Lumea e a mea/ The World is Mine, Nicolae Constantin Tănase’s debut feature, will have its international premiere in the East of the West Competition at Karlovy Vary IFF (July 3 – 11, 2015).
The film won the Romanian Days Award for Best Debut at Transilvania International Film Festival. An independent production by Libra Film and Radu Stancu's deFilm, The World Is Mine was written by Raluca Mănescu and was shot in 2013 with a budget sourced exclusively from private parties. Except Iulia Ciochină, who previosly played in several short films, the main actors Ana Maria Guran, Oana Rusu, Ana Vătămanu and Florin Hrițcu are all non-professional.
Sixteen-year-old Larisa lives in a small town by the sea. Her relationship with her mother, who struggles with a lack of finances, is far from ideal, and in addition to that, the girl has to care for her helpless grandmother pretty much by herself. When Larisa falls in love with Florin, the local playboy, she acquires a powerful enemy in Anna, a girl from a wealthy family who is determined to get rid of her rival at all costs. The small-town world in which good looks and money play the leading role does not favor Larisa. However, the stubborn girl is ready to do whatever it takes to win love and admiration, and she resolutely pushes ahead to make her dreams come true….
“In his low-budget debut, talented Romanian director Nicolae Constantin Tănase entrusted most roles to non-pro actors whom he discovered primarily via Facebook. Their perfectly natural performances significantly contribute to the authenticity of Tănase’s perspective on a period of life filled with defiance and heightened emotions.”, writes Lenka Tyrpáková for Karlovy Vary Film Fest.
Nicolae Constantin Tănase (b. 1985, Bucharest, Romania) comes from an artistic family, and his passion for storytelling became apparent at an early age. He graduated from FAMU International, subsequently continuing film directing studies at the National University of Theater and Film in Bucharest. His graduation short Outrageously Disco (2009) earned him several awards. He created the shorts Zombie Infectors 3 (2008), Next (2008), 12 minute (2013) and the multi-awarded BLU (2012). The World Is Mine is his first feature.