A RUXANDRA ZENIDE feature film The Miracle of Tekir Produced by Elefant Films Hors Saison Visuel

Mara

The Miracle of Tekir synopsis

In the heart of the Danube Delta, superstition and religion are mixed together, like the earth and water that make up the mysterious mud from Tekir’s area, not far away. Chased away Dorotheea Petre from her village because of her mysterious pregnancy, Mara finds herself employed at the Eu- ropa Hotel, providing treatment for infertile women using this miraculous mud. As she meets Madame Lili the rich and eccentric Mrs. Lili, Mara questions her beliefs and intuitions. The relationship be- tween the two women is the key of the miracle of Tekir, between magic and power, tradition and modernity.

Elina Lowensohn The Miracle of Tekir The Inspiration - The Legend

At the banks of the Black Sea, starting long time ago, there was a salty land, filled with muds where vegetation barely grows. The legend says that once upon a time, an old Turkish man, blind and crippled, riding his donkey, got lost and slipped on the edge of a lake here. The old man tryed relentlessly for hours to escape from the mud, but the stubborn donkey wouldn’t move. With great surprise, the old man discovered that his eyes could discern a strand of light and that he could move his feet at will. When the word got out, plenty of believeres started invading that place by the lake, bathing in the muds to get cured. Many miracles hap- pened there. Crippled started walking normally, old men became young again and women regained their fertility. Ever since, toursits would go there every year to enjoy the benefits of this “miraculous mud” . This place is nowdays called Tekirghiol. The Miracle of Tekir Director’s note

The story takes place at the margins of Europe, where East meets West through the wild, indomitable lands, with small comunities, with fewer and fewer people, left behind by the youngsters going to the immediate vicinity where modern civilization flourishes replacing tradition with technology and the occidental pragmatism. This clash is symbolically represented in my film through the two main female charac- ters, which are diametrically opposed to one another in terms of their relationship with life and motherhood. Their meeting also raises the questions of personal iden- tity in the context of exile, culture and personal values that are being learned and passed on through different generations. In my opinion, this film, beyond its social and ethnical issues that it brings to the table, reaches to something deeper in each of us. The lead character’s journey in the seeking of self becomes an adventure beyond the limits of reason, in an unusual place, where even modern world as we know it seems strange. Ruxandra Zenide The Miracle of Tekir Cast Dorotheea Petre (for Mara)

2004 brings her the lead role in the feature film “Ryna”, acclaimed with over 30 de international film festivals’ awards, out of which Dorotheea receives the Debut Award in Transilvania , followed by the Jury’s Spe- cial Mention at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival. In 2005, she plays the lead role in „The Way I Spent the End of the World”. This role brings her international recognition of her talent, through the Spe- cial Jury Award for Best Actress at the Cannes Film Fes- tival, in the Un Certain Regard category. This award was especially created for her, as Un Certain Regard section didn’t offer awards for acting until then. This award is still the greatest award ever received by a Romanian actor. In 2007, Dorotheea is declared “Actress of the year” by the Film Critics and Journalists Association, receives the Romanian Film Industry Award (Gopo) for Best Actress in a Leading Role and UCIN award for Best Actress. In 2009 she wins a Special Jury Prize for Best actress at Magna Graecia Film Festival for the role of Angela in the film „Mar Nero”. For her “talent and artistic sensibility in her work”, she is assigned by a presidential decrete the high distinction of Knight, for cultural achievements in the Entertaining Arts category. The Miracle of Tekir cast Elina Löwensohn (for Lili)

