UM Lecturer in Germanic Languages and Literature Ramona-Uritescu Lombard will give a lecture on trends in post-socialist Romanian cinema, followed by a screening at 5 pm of Philanthropy (dir. Nae Caranfil, 2002). There will be a Q and A with the audience after the screening.

Philanthropy (Filantropica) (2002; dir. Nae Caranfil, English subtitles, 110 min) A tragi-comedy about a poor sod chasing a dream (and a woman) in chaotic post-socialist Romania. Ovidiu (Mircea Diaconu) is a teacher and struggling writer who still resides with his parents. He falls in love with young, fashionable Diana (Viorica Voda), the sister of one of his students. To impress her, he agrees to a scam thought up by the roguish Pepe (Gheorghe Dinica), a rising man in the beggars’ mob and a brilliant puppetmaster—with hilarious and dire consequences.

This program is part of the Fourth Annual Romanian Film Festival at UMMA. Please also join us for the concluding program on Sunday, November 18 for a screening of The Phantom Father (Tatal fantoma) (dir. Lucian Georgescu, 2011) at 4 pm. Check the website listings for November 3 and 4 for earlier Romanian Film Festival programs, including a talk by visiting director Bogdan George Apetri and screening of his award-winning Outbound (Periferic) (2010) on November 3.