The new film directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Libertate, has been selected for the Official Competition of the Sarajevo Film Festival (August 11–18, 2023), where it will compete for The Heart of Sarajevo. Inspired by true events, Libertate tells a lesser-known story that took place in Sibiu during the 1989 Revolution.
In the chaos and panic generated by the public protests against the authorities in December 1989, a militia unit in Sibiu becomes the target of a violent assault that degenerates into a bloody confrontation between soldiers, militiamen, security forces, and civilians. Trying to escape the siege, several men are captured by the Army and accused of being terrorists. The main roles are played by actors Alex Calangiu, Cătălin Herlo, Ionuț Caras, and Iulian Postelnicu.
Last year, while still in production, Libertate won the Jury Award at CineLink Industry Days, a program dedicated to developing projects at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
“I am glad that our film is having its international premiere in Sarajevo, where it was recognized even in the production phase. I am eager to see how the festival audience will react to the story—we bring to the screen a fast-paced action film based on extensive research of what happened in Sibiu in December 1989. It is not a film that seeks to find the truth; I believe it will raise even more questions about those complicated days,” says Tudor Giurgiu.
The cast also includes Alexandru Papadopol, Andi Vasluianu, and Mirela Oprișor. The screenplay is written by Cecilia Ștefănescu and Tudor Giurgiu, based on an idea by Napoleon Helmis.
Libertate had its premiere at the 22nd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for the most popular Romanian film in the program. The film will be distributed nationwide starting in October.
The Sarajevo Film Festival is the most important and largest film festival in Southeast Europe and one of the largest film festivals in Europe. It was founded in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War.
LIBERTATE is produced by Libra Films and distributed by Transilvania Film.