North American Premiere
1989. After decades of all-pervasive Communist oppression under the brutal Ceaușescu dictatorship, Romania is on the brink of change. Six intertwined stories crisscross throughout Bucharest over the course of a single day that will mark the eve of the Romanian Revolution. Students surreptitiously seek ways to leave the country; a television broadcaster panics when a pre-recorded programme becomes politically untenable; an actress thinks she’s found her big break; a child’s Christmas letter to Santa unintentionally incriminates his father. These parallel tales map out the painful absurdities of lives governed by fear, flecked with grim ironies and hopeful glimpses of a better future.
The much-anticipated debut feature film from Bogdan Mureşanu, this polyphonic tragi-comedy shuffles subtle tensions and dry humour with deft craftsmanship. Reflecting national unrest and dissatisfaction through the lens of interfamilial struggles and professional pressures, this is a powerful probe of Romanian political history.
Best Film: Orizzonti, Venice 2024; FIPRESCI Award: Premio Valentina Pedicini under 40, Venice 2024
Adrian Vǎncicǎ, Andrei Miercure, Iulian Postelnicu, Emilia Dobrin, Nicoleta Hâncu, Mihai Cǎlin
Romania
2024
In Romanian with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Credits & Director
Executive Producer
Irina Enea, Bogdan Luca
Producer
Irina Enea, Bogdan Luca
Screenwriter
Bogdan Mureşanu
Cinematography
Boroka Biro, Tudor Platon
Editor
Vanja Kovačević, Mircea Lăcătuș
Production Design
Iulia Fulicea, Victor Fulicea
Bogdan Mureşanu
In 2012, Bogdan directed his first short film, Half Shaved, which won the Audience Award at Anonimul IFF and screened at festivals worldwide. In 2016, he completed the short Spid and Negruzzi 14, an art film showcased at the National Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2017, he worked on the animation The Magician and shot The Christmas Gift, which won Best Film at the European Film Awards and was a Top 10 finalist at the 2020 Oscars. The New Year That Never Came is his first feature film.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
There's Still Tomorrow
A critical and box office sensation in Italy, Paola Cortellesi's triumphant directorial debut is the tale of a Roman housewife in 1946, who stands up against the routine sexist abuse she suffers. Funny, heartbreaking and inspiring.
Housewife of the Year
This gently mind-blowing doc revisits the glory days of the long-running Irish TV show Housewife of the Year, where women proudly showed off their capacity to keep multiple kiddies fed and clothed, usually with minimal help from their hubbies.
The Way, My Way
All manner of pilgrims flock to France and Spain to walk the 800 km Camino de Santiago. One such is Bill, a stroppy sexagenarian Australian filmmaker who's determined to do the Camino with minimal prep, a dickey leg, and no firm idea why.
The Stand
This rousing doc explores a 1985 dispute over logging in the Haida Gwaii. Taking us from canny retrospective commentary to the thick of the action, director Chris Auchter employs animation and a wealth of archival footage to riveting effect.
Sugarcane
"Deeply impactful", Sugarcane is an important contribution to the ongoing process of Truth & Reconciliation in this country, a compassionate, sensitive account of the investigation into residential school abuse at Williams Lake, BC.