Cultural ties between Romania and Egypt date back to 1978, and over the decades, cultural diplomacy has become a cornerstone of their bilateral relationship.
Meanwhile, Romanian cinema underwent a significant transformation. The fall of the communist regime in late 1989 and the emergence of a new political and social landscape gave rise to fresh cinematic voices.
Romanian filmmakers began to gain international recognition, earning major awards at prestigious film festivals. This global visibility also helped open new avenues for cultural exchange with Egypt.
Gabi Suciu, a vice‑dean of the Film Faculty at the National University of Theatre and Film (UNATC) "I L Caragiale" in Bucharest, visited Egypt this summer to initiate new collaborations with several Egyptian film organizations.
As part of both her institutional role and broader commitment to fostering international partnerships, Suciu helped establish several agreements aimed at expanding educational and industrial exchange between the two countries.
Ahram Online: What was the reason for your visit to Egypt?
Gabi Suciu: I was invited to Egypt a couple of weeks ago to teach in the Film Industry Business Certificate programme, offered by the American University in Cairo’s School of Continuing Education.
The programme is run in collaboration with Silver Screen Film School, founded by two dedicated industry professionals, Mariam Hamdy (Egypt) and Octavian Dăncilă (Romania), and in partnership with the embassy of Romania in Egypt.
The programme consists of 11 focused modules designed to prepare participants for careers in the global film industry.
I opened the programme with six intensive sessions on the Global Film Industry, introducing participants to its ecosystem, key players, and various professional pathways.
Bringing in tutors from around the world is truly shaping a generation that thinks globally and taps into international opportunities.
AO: Can you tell us more about the cultural cooperation between Egypt and Romania in the film sector?
GS: During my visit to Egypt, I had the pleasure of meeting H E Olivia Toderean, the ambassador of Romania to Cairo. Toderean is highly active in strengthening cultural cooperation between our countries, particularly in the field of film, which is a key priority of the embassy’s cultural diplomacy programme.
We discussed various possibilities, including film screenings, collaborative educational initiatives, and academic exchanges, especially as Egypt now has access to the Erasmus Mundus and, more recently, the Horizon+ programmes.
In fact, the UNATC offers several attractive, state-of-the-art MA programmes in English that could appeal to Egyptian students looking to study in Europe.
These programmes include Art of Game Design, Interactive Technologies for Performing Media Arts, New Media Design, and Audiovisual Archives – Preservation and Programming.
In fact, our cultural ties date back to the 1950s, when the Romanian Puppet Theatre at IATC (UNATC’s predecessor) played a pivotal role in shaping Egypt’s puppet theatre tradition.
One of its first beneficiaries was director Salah El-Sakka. As for the collaboration between AUC and Silver Screen, it is just beginning, and further development of the programme is already being planned.
AO: How do you see Egypt and Romania further developing their cooperation in the film industry?
GS: A bilateral treaty on co-productions would be an excellent starting point for encouraging film collaboration between the two countries.
Currently, a cooperation agreement in the fields of education, science, and culture exists between the governments of Romania and Egypt, signed in 1978 and still in force. A follow-up cooperation programme was signed in 2016.
This agreement includes a brief mention of film, stating that both parties support cooperation through the implementation of programmes, participation in film festivals, co-productions, exchange of experience and films via national film archives, and the annual organization of reciprocal film galas.
This offers a good foundation, but it is only the beginning. The fact that both Egypt and Romania have tax incentives for the film industry is also a plus.
AO: Are you following up on the developments in Egyptian cinema?
GS: Not so much as I would have wanted to. I know it is a cornerstone of Arab-language filmmaking, and numerous films are produced for the local market.
I grew up admiring Omar Sharif. During my years of study, I discovered Youssef Chahine with Cairo Station, Alexandria … Why?, The Other, and Alexandria … New York.
More recently, I was surprised by the works of Mohamed Diab with Clash and Amira, Omar El-Zohairy’s film Feathers, Tarik Saleh’s The Nile Hilton Incident, and Boy from Heaven.
I think it is time for an Egyptian cinema new wave that makes waves internationally.
AO: Any favourite movie?
GS: The film that truly shook me was Mohamed Diab’s Clash. It manages, within the constraints of a single location, to develop a rich tapestry of characters, each one portrayed with depth and empathy.
Diab has a remarkable ability to build emotional intensity and tension; he keeps the viewer engaged throughout, never letting you breathe.
His characters are windows into a nation’s complex history, caught in turmoil and searching for identity, often with no resolution.
He is, in my opinion, one of the most compelling storytellers working today.
AO: What about your cooperation with the Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF)?
GS: While I was in Cairo, I had a meeting with Mohamed Tarek, CIFF's artistic director.
The Romanian embassy reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the presence of Romanian films and filmmakers in Egypt and emphasized the importance of building educational exchanges between our countries.
While it is too early to say what concrete steps will follow, there is genuine interest and enthusiasm from both sides to build strong, lasting connections.
Let us not forget that Romania has always been represented at CIFF. In the 2024 edition, Bogdan Mureșanu’s film The New Year That Never Came won the Golden Pyramid at CIFF.
My own film, Blue Moon, had its EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa region) premiere at CIFF in 2021, shortly after its world premiere in San Sebastián.
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