The Japanese Dog
by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
Romania 2013, 85 min
What does it take to change a solitary life?
After twenty years, an old man, widowed by the recent floods in a small Romanian village, and his son, living in Japan, see each other again. Their expectations run high, and during this brief reencounter they try to overcome the distance that has grown between them. When his son and his family have to part, they leave him a Japanese Robodog as a souvenir of their visit that will change his life forever.
Awards
ex-aequo Award „for tenderness in showing the characters and the world“ - Warsaw IFF 2013
Best Film in competition program NEW EUROPE - NEW NAMES - Vilnius IFF 2014
Romanian Days Award for Best Debut - Transilvania IFF 2014
Bridging the Borders Award for Best Feature Film - South East European FF 2015
Festivals
World Premiere: San Sebastian IFF 2013
Mumbai IFF 2013
Warsaw IFF 2013
Thessaloniki IFF 2013
Arras FF 2013
Santa Barbara FF 2014
New Directors/ New Films 2014
Vilnius FF 2014
Seattle IFF 2014
Fünf Seen FF 2014
Festival du Film Francophone de Namur 2014
Haifa FF 2014
St. Louis IFF 2014
Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema 2014
Palm Springs IFF 2015
European Union FF 2015
South East European FF 2015
Cast & Crew
With: Victor Rebengiuc, Serban Pavlu, Laurentiu Lazar, Ioana Abur, Kana Hashimoto
Production: Libra Film
Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
Born in 1984 in Medias, Romania, Jurgiu graduated from The National University of Theatre and Film”I.L.Caragiale” Bucharest, in 2009. He directed 4 short films while in school. One of them, Oli’s Wedding, produced by Libra Film, was selected to participate in many festivals and won the Best short award in Leeds, 2009. In 2012 he shot his first feature, The Japanese Dog, also produced by Libra Film, which will be released in Romania in October 2013. His latest short ,In the Fishbowl, was selected for the Cinefondation competition in Cannes 2013, where he was awarded with the 3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo.