Palme d'Or / Cristian Mungiu

Cristian Mungiu (born April 27, 1968, Iaşi), Romanian director, writer, producer.


Cristian Mungiu is the brother of political analyst Alina Mungiu-Pippidi. After studying English literature at the University of Iaşi, he worked for a few years as a teacher and as a journalist. After that, he enrolled at the University of Film in Bucharest to study film directing.


After graduating in 1998, Mungiu made several short films. In 2002, he debuted with his first feature film, Occident. Occident enjoyed critical success, winning prizes in several film festivals and being featured in Director’s Fortnight at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. In 2007 Mungiu wrote and directed his second feature, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. The film was received enthusiastically, attracting critical praise and being selected in the official competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where it eventually won the coveted Palme d'Or for feature film, marking the first time that prize was awarded to a Romanian filmmaker. The film won also the Cinema Prize of the French National Education System and the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes, the Best Director and Best Film awards at the 2007 European Film Awards, and other awards at several important film festivals.

Palme d'Or / Corneliu Porumboiu

Corneliu Porumboiu (born September 14, 1975, Vaslui), Romanian film director and screenwriter. He is the son of well-known football referee and businessman Adrian Porumboiu.


Corneliu Porumboiu won in 2004 second place in the Cinefondation section of Cannes Film Festival with short film Traveling to the city (Romanian: Călătorie la oraş). His 2006 feature 12:08 East of Bucharest (Romanian: A fost sau n-a fost?) has won the Camera d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2009, Porumboiu won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with his drama film Police, Adjective (Romanian: Poliţist, Adjectiv); this film won also the Transilvania Trophy at Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF).

Palme d'Or / Cristi Puiu

Cristi Puiu (born April 3, 1967), Romanian film director and screenwriter.


Puiu's first interest in art was painting and in 1992, he was admitted as a student at the Painting Department of École Superieure d'Arts Visuels in Geneva. After the first year he switched to film studies at the same school and graduated in 1996. After returning to Romania, Cristi Puiu started directing and writing his first films, generally enjoying critical success.

Cristi Puiu's debut as a director was in 2001 with the low budget road movie Stuff and Dough (Marfa şi Banii). The film received several awards in international film festivals and competed in the Quinzaines des Realisateurs section of the Cannes Film Festival. He continued with a short film, Cigarettes and Coffee (Un cartuş de Kent şi un pachet de cafea) (2004), which was awarded the Golden Bear and the UIP Prize for best short film at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival.


His second film, The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu (Moartea domnului Lăzărescu) (2005), was a critical success, being awarded with Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. Year 2006 brought 47 prizes for his film, and a lot of nominees in American Critics Top 10 and in France also for magazines as Telerama and Les Inrockuptibles. (from Wikipedia)

Palme d'Or / Cătălin Mitulescu

Cătălin Mitulescu (born January 13, 1972, Voluntari), Romanian director, writer, and producer.


After graduating from the Faculty of Geology at the University of Bucharest, he worked in Italy, Austria and Poland. Returned in Romania, he graduated from the Academy of Theater and Cinematography in Bucharest, after which he directed videos and commercials. In 1996, he was assistant director of Dan Piţa, and in 1998 he founded Left Production film house.


In 2004, Mitulescu wins Palme d'Or for short film at Cannes Film Festival, with Traffic. His feature-length film debut, The Way I Spent the End of the World (2006), it brings new awards (Sundance Film Festival, Valladolid International Film Festival), a proposal from Romania to Oscar; the main actress, Dorotheea Petre, won the prize for Best Female Interpretation at Cannes.

Palme d'Or / Cristian Nemescu

Cristian Nemescu (March 31, 1979, Bucharest - August 24, 2006, Bucharest), Romanian director, writer and producer.


He graduated the Academy of Theater and Cinema in Bucharest in 2003. His graduation film was a short story entitled Poveste de la scara C (C Block Story), which has won the NYU International Student Film Festival and the Premiers Plans in Angers, France. The European Academy Awards nominated as "best short film" of that year. Nemescu won over 20 awards, including Grand Prize at the NYU International Student Film Festival in New York, Special Jury Prize at the Brussels Short Film Festival in Belgium, Public's Choice at Milan Film Festival in Italy, Public Prize at the International Festival Grenzland Filmtage Germany.

The director died in a car crash along with his sound engineer Andrei Toncu. His last movie California Dreamin' (Nesfârşit) (2007), starring Armand Assante, was in post-production, when the accident happened. It was later awarded the Un Certain Regard Awards at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

On 28 May 2007, the president of Romania granted post mortem by a decree, the National Order "For Merit" in rank of Knight, for "outstanding contribution to the promotion of Romanian cinema".

Palme d'Or / Ion Popescu-Gopo

Ion Popescu-Gopo (May 1, 1923, Bucharest – November 28, 1989, Bucharest), Romanian graphic artist, animator, writer, movie director and actor, prominent personality in the Romanian cinematography and the founder of the modern Romanian cartoon school.


His career started as a designer and cartoonist in 1939, publishing caricatures and editorial cartoons in newspapers. 1949 brought his debut in the film industry with "Punguţa cu doi bani" (Bag with two coins). Since 1950 he started working for Cinematographic Studio Bucharest in the animation department, that later broke into a separate animation studio, Animafilm. His most known cartoon character is a little black and white man sometimes referred to as "Gopo's Little Man" after his creator. Later in his life Popescu-Gopo confessed that he tried to start an "anti-Disney rebellion". Unable to surpass Disney's animation characters in color and beauty, Popescu-Gopo tried to be more profound in message and substance and simplify the form and techniques used. Unlike Disney's cartoon characters, Popescu-Gopo's cartoon characters were black and white, designed in simple lines.



His film "Scurtă Istorie" (A Brief History) won the Short Film Palme d'Or for best short film at Cannes Festival in 1957. The worldwide success achieved by A Brief History turned The Little Man into an iconic character, symbolizing the human race in its quest for knowledge and beauty. Ion Popescu-Gopo was to use it in another seven films. In many situations, The Little Man is shown holding a flower to his heart, which is taken to symbolize the humans' capacity and need for love.



The Gopo Awards are the national Romanian film awards. They are presented by the Association for Romanian Film Promotion and were established in 2007, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Gopo's Palme d'Or. The trophy is a sculpture by Romanian artist Adrian Ilfoveanu representing Gopo's Little Man.

Palme d'Or / Mirel Ilieşiu

Mirel Ilieşiu (October 18, 1923, Bucureşti - March 23, 1985, Târgu Mureş), Romanian director and writer. In 1969, his film Cântecele Renaşterii (Renaissance Songs), a documentary about the Madrigal Choir, won the Palme d'Or for Short Films and Technical Grand Prize - Special Mention at Cannes Festival.