Elina Löwensohn started her career in New York, becom- ing an important figure of the American independent cin- ema by starring in three films directed by Hal Hartley: Theory of Achievment, Simple Man, Amateur. She suc- cesfully played varied roles, as for example in Schin- dler’s List (1993) by Steven Spielberg, in The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998) with Jude Law, in Nadja produced by David Lynch or Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) with Audrey Tautou. In she is renowned by her roles in the films Venus Noir, Lourdes and Sombre. The Miracle of Tekir Bogdan Dumitrache cast (rol Le pope) During his 6 years since starting his career in acting, Bogdan starred in some of the most awarded shorts George Piștereanu and features of the time: “Traffic”, directed by Cătălin (rol Julio) Mitulescu, “The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu”, directed by , “Le tramway d’Andréa”, directed by Alex He finds international acclaim after portraying Iordăchescu, “The Way I Spent the End of the World”, Silviu, the character from If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle, directed by Cătălin Mitulescu, “Lecţia de box”, direct- directed by Florin Serban and awarded the ed by Alexandru Mavrodineanu, “Portrait of the Fight- Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2010, a role er as a Young Man”, directed by Constantin Popescu, that brings George 5 awards for his performance in “Captivi de Crăciun”, directed by Iulia Rugină and national and international film festivals. We meet him “Best intentions” directed by Adrian Sitaru. The role again as a protagonist in 2011, in Cătălin Mitulescu‘s from “Child‘s Pose”, the winner of Berlinale 2013 feature, “Loverboy”. , brings him back into the spotlights. The Miracle of Tekir Fisherman village from the Danube Delta The Miracle of Tekir Mud lake and landscapes The Miracle of Tekir Hotel with SPA center The Miracle of Tekir Hotel with SPA center The Miracle of Tekir Ruxandra Zenide - director

Ruxandra Zenide studied film directing at the New York University (U.S.A.) and at FAMU Prague (). With a Master’s Degree in International Af- fairs at the Institut Universitaire des Hautes Etudes Internationales (IUHEI) from Geneva, she is one of the founders of the film production company Elefant Films. Her acclaimed feature, “Ryna”, was internationally distributed in thea- tres in USA, Switzerland, and and was highly requested by television buyers and along with her previous shorts, The Hole, Shoot me, The Waiting Room and Dust and the medium length film Green Oaks, had an in- tense festival life. The Miracle of Tekir Ruxandra Zenide’s filmography

Ryna - feature film, fiction, 35 mm, 92 min

Awards: • Grand Prize - Cinema Jove 2006, Valencia, • Best Film - Festival de Bordeaux 2005, Bordeaux, France • Best debut for Dorotheea Petre (the role Ryna) – TIFF 2005, Cluj Napoca, Romania • Reflet d’or and Critics’ Award - Cinéma tout Ecran 2005, Geneva, Switzerland • Jury’s Award for Ruxandra Zenide and Dorotheea Petre – Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival 2005, Germany • Special Jury Award – Festival de Cottbus 2005, Germany • Nominee at the Prix du Cinéma Suisse – 2006, Switzerland • Cineclubs’ Award – Festival de Tromse 2006, Norway

Other nominations and important selections: Karlovy Vary, Sarajevo, Montreal, Namur, Los Angeles, Angers, Miami, Trieste etc. and a nominee for the Romanian Film Industry Awards (Gopo Awards). The Miracle of Tekir Production company – ELEFANT FILMS (Switzerland / Romania)

Founded in 2004, Elefant Films entered the national and European film indus- try and film market as a valuable producer and a trustworthy co-production partner, being a liant for the productions having involved a Romanian or Swiss contribution. Elefant Films is a full accredited member of GARP (The Group of the Producers Filmmakers) since 2005 and serves its interests since 2006. Some of the films produced in the past years are: Le Mur et l’Eau (d: Alice Far- gier, 2014), Sette opere di misericordia (d: Gianluca De Serio, Massimilliano De Serio, 2012), Lullaby to my father (d: Amos Gitai, 2012), Păcătoasa Teodora (d: Anca Hirte, 2011), L’enfance d’Icare (d: Alex Iordăchescu, 2009), L’Autre Moitié (d: Rolando Colla, 2007), Ryna (d: Ruxandra Zenide, 2005). Hors Saison Visuel

Mara

The Miracle of Tekir contact

Alex Iordăchescu (CH), producer 10 rue Jean-Jaquet 1201 Genève, Suisse Tel. +41 22 301 65 00 Fax: +41 22 301 65 01 E-mail: [email protected]

Dorotheea Petre Madame Lili

Elina Lowensohn