Cercamon has sold “The New Year That Never Came” by Bogdan Mureșanu to Memento Distribution for France with a theatrical release set for March. The film is competing in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival.
The Romanian-Serbian production is set during the Romanian Revolution in 1989. An ensemble of more than 50 key role actors are featured in interconnected stories about the search for normality, safety, love, freedom and meaning – all happening in one day.
“The New Year That Never Came,” which reflects on the implosion of a dictatorial regime, and the recent rise of authoritarian voices in many countries, adds to the story of Mureșanu’s Oscar 2020 short-listed and European Film Academy awarded short film “The Christmas Gift.”
Alexandre Mallet-Guy, CEO at Memento Distribution, said: “This is not only a great political and historical film, but also a true tragicomedy where you can witness the fall of Ceausescu and the communist regime from the inside through the eyes of ordinary people who don’t yet know that they are about to experience an extraordinary moment. Bogdan Mureșanu’s sense of direction and storytelling are truly impressive. We are looking forward to sharing this amazing piece of cinema with the French audience.”
Ada Solomon, a co-producer on the film, said: “During communism, humor was our tool of survival. We wanted to bring this to the screen and our bet was to make it work for other cultures and other generations than ours. The reaction of the public at the Venice premiere and convincing Memento Distribution to bring our vision to the French audiences makes me believe that we succeeded. And actually in the troubled world we are living in today we need humor as a tool of survival more than ever.”
“The New Year That Never Came” is produced by Kinotopia in Romania, with Mureșanu as the lead producer, in co-production with Viorel Chesaru of Chainsaw Europe, Ada Solomon, SRTv and All Inclusive Films in Serbia.
It was made with the support of the Romanian National Cinematography Centre (CNC) and Creative Europe Media. The executive producers are Irina Enea, Bogdan Luca and Adriana Bumbeș. The Romanian theatrical release is handled by Forum Film.
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