
2009. Romania. 99 min.
SCREENING WITH
Logorama – Directed by H5 (François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, and Ludovic Houplain)
Cops and robbers and wild animals, oh my! Brought to you by every possible sponsor under the sun. 2009. France. 17 min.
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Sat Mar 27: 2:00 (MoMA)
Mon Mar 29: 6:15 (FSLC)
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Radu Jude (b. 1977, Bucharest) graduated from the Media University in Bucharest in 2003 with a degree in filmmaking. He worked as an assistant director for several Romanian feature films, and directed the short films Wrestling (2003), The Black Sea (2004), and The Tube with a Hat (2006), the latter of which won numerous festival awards, including the main prizes in Sundance, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He also directed the TV film In the Morning (2007), the short film Alexandra (2007), and approximately 100 commercials. The Happiest Girl in the World, which was awarded the NHK/Filmmaker Award in Sundance 2008, is his first feature film.
