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Romanian director Bogdan Mirică lives a life intricately connected to screens. He has directed two feature films, including the award-winning “Dogs,” as well as majorly popular television shows, like HBO’s “Shadows.”
Over the last few years, however, the director has become increasingly aware of the presence of screens all around us. The result of that growing questioning is “Magnum Opus,” a project he is set to present at Venice’s Gap-Financing Market.
“It seems to me that all these devices equipped with cameras and social media have fundamentally transformed us in the sense that we are constantly curating our own images,” the filmmaker tells Variety. “I find it endearing and ridiculous at the same time: how much weight we place on the concept of ‘image.’ And cinema deals in images, so there was an organic connection between this theme I had in mind and the narrative I created for ‘Magnum Opus.’”
“Magnum Opus” revolves around a dysfunctional family of artists or, as Mirică puts in his director’s statement, “individuals who have dedicated their lives to the construction of image, only to become imprisoned by it.” The tragicomedy begins with fictional filmmaker Alex setting out to prove his uber-famous actor father sabotaged his latest movie. As Alex goes into full detective mode, clashing with his family, crew and the police, the film sees chaos ensue, egos clash, and secrets unravel.
“If we had to put a one-word stamp on different eras of human history, we’d probably come up with concepts like ‘survival,’ ‘discovery,’ ‘conquest,’ ‘progress,’ and so on,” he says. “Nowadays, we could have ‘pose.’ I think playing pretend has always been an intrinsic part of being human, but maybe, just maybe, we’ve taken it too far. And since we’re talking about posing, I will quote my protagonist without shame: ‘We have become the avatar of an avatar.’”
Producers Ioana Lascar and Radu Stancu first came across Mirică’s work at their home country’s leading festival, the Transylvania Intl. Film Festival. They both tell Variety how “Dogs” had a “real impact” on them. “It showed how a Romanian filmmaker could embrace genre while preserving the rigor and complexity of auteur cinema,” says Stancu.
“That is also a direction we have been pursuing increasingly in our own work, looking for films that move beyond strict realism and combine a strong artistic voice with emotional immediacy and a wider audience potential,” echoes Lascar. “When Bogdan brought us ‘Magnum Opus,’ with its mixture of satire, black comedy and the framework of a detective story, we immediately felt there was a very strong creative alignment.”
Mirică arrives in Venice already fully focused on the making of the film, with shooting scheduled to start in mid-September, right after the Italian festival. The director has also secured the main cast for the film, led by Vlad Brumaru (“Three Kilometers to the End of the World”), Vlad Ivanov (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”) and Iulian Postelnicu (“The New Year That Never Came”). Lascar notes how having the right cast is “essential” for the success of a film with such a precise tonal balance.
“Large parts of the film rely on groups of characters interacting, and the rhythm, chemistry and precision of those performances will be fundamental to how the film works,” adds Stancu. “We are extremely happy with the actors. We believe this combination of strong individual performances and ensemble dynamics can produce some genuinely memorable characters. For us, that is both one of the greatest challenges and one of the most exciting promises of the film.”
The production team emphasizes how they have “built a strong network of producers across Europe and beyond and genuinely believe in the creative value of that exchange.” “Magnum Opus” is a co-production between Romania’s deFilms, Poland’s Lava Films, Bulgaria’s Screening Emotions and Moldova’s 609 Film. “We prefer to see the particular realities of producing from Central and Eastern Europe as an opportunity to build films that are international from their inception,” says Stancu.
Asked about what attracts him to work both in film and television and whether he intends to continue to helm projects for the small screen, Mirică says, “Working with HBO has been an amazing experience.” “Not only did I have the privilege of writing the entire show I was working on, but I also directed most of the episodes. So, creatively speaking, I never felt there were any compromises, and HBO has been the best partner-slash-employer one could hope for.”
“For me, TV vs. cinema is not really a moral dilemma,” he adds. “I’ve seen so many amazing shows coming from all the streaming platforms that I’m confident there’s plenty of room to be original and creative while still hitting the right marks. Cinema allows for more freedom, but that doesn’t necessarily entail greater value. I think the format is just the vessel; what you put inside is up to you.”
Lascar and Stancu are headed to the market boosted by the belief their country is undergoing a “very interesting period of renewed confidence.” “Over the past several years, there has been a genuine need to recalibrate the Cinema Law, rebuild a solid and workable cash-rebate system, and strengthen the dialogue between the industry and public institutions,” says Lascar.
“Producers came together through the Romanian Producers’ Alliance, APF, working closely with the Ministry of Culture, the CNC and other institutions, and after several years of work we now have a revised Cinema Law with newly implemented regulations, as well as a 30% cash-rebate scheme extended for another three years,” adds Stancu. “Today, Romania offers co-producers a combination of experienced creative talent, strong production infrastructure, competitive financing tools and producers accustomed to building international partnerships, while also remaining an attractive territory for servicing international productions.”
