Between past and future stands a festival rooted in the present
Although he devoted himself with love and unwavering commitment to an art form by nature ephemeral, Șerban Ionescu and his work continue to live on through those who knew him — or who encountered him in person. Audiences he captivated. Actors with whom he shared theatre stages across Romania and abroad. Directors alongside whom he worked on film sets. Artists, admirers, friends, ordinary people…
The art for which he would have sacrificed almost everything was always created for people, with people and about people. This is why, in 2018, we founded a showcase in his memory and in celebration of his remarkable theatrical and cinematic legacy. Yet I soon understood that this occasion should not simply bear his name — it should also carry forward his artistic credo.
There is, to my mind, no greater tribute than dedicating the 2021 edition of the “Șerban Ionescu” Theatre and Film Festival to young creativity and to emerging creators — those who will shape the theatre of tomorrow. Those who will transform the Romanian New Wave into a chapter of the past by replacing it with something genuinely new and revolutionary. I invite them — together with audiences of their own generation — to take part in this festival: to showcase their work, to give voice to their ideas and to explore the most unexpected, obscure and compelling artistic territories. Above all, to remember that loving art means, first and foremost, loving people.
Now more than ever, we need people, art and love. We need encounters. These are undoubtedly challenging times, yet we must make the effort to endure. Throughout history, cultural resistance has often proved a path to survival. Dear young artists and spectators, although we cannot meet face to face this year, I promise you an edition shaped by your rhythms and ways of experiencing the world: online, non-stop — and, at times, on fast forward.
Let the “Șerban Ionescu” Theatre and Film Festival begin!
MAGDA CATONE
Founder and Honorary President of the “Șerban Ionescu” Theatre and Film Festival
» Jury of the first edition of the “Șerban Ionescu” Theatre and Film Festival
» MARIA ROTAR
Deputy Director
Excelsior Theatre Bucharest
In times of adversity, to think of young people — of their creative power, of freedom and of a hopeful future — may appear an act of recklessness. I would say instead that it is an act of courage. And of faith in the inalienable strength of art. A clear-sighted and necessary boldness, arising from the need to invest trust in emerging generations of creators who need a space for expression and dialogue — with themselves and with the world. A space for trials that may become the certainties of tomorrow. I take immense joy in witnessing artists at the beginning of their journey as they meet the wider public, an encounter made possible through the generosity of the “Șerban Ionescu” Theatre and Film Festival.
» CRISTIANA GAVRILĂ
coordonator program
9G la TNB
To my mind, the greatest challenge Romanian theatre faces today is the survival of young artists and the sustained support of the independent sector. The planetary upheaval we are living through has altered our understanding of these terms, as well as our relationship with an ever-shifting reality that continually reshapes theatre itself — its means and its artistic inquiries. In this landscape, the “Șerban Ionescu” Theatre and Film Festival places young — exceptionally young — artists centre stage. An inspired and much-needed vision! To “Expose. Express. Explore.” the present moment while stepping towards the future. I believe the younger generation is the one bold enough to take the precise pulse of reality and reveal to us how resilient or how vulnerable Romanian theatre truly is.
» SLAVA SAMBRIȘ
Theatre Director and Artistic Director of the “Luceafărul” Theatre, Chișinău
I agreed to join the jury of this festival because, more than ever, I am convinced that young artists must be encouraged and supported in their creative work. What could be more eloquent or more compelling than the motto “Expose. Express. Explore.”?
» Young Theatre Review
» ALINA EPÎNGEAC
Lecturer and Theatre Critic, YTR Section Coordinator
Young voices on stage and young voices in the digital auditorium. As they naturally belong side by side, artists at the beginning of their journey and future theatre critics meet midway between artistic creation and audience reception. Undergraduate students in Theatre Studies – Theatre Journalism at the Theatre Studies Department of the “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theatre and Film, Bucharest, will publish their first reviews of the productions featured in the festival’s competition programme. Together we embark on the profession’s road trip, guided by #trust, #courage and #inspiration. Fresh theatre. Sharp criticism.
» Irina’s Review Series
» IRINA-MARGARETA NISTOR
Film Critic and Translator
A festival devoted to an actor I first encountered — to my surprise — portraying an ordinary Romanian in the docu-drama “More Than Anything”, directed by Nicolae Mărgineanu and Dan Pița, a powerful artistic reconstruction of the catastrophic 1977 earthquake. Șerban Ionescu came to represent the quintessence of the familiar Romanian figure, continually captivating audiences in cinema and on television alike. May we never forget him.
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