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Castle Cinema
Let us take you back to the 1980s, amidst the unique scenery of the ruins of the Teutonic Castle, when some of the legendary horror films, now considered ‘cult classics’ were made. Although many of them were remade – some even saw many sequels made to continue the original idea – our intention is to show you the archetypes of the characters that have forever gone down in the history of this particular genre. The genre that is adored by so many devoted cinema goers. More »

Must See Must Be
The section Must See Must Bee is a summary of the films screened during the most important film festivals around the world which even the most knowledgeable film enthusiasts might have missed, when making an effort to digest the plethora of new film productions. More »

The Rebels
The section Rebels has been an inherent part of the Tofifest International Film Festival for quite a number of years now. This section emphasises the main theme of the festival, which is to introduce characters and personalities whose rebellious spirit, perseverance, or talent makes them stand out among the others, and change the course of history (the contemporary one included). More »

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Francesca

Francesca · dir. Bobby Păunescu
Romania 2009, 94’
Polish premiere

Francesca is 30 years old and she works as a teacher at a kindergarten in Bucharest. Her parents have split up many years ago and she now lives with her mother, Ana. In a country still under the spell of the Western Dream and the mirage of working abroad, Francesca longs to immigrate to Italy. She seems to get close to fulfilling her dream when one of her friends, Maria, arranges a meeting with a middle-man named Pandele. He claims to be working for the Workforce Migration Office, and ‘promises’ Francesca that in exchange for 2000 euros he will get her a job as a nurse attending to an old man in Sant’Angelo Lodinese, near Milan, a job for which she would receive a monthly paycheck of 900 euros. The short notice and the feelings of those close to her make Francesca hesitant. As the story progresses, things get complicated and the decisions to be made by the protagonists become more and more difficult.

Director:Bobby Păunescu
Screenplay:Bobby Păunescu
Cinematography:Andrei Butică
Editing:Ion Ioachim Stroe
Cast:Monica Barladeanu, Doru Boguţă, Luminita Gheorghiu, Teodor Corban, Dana Dogaru
Awards:Nagroda Międzynarodowej Federacji Krytyków Filmowych / FIPRESCI Prize (MFF / IFF Gijón 2009)

Bobby Păunescu — he was born in Bucharest, on September 8th, 1974 and spent his childhood in Italy. He is a director, writer and producer. He studied international management and marketing at Franklin College, Lugano, Switzerland and in 1998 got his major in international management and marketing. He has over a decade of experience in written media and television. Francesca represents his debut in feature films (as director and scriptwriter).

Filmography:

2007: Dear D
2009: Francesca