The New Year That Never Came
| The New Year That Never Came | |
|---|---|
Romanian theatrical release poster | |
| Romanian | Anul Nou care n-a fost |
| Directed by | Bogdan Mureșanu |
| Screenplay by | Bogdan Mureșanu |
| Based on | The Christmas Gift by Bogdan Mureșanu |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by |
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Production companies |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | Romania |
| Language | Romanian |
The New Year That Never Came (Romanian: Anul Nou care n-a fost) is a 2024 Romanian historical tragicomedy film written and directed by Bogdan Mureșanu in his feature directorial debut. Based on Mureșanu's 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift, it stars Adrian Văncică, Nicoleta Hâncu, Iulian Postelnicu, Mihai Călin, Emilia Dobrin, and Andrei Miercure. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2024, where it won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film.[1] The film received a theatrical release in Romania on 24 September 2024.
Premise
Six lives converge on 20 December 1989 amid the unrest of the Romanian revolution.
Cast
- Adrian Văncică as Gelu
- Nicoleta Hâncu as Florina Miu, an actress from the Nottara Theater
- Iulian Postelnicu as Ionuț Dincă, a Securitate officer
- Mihai Călin as Ștefan Silvestru, a TVR director
- Emilia Dobrin as Margareta Dincă, Ionuț's mother
- Andrei Miercure as Laurențiu Silvestru, Ștefan and Alina's son, a student
- Ioana Flora as Mariana, Gelu's wife
- Ada Galeș as Camelia Dincă, Ionuț's wife
- Marian Râlea as Mihalcea, a TVR producer
- Gabriel Radu as Gabi, a TVR cameraman
- Manuela Hărăbor as Alina Silvestru, Ștefan's wife and Laurențiu's mother
- Ion Sapdaru as Comrade Vârtosu, the head of TVR
- Angel Popescu as Alex
- Vlad Ionuț Popescu as Vlad, Laurențiu's best friend
- Victoria Raileanu as Lili, an actress
- Elvira Deatcu as doamnă
- Gabriel Spahiu as Benghe, Florina's neighbor
- Vasile Muraru as Uncle Romică
- Theodor Șoptelea as Manu
- Sorin Cociș as Stamate
- Răzvan Vasilescu as the theater director
- Ilinca Hărnuț as the scenographer
- Luca Toma as Marius, Gelu and Mariana's son
- Mircea Andreescu as Uncle Chican
- Ioan Paraschiv as the investigator
- Doru Cătănescu as the postman
- Nicodim Ungureanu as the taxi driver
- Marius Damian as Uncle Jiji
- Marian Adochiței as Berlogea
- Dana Voicu as a pharmacist
- Afrodita Androne as the set secretary
- Virgil Aioanei as Gelu's coworker
- Vlad Jipa as Comrade Marcel
Production
The film expands on characters from director Bogdan Mureșanu's 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift.[2] Regarding the feature film's conception, Mureșanu stated, "I was interested in the humanity of small lives exposed to great historical events and how they deal with the feeling of a disappearing world."[3] Principal photography took place in and around Bucharest. Filming also took place in Gostinu, a commune roughly an hour outside of Bucharest.[4] Cinematographer Biró Boróka utilized the Arri Alexa Mini for filming.[5] Filming was completed by 28 September 2023.[6]
Release
The trailer was released on 28 August 2024.[7] The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2024 as part of the Orizzonti competition.[8][9] The following day, Memento Distribution acquired the French distribution rights to the film.[10] The film received a theatrical release in Romania on 24 September 2024.[11] On its opening weekend, it topped the Romanian box office with over 20,000 admissions.[12] It opened the South East European Film Festival in April 2025.[13]
Reception
Critical response
Ștefan Dobroiu of Cineuropa wrote, "...The New Year That Never Came is a powerful example of how cinema can become a time machine that teleports us to a certain era, bringing us back to safety just as the issues of that period seep into our very soul."[14] Wendy Ide of Screen Daily wrote, "There's a lot going on, and initially, the film coasts a little, before gradually picking up momentum. But a near 20-minute final sequence, set to Ravel's Bolero, builds to an explosive crescendo, seamlessly blending archive footage into the action and capturing the exhilarating impact of history in the making."[15]
Accolades
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo International Film Festival | 2024 | Golden Pyramid | The New Year That Never Came | Won | [16] |
| Crossing Europe | 2025 | Best Fiction Film | The New Year That Never Came | Won | [17] |
| European Film Awards | 2024 | European Discovery | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated | [18] |
| Gopo Awards | 2025 | Best Feature Film | The New Year That Never Came | Won | [19] |
| Best Director | Bogdan Mureșanu | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Bogdan Mureșanu | Won | |||
| Best Lead Actor | Adrian Văncică | Won | |||
| Best Lead Actress | Nicoleta Hâncu | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Iulian Postelnicu | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Boróka Biró, Tudor Platon | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Vanja Kovačević, Mircea Lăcătuș | Won | |||
| Best Sound | Sebastian Zsemlye | Won | |||
| Best Production Design | Iulia Fulicea, Victor Fulicea | Won | |||
| Best Costumes | Dana Anghel | Nominated | |||
| Best Makeup and Hairstyling | Iulia Roșeanu, Domnica Bodogan | Won | |||
| Best First Feature | The New Year That Never Came | Won | |||
| International Film Festival of India | 2024 | Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated | [20] |
| Best Director | Bogdan Mureșanu | Won | |||
| Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival | 2024 | Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated | |
