Superman, Spiderman or Batman, directed by Tudor Giurgiu, won the prize for Best European Short at the 56th edition of Valladolid International Film Festival (22nd – 29th October).
The prize consists of 2,000 euro and in the inclusion of the film on the list of the 15 shorts that will compete at the European Film Awards 2012. Thus, Superman, Spiderman or Batman is the first Romanian film competing for the European Oscar, which will be awarded on the 1st of December 2012, in Malta.
The 15 nominations for the European Film Awards are the winning shorts (during October 2011 – September 2012 period) from the most important film festivals in Europe, such as Ghent, Cork, Rotterdam, Berlin, Krakow, Vila do Conde, Bristol, etc.
Established in 1956, the Valladolid International Film Festival is one of the oldest and most prestigious in Europe, being appreciated for the high quality of the film selection, as well as for discovering many new talents.
In 2011, the shorts competition included 12 films, selected from over 400 registered short features. The jury was formed of producer Saad Chraibi (Morocco), Kirill Razlogov, the director of Moscow Film Festival, the Swedish actress Gorel Crona, the Indian director Sangeeta Datta and Spanish producer Luisa Matienzo.
Superman Spiderman or Batman tells the story of Aron, a 5-year old boy, who, together with his worried dad, one morning, leaves for the hospital, where he wishes, just like cartoon heroes, to save his mother from her heart disease.
The short was filmed exclusively in Cluj Napoca, in several locations from the neighborhoods of Gheorgheni, Grigorescu or Spitalul de Recuperare, with a local crew: actors Bogdan Zsolt, Cornel Răileanu, Elena Ivanca, Ovidiu Crişan, Maria Seleş, Adriana Băilescu and the film’s hero, child actor Aaron Şerban.
The script was written by Doru Lupeanu, also known for his script for the short Faţa galbenă care râde (The Yellow Smiley Face), directed by Constantin Popescu.
The Director of Photography is Adrian Silişteanu, a long term collaborator of director Adrian Sitaru, the editor of the film is Eugen Kelemen, the casting was carried out by Kokino (Levente Molnar), who also collaborated for Morgen, and the executive producer is Bogdan Crăciun. The post-production was completed in the Chainsaw Europe studios.
The short Superman Spiderman or Batman is a Libra Film Productions production, co-financed by Romanian National Center and Zenith Media and realized with the support of Digital Cube.
The film was premiered within the 10th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival (3rd – 12th of June, Cluj Napoca). Also, the short was presented at the 8th edition of the Anonimul International Film Festival (8th – 14th of August) and at the Warsaw Film Festival (7th – 16th of October).
Superman Spiderman or Batman will be screened during the 52nd edition of the Thessaloniki Festival International Film, in the section Balkan Survey, but also during the London Romanian Film Festival.