What was the starting point or the initial idea for this film?
Everything began with a call for young filmmakers made by FILMEX ROMANIA, the company that produced all the films of the Romanian director Lucian Pintilie and much more. They intended to shoot a series - called “Escape From Heaven” - of 10 medium length docudramas about people that ran away from Romania during the communist times. Each story inspired by real cases.
For me, Lucian Pintilie has always been one of the strongest voices/visions of Romanian cinema, so you can imagine the enthusiasm I entered this project with. I also must tell you from the beginning - as I know you will ask - in spite of our names resemblance, we are in no way family relations/relatives. I read the short descriptions of the 10 real cases (half page each) and more my intuition than my reason made me chose the one about the oxygen cylinder. So I made a very personal script out of it. Lucian Pintilie read it and liked it, so I became part of the project. Because of financial problems, out of the 10 films, only 2 were finished in the end, OXYGEN is one of them. We decided to make it stand on its own, as an independent film.
Can you share an important event of the making-of this film with us?
Maybe the most important for me is, as always, the team work: I have the chance to work for 7 years, since film school, with the same crew of extremely talented professionals: Marius Iacob - director of photography, Tudor Petre - editor and sound designer, Andrada Chiriac - set/costume designer. The damn hard but so beautiful creative experience we share is a privilege for me.
What do you do when not making films?
Now that you made me think of it :) I could say everything I do/see/experience is in a way or another strongly connected to the films I make ( or the other way around); so when not making one, most probably my life “feeds” me on multiple levels for the next film. If only this could last:)
What would you like to say to your audience before seeing your film?
Nothing before seeing it. Just maybe: let your feelings guide you. But I would be very curious to discuss after the viewing.
What project(s) are you working on this year? Could you please tell us something about your future projects?
I am presently developing my first feature length fiction script in Binger FilmLab Amsterdam. It’s a great creative environment, which is essential for me in the writing process. This year I also begin the development of my first feature length documentary.