| Luxembourg City Film Festival | 2025 | Grand Prix | The New Year That Never Came | Won | [21] |
| FIPRESCI Prize | The New Year That Never Came | Won | |||
| Molodist International Film Festival | 2024 | Scythian Deer | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated | [22] |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2024 | New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated | |
| São Paulo International Film Festival | 2024 | Best Fiction | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated | |
| Venice Film Festival | 2024 | Orizzonti Award for Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Won | [23] |
| FIPRESCI Prize | The New Year That Never Came | Won | |||
| Vilnius International Film Festival | 2025 | Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Special mention | [24] |
| Zurich Film Festival | 2024 | Best International Feature Film | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
References
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas; Tartaglione, Nancy (7 September 2024). "Venice Winners: Pedro Almodóvar's 'The Room Next Door' Wins The Golden Lion; Also Wins For Nicole Kidman, Brady Corbet, 'I'm Still Here' & More". Deadline. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Popa Buluc, Magdalena (30 August 2024). "S-a lansat trailerul filmului ANUL NOU CARE N-A FOST! Cu: Adrian Văncică, Nicoleta Hâncu, Iulian Postelnicu, Emilia Dobrin, Andrei Miercure și Mihai Călin". Jurnalul Național (in Romanian). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Tănăsescu, Alexandra (1 September 2024). "Filmul "Anul Nou care n-a fost", regizat de Bogdan Mureșanu, a avut azi premiera la Veneția". Cultura la dubă (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ Andrei, Ileana (30 August 2024). "Bogdan Mureșanu: România este țara în care olimpicii la înot nu au bazine, iar cineaștii nu au săli de cinema". IQads (in Romanian). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Shachat, Sarah; Peikert, Mark (1 September 2024). "Venice 2024: How 41 Cinematographers Shot Their Festival Films". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ Dobroiu, Ștefan (28 September 2023). "Bogdan Mureșanu picture-locks his first feature, The New Year That Never Came". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (28 August 2024). "In 'The New Year That Never Came' Bogdan Muresanu Urges People to Remember Ugliness of Ceausescu's Regime – and to Check Santa's CV (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Aricò, Giacomo (2 August 2024). "Festival di Venezia 2024, si comincia: il programma con film, date e le star più attese". Vogue Italia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 27 September 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Chiriac, Adriana (31 August 2024). "Festivalul Internațional de Film de la Veneția. "Anul Nou care n-a fost / The New Year That Never Came" are premiera mondială pe 1 septembrie". Radio Impuls (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 31 August 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (2 September 2024). "Memento Distribution Nabs Venice Horizons Title 'The New Year That Never Came' for France (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Șchiopu, Ana-Maria (28 July 2024). ""Anul Nou care n-a fost", lungmetrajul de debut al lui Bogdan Mureșanu, va avea premiera mondială la Festivalul de la Veneția". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ^ Dobroiu, Ştefan (3 October 2024). "The New Year That Never Came tops the Romanian box office". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
- ^ Carey, Matthew (11 April 2025). "20th South East European Film Festival Reveals Lineup: Oscar Nominees, Sundance Prize Winners, And One 'Nasty' Documentary". Deadline. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ Dobroiu, Ștefan (2 September 2024). "Review: The New Year That Never Came". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (2 September 2024). "'The New Year That Never Came': Venice Review". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 2 September 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Bleasdale, John (23 November 2024). "'The New Year That Never Came,' Black Comedy About a Repressive Regime, Seizes Top Prize at Cairo Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Stojiljković, Marko (5 May 2025). "The New Year That Never Came and The Flats crowned at Crossing Europe". Cineuropa. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (5 November 2024). "European Film Awards: 'The Substance,' 'Emilia Pérez,' 'The Room Next Door,' Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton Among Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Dobroiu, Ştefan (30 April 2025). "The New Year That Never Came sweeps the Romanian Gopos". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman; Frater, Patrick (29 November 2024). "Lithuanian Drama 'Toxic' Wins Top Prize at 55th International Film Festival of India". Variety. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (17 March 2025). "The New Year That Never Came wins at the 15th Luxembourg City Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (5 November 2024). "'All We Imagine As Light', 'Honeymoon' among Kyiv film festival winners". Screen Daily. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
- ^ Ford, Lily (7 September 2024). "Venice Film Festival Awards: Pedro Almodóvar Wins Golden Lion for 'The Room Next Door'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 7 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
- ^ Abbatescianni, Davide (24 March 2025). "Dea Kulumbegashvili's April triumphs at the Vilnius International Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 30 June 2025.