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
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
Intimate Moments: Short Films by Brendan Prost
Vignettes of loneliness, desire and fleeting connection, immerse yourself in the short, bittersweet films of Brendan Prost — who will also be filming proceedings for potential inclusion in his self-reflexive doc, The Performance of a Lifetime.
Winter Kept Us Warm
Often described as the first LGBTQ+ film ever to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, David Secter's lovingly observed portrait of a burgeoning queer romance came at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the country