CĂLĂRAȘI – A LAND BY THE GATE OF HEAVEN – won the Zlatna IEFF 2018 Trophy!

The documentary film CĂLĂRAŞI – A LAND BY THE GATE OF HEAVEN, directed by Dumitru Grosei, won the Festival’s Trophy “The best ethnographic film” at the Zlatna International Ethnografic Film Festival (ZIEFF) 2018. 722 productions from 85 countries have been submitted in the film competition. The jury of the 6th edition consisted of great personalities of the Romanian cinema: Prof. Copel Moscu (jury chairman), Prof. Grigore Gonţa, actress Eugenia Maci, but also the younger Cristi Toporan, Film director and Artistic director at Digi24 TV and Evelina Cîmpean,  ZIEFF director.

This film, with a length of 52 minutes, is produced in 2018 by SYMBOL MEDIA (Moldova), co-produced by ALTERNATIVE CINEMA (Moldova) and HI-FI PRODUCTION (Romania), with the support of the District Council of Călărași.
The film has the second official selection and the second consecutive success, being awarded for the first time as the best film on “Ethnoecology (nature and indigenous people)” theme at the International Ecological Film Festival TO SAVE AND PRESERVE 2018, in Russia.

The sixth edition of the International Ethnographic Film Festival (IEFF) took place in Zlatna, Alba county, Romania, between 10th and 12th August 2018. The festival is dedicated to ethnographic films and aims to promote culture and national traditions. IEFF – the only ethnographic film festival in Romania, has the role of discovering new talents and promoting the exchange of cultural values between countries. The festival is open to all filmmakers who want to contribute to building national or international cultural heritage.

Sinopsis:
The land of Călărași is a very special place. Even though the whole of Moldova is a really charming and beautiful place, Călărași stands out because of its location. The land is situated right in the middle of the “Codrii” (ancient dense woods). This rich and beautiful location, has its own specific priorities: of history, culture, spirituality, ethnography, agriculture, crafts and customs, but also of using the ”Codrii” as a means of defense. Because of ”Codrii”, Calarasi was able to resist to all the barbaric invasions that happened in the past. Călărași is situated in the region of a great Basarabian cross, formed by four holy monasteries, Hârjauca, Frumoasa, Hârbovăț și Răciula. And if we look at the Basarabian (Moldovan) map, we can see this huge cross of these four locations.

Official Trailer:

Film stills making-of photos: