Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian has won the Best Director award at this year’s Warsaw International Film Festival.

She was recognized for the work on the 2017 film Moon Hotel Kabul. The movie tells the story of journalist Ivan Semciuc, whose life is completely transformed after meeting translator Ioana. After a one-night stand between the two in a hotel in Kabul, Ioana is found dead. Ivan returns to Bucharest but Ioana becomes more and more present in his life.

Besides Damian’s film, another Romanian film entered one of the festival’s competition sections. Cătălin Rotaru’s Thou Shall Not Kill was included in the 1-2 Competition section.

At the same time, Anca Damian received on October 21 the Mirada International award of the Madrid Film Festival. The festival organized a retrospective of the Damian’s work, and showed films such as The Phone, Crulic. The Path to Beyond, Carre, A Very Unsettled Summer, and The Magic Mountain.

Romanian director wins grand prize at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

(Photo: Anca Damian personal archive)

editor@romania-insider.com