I am adding to yesterday’s chronicle of “Felicia, before all” [en, blog] some of the ideas from Wednesday night with directors & screenwriters Răzvan Rădulescu [en, html] and Melissa de Raaf awarded at TIFF for the screenplay, producer Ada Solomon [en, html] and actress Ozana Oancea [ro, html], also awarded at TIFF.
You can also watch this interview with Razvan Radulescu and Melissa de Raaf.
(keep reading ↓)
Ada Solomon was pleasantly surprised that people told her they find their parents well depicted in this movie. She fell in love with the script from the first moment. The idea of the project has been discussed even since 2006.
Ozana did not find her parents resembled those from the movie, and she found herself closer to the Dutch side of the character than to the Romanian one. Nevertheless, Razvan showed her some filmed moments with his parents, raising the standards for her in a very effective manner. Razvan was very satisfied with the way Ozana raised up to those standards.
The crew was very careful with the details, paying a visit to Dutchland to buy objects that would appear in the movie. Razvan, Melissa, and Ozana spent the first two days visiting and choosing. Then, on the last day, they got energized by Ozana and bought everything they needed, starting with the coat Felicia was wearing at the airport, which instantly clicked.
Melissa said there were no therapeutic benefits for her doing the movie. Razvan adds that he did not expect catharsis but a simple, explicit depiction of something present in Romanian society.
Razvan said that the audience’s reaction was easily noticed to fit the same pattern, only that the responses were much more potent to the first Romanian premiere at Cluj-Napoca.
Razvan preferred that the movie would be done with a more concentrated focus, and that’s why he insisted this not be a co-production, and he did not accept to get money from other countries or change the action setting.
You could have read some of Irina Codruta Matei’s thoughts on her blog [later edit: blog removed from wordpress] while she was working on the script supervising for “Felicia, inainte de toate”. I think she’s now pleased with the movie launch and the script award at TIFF. She has all the reasons to be.
You can read some of the Romanian bloggers’ chronicles here: Dan Tanasescu, Magda Mihaila, Adi Ciubotariu, and Inozza.
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. Photos reproduced from the official CD press kit.
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