Corneliu Porumboiu
Romanian director, born in 1975 in Vaslui (Romania).
The son of an international football referee, young Corneliu Porumboiu dreamed of becoming a football star. He eventually turned to the cinema, but never lost this first passion, which he evokes years later in two documentaries: Al doilea joc [The Second Game] (2013) and Fotball Infinit [Infinite Football] (2018). After his film studies at the University of Bucharest, he directed his first feature film A fost sau n-a fost? [12:08 East of Bucharest]. The film takes place in Romania sixteen years after the revolution of 1989 and provides a bitingly humorous inventory of Romanian society. The film won many prizes, including the Golden Camera at Cannes in 2006. Next came Politist, adjectiv [Police, Adjective] (2009) and Comoara [The Treasure] (2015), each mixing absurdity with the humour and realistic drama that make Porumboiu one of the emblematic figures of the rebirth of Romanian cinema. In 2019, La Gomera [The Whistlers] is nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes.
12h08 East of Bucharest (2006) – Police, adjective (2009) – When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (2013) – The Second Game (2013) – The Treasure (2015) – Football infini (2018) – The Whistlers (2019)