Bucharest IFF announces titles in competition

by Stefan Dobroiu

29/02/2012 - The foremost film festival of the Romanian capital, Bucharest International Film Festival (formerly known as B-EST IFF) has announced the titles in this year's competition. The festival will run from March 19-25, with the awards announced during a gala on March 25.

Europe is represented by films from Great Britain (Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur [trailer] and Richard Ayoade's Submarine [trailer]), Spain (Nacho Vigalondo's Extraterrestre [trailer, film focus]), France (Vincent Garenq's Guilty [trailer]), while Romania has two chances to win an important award: Radu Jude's Everybody in Our Family [trailer, film focus], shown in the Forum sidebar of this year's Berlinale, and the Italy-Romania co-production Seven Acts of Mercy [trailer], directed by Massimiliano and Gianluca De Serio.

The festival's diverse competition selection is completed by Julia Leigh's Sleeping Beauty (Australia-USA), Justin Kurzel's Snowtown (Australia) and the Cannes hit Martha Marcy May Marlene, directed by Sean Durkin (USA).

Bucharest IFF will also screen some of the best-received titles in last year's important film festivals, such as Shame [trailer] (Steve McQueen, UK), This Must Be the Place [trailer, film focus] (Paolo Sorrentino, USA-UK), Headhunters [trailer] (Morten Tyldum, Norway) and The Giants [trailer, film focus] (Bouli Lanners, Belgium).

The festival will open with Romanian-born director Radu Mihaileanu's The Source [trailer]. One of the most eagerly awaited sidebars is a Stanley Kubrick retrospective, with Barry Lyndon, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and O Lucky Malcolm! being screened for the first time in Romania in restored versions.

Kubrick's friend and producer Jan Harlan (Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut) will be this edition's guest of honor and president of the jury. During a special event, he will present the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, which chronicles the director's life and career through original family photos and films, together with memories of his former colleagues.