DaKINO delivers Matchpoint in its 15th Anniversary International Film Festival of Bucharest

Congratulations DaKINO. 15 years and going strong.
The people of Bucharest are crowding the cinemas to see a diverse collection of award winning short film dramas and documentaries in competition for the
prestigious DaKINO awards, plus several notable feature films screening out of competition.

Over 500 people last night overcrowded the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art to see the first screening since Cannes Film Festival of Woody Allen's latest feature MATCH POINT. It certainly sparked conversation, during the film as well as after.

Less conversational are the 13 acclaimed international jury members, who's lips are firmly sealed about their favourites of the fest. Florin Iepan is presiding over the documentary official selection whilst Irena Petrescu presides over the drama official selection, together with other jury members including Jean Pierre Magnan, Oliver Gicart and Stina Bergman.

Also in attendance are several special invited guests, such as Canadian fiction and documentary maker Malcolm Guy and French film journalist Michele Levieux, and directors of short films in official competition including Julian Donada (director of the French drama In San Rem0) and Ilanda Linden, (director of the Canadian documentary Josef's Daughter,

Nightly DaKINO is also presenting the films of Dan Pita, honorary festival president of this year's anniversary DaKINO edition, and hosting free Videolink workshops in the Auditorium foyer to an eager audience of Romanian film students.

The achievements of the festival, thanks to DaKINO Foundation President Dan Chisu, were well described by the words of Adrian Iorgulescu, Minister of Culture, regarding DaKINOs 15th anniversary;

"Thriving in a cultural climate often infected by a misunderstood market economy, DaKINO graudally has become a celebration of author cinema, an argument in favour of those who still consider cinematography as the seventh art".

This was aptly shown by highlight films of the first two days of the drama competition program; including Green Bush (director Warwick Thornton, Australia), A Good Day (director Per Hanefjord, Sweden), Autobiographical Scene No. 6882 (director Reben Ostlund, Sweden), Alim Market (director Ozgur
Yildirim, Germany) and Dream Forest (director Adrian Baluta, Romania).

With two more days of award winning films yet to come, DaKINOs program is sure to continue enthralling its audience of Romanian cinephiles and international film luminaries alike.

(Dear Juliet by Wendy Dent also screens in official documentary competition)

Wendy Dent
Bucharest, Romania
23 November 2005