AttrACT

The Romanian film industry was born after World War II in the communist era. Although it was a period of oppression and terror, the human need to express itself through art rose above it and filtered through the cracks left by the government.

Because of the insane need for control over the population, the communist regime made a new department, the department of “cenzură” (censorship). Its sole purpose was to scrutinize all forms of public expression—books, newspapers, films, and theatre productions—to ensure they aligned with the government's ideology. Only after receiving approval from this department could creative works be released to the public.

However, as we all know, the human desire to create is unstoppable, and no regime in the world can withstand it, so the Romanian film industry made diamonds purely from dust.

Under the regime of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, two of the first movies to be brought out were “Răsună Valea” and “În sat la noi”. As a faithful Stalinist, Gheorghiu-Dej promoted Soviet-style policies such as collectivization and nationalization. These films glorified the regime, attempting to justify practices that, in reality, devastated Romanian farmers—stripping them of their land and forcing them to surrender much of their harvest to the state. Nationalization further extended government control by seizing private businesses and placing them under state ownership.

After the death of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej, and the uprise of Nicolae Ceausescu, the 60s saw whatnot of a turnover with the release of the “Dacii” directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu. It was made in collaboration with the Franco-London Film, a French film production company, and marked a monumental step for the Romanian film industry. It still remained a propagandistic film meant to enhance the idea of the Romanian people's Roman heritage- one of the most sought after ideology of the Ceausescu regime- but thanks to this collaboration between Romania and France, the Romanian people saw a glimpse of light regarding the future.

After Ceausescu’s “July Theses” of 1971, the censorship became stricter and many productions transformed straight into nationalist propaganda, worshipping Ceausescu or the achievements of the Communist Party. Yet, despite these restrictions, movies like „Operațiunea Monstrul” (1976) or „Croaziera” (1981) managed to emerge as social satires, subtly critiquing the system all while being broadcast nationwide.

Although the Romanian film industry was practically born in the communist era, it constantly tried to be an anti-regime tool, carefully avoiding censorship. Nowadays, we can thank it for striving even though its very love-deprived upbringing, leaving behind masterpieces of cinematography that help the modern era of the Romanian film industry reach higher highs.