Interviews
Dénes Nagy: Of darkness and light
Hungarian filmmaker Dénes Nagy was a special guest of the 30th edition of the European Film Festival in Bucharest. His latest film, the documentary Kurtág Fragments (2026), had its Romanian premiere during the festival, and Dénes Nagy answered the questions of the spectators after the screening. With the support of the Liszt Institute – Hungarian Cultural Centre Bucharest, I managed to interview the Hungarian director, finding out more about both the important composer György Kurtág and Dénes Nagy’s views on cinema (including Romanian filmmakers).
by Mihai Fulger
Photo credit: Tamás Dobos
Photo credit: Claudiu Popescu, One World Romania
Johan Grimonprez: Documentary and the bigger picture
Belgian filmmaker and multimedia artist Johan Grimonprez, who was nominated in 2025 at the Academy Awards for his documentary Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, was the filmmaker in focus at the 19th edition of the One World Romania International Documentary & Human Rights Film Festival in Bucharest (24th to 29th April, 2026). One of the most politically engaged filmmakers currently working, Johan Grimonprez attended the festival in Bucharest, where he talked with the audience after two screenings of his films, Shadow World (2019) and Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat (2024), and also hosted a masterclass. On this occasion, I had the opportunity to interview the filmmaker and discuss his views on documentary and the world today.
by Mihai Fulger
Juan Carlos Lemus Polanía: Cinema and changing worlds
Juan Carlos Lemus Polanía, born in Colombia, is a well-known film critic from Latin America. A graduate of a Creative Writing program at the Escuela de Escritores in Madrid, he publishes articles on cinema, music, and philosophy, mainly in Spanish, in magazines from Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and the USA (“El Tiempo”, “Cinéfilos frustrados”, “CineVista”, “La Ventana indiscreta”, “Rolling Stone”, etc.). It seems that the Spanish language helps him establish such an international career. Together with other Latin American colleagues, he hosts “Cine Con Acento”, a podcast where they discuss the cinema of South America, but also that of the Global South. Practicing film criticism across several media, he is often invited to appear on TV shows. As he states, he stays away from home for at least two months a year, being involved in following festivals and other events. His personal mantra is “Push the body to silence the mind”.
by Dana Duma
Marc Isaacs: Of documentary, manipulation and the future
The British filmmaker Marc Isaacs was a special guest of the 18th edition of the One World Romania International Documentary & Human Rights Film Festival (4th to 13th April 2025), where he took part in Q&A sessions after the screenings of his films and gave a masterclass. Marc Isaacs has kindly accepted my invitation to talk about his professional career and his views on the documentary landscape.
by Mihai Fulger
Photo credit: Claudiu Popescu, One World Romania
Photo credit: Bianca Oprea, UNATC
Richard Peña: Discovering diversity
Characterized as “a leading voice and trendsetter in New York film culture”, the former director of programming at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and a distinguished professor at Columbia University, where he founded an MA in Film Studies, Richard Peña came to Romania at the beginning of December. Invited by the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale”, he spent a week presenting a program entitled “The Arab Colossus: A Brief History of Egyptian Cinema” and leading a masterclass.
by Dana Duma
Photo credit: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival
Sean Baker: Why should there be any rules at all?
The independent turned Palme d’Or winner director Sean Baker is known for his bold, distinctive socially conscious filmmaking style. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival organized a retrospective of his work on its 21st edition, an occasion on which I could ask him about his creative process.
by Andreea Pătru
Photo credit: Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary
Festivalul Internațional de Film de la Karlovy Vary – KVIFF 58
Mark Cousins: Of Style and Vision, Cristi Puiu and Radu Jude
The prolific Northern Irish/Scottish filmmaker and writer Mark Cousins (The Story of Film, The Story of Looking, etc.) had the world premiere of his latest work, the documentary feature A Sudden Glimpse into Deeper Things (focused on the activity and life of the British abstract painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham), in the Crystal Globe Competition of the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (28 June – 6 July 2024). I seized the opportunity to ask him a few questions.
by Mihai Fulger
RUBRICI
Eveniment Woody Allen la Cinemateca Eforie
Marți, 5 mai 2026, de la 20:00, Cinemateca Eforie din București prezintă, în cadrul programului „Woody Allen: nevroze, jazz și New York”, Soți și soții (Husbands and Wives, 1992). Filmul este prezentat de criticul și istoricul de cinema Dana Duma, redactor șef al revistei noastre, specialistul numărul unu din România în opera lui Woody Allen și singurul autor român care a scris o carte despre acest cineast remarcabil.
Pentru abonamente la Revista FILM contactaţi:
Revistă publicată de Uniunea Cineaştilor din România
Revistă realizată cu sprijinul Ministerului Culturii