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Festival 2023
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Libertate

Libertate

109' 2023
dir.: Tudor Giurgiu

Far from simplification, the feature-length reconstruction of the fall of the Ceausescu regime in December 1989. Was the Romanian revolution a popular uprising or was it provoked by the country's secret services – or a media setup? 

Based on a true story, though the only fiction film in this year's festival lineup, Tudor Giurgiu's film takes us to Sibiu, a provincial town in Romania, amidst the 1989 revolution. The narrative unfolds in a world previously bound by a dictator's iron grip, now crumbling like a house of cards. Party activists, secret police officers, and generals accuse each other of treason. As news of Ceaușescu's fall filters in from Bucharest, shots ring out in the city. In this chaos, distinguishing between old enemies and current friends becomes a challenge. Giurgiu captures an atmosphere of pervasive paranoia with mastery. In a country under the Securitate's omnipotent watch, everyone is a suspect. The film poses the question: who will emerge victorious in this duel without rules, and whose version of history will remain in the textbooks?

The premiere of "Libertate" (December 6) will be followed by a meeting and master class with Tudor Giurgiu.

Screening partner:

Festivals
2023 Sarajevo FF (C.I.C.A.E Award)
Tickets and passes
109' 2023 Romania, Hungary
Director
Tudor Giurgiu
Cinematography
Alexandru Sterian
Editing
Réka Lemhényi
Production
Libra Films
Mythberg Films
Screenings