Cinéfondation Atelier: Razvan Radulescu & Melissa De Raaf – “First of All, Felicia”

Today’s Cinefondation Atelier spotlight is on Romanian Razvan Radulescu and his Dutch co-director, Melissa de Raaf. First of All, Felicia is the first feature-length project they have worked on together; previously, they collaborated on a project for a short film. Razvan is very much involved in the recent wave of Romanian film directors, having collaborated on the scriptwriting of films made by Radu Muntean and Cristi Puiu, director of the internationally acclaimed The Death of Mr Lazarescu (2005, Un Certain Regard). He also was a script consultant on last year’s Palme d’Or winner, 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days. “Seen from the outside, this appears to be like a wave, but I would say it was just very nice work with very good directors. They have very different minds, very different sensibilities,” clarified Razvan Radulescu.

The two directors are connected by the HFG school in Karlsruhe, Germany; Razvan teaches dramaturgy and Melissa is studying philosophy and media art. In late October, their project received the confirmation of Romanian financing, representing about half of the necessary funding needed, which thereby allowed them to accept the Cannes Cinefondation Atelier invitation to attend in 2008.

First of All, Felicia is set in Bucharest, on the day of departure for Felicia, heading to the Netherlands. The story is quite personal for both the filmmakers, as explained by Razvan, “I have to say that both of our lives have been connected during the past six years with a lot of traveling and a deep feeling of not belonging anymore in one place… You lose a natural way of staying in a place. This is how it happened to both of us, quite separate experiences; we come from two different places.”

For Melissa, this is her first time in Cannes, “It’s overwhelming and superb.” Razvan was in Cannes seven years ago, and recalls, “When I arrived in front of the Noga Hilton, there was a convertible Ferrari parked there and the engine was under glass, of course very shiny, very red, breathtaking, outstanding, and at the same time preposterous. In my mind it stands for Cannes.”