Ion Barladeanu, the main character of the documentary 'The World According to Ion B', which has recently received an Emmy Award, is still living in a room in a basement of a block in Bucharest and has not enjoyed the success the documentary about him has received, writes the Romanian media.

In a recent interview to newspaper Evenimentul Zilei, Barladeanu says he has heard the news about the award on the radio and that he felt like 'cursing God.' 'The movie director walks on the red carpet and I pick cigarette snipes off the street,' says Barladeanu.

Ion Barladeanu was homeless when director Alexandru Nanau discovered him. Nanau was impressed by the newspaper collages Barladeanu was – and still is – creating. His collages, depicting life in communist Romania, were displayed in 2009 in London, next to works by Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp, and in 2010 at a prestigious gallery in Paris.

editor@romania-insider.com