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The Chalice. Of Sons and Daughters

Dana Bunescu, Cătălina Tesar • Romania • 2022 • 85 min
International Premiere
This movie exposes for the first time in cinema the fascinating universe the traditional Roma community from Transylvania called ‘cortorari’, who, such as the European aristocracy, they arrange and break matrimonial alliances according to family and fortune.

Here, the families negotiate the dowery of the girl and evaluate de inheritance of the groom when arranging a wedding. These alliances gravitate around family heirlooms, silver and golden chalices inherited from father to son. The pressure is even bigger when considering that the alliance is completed only if the young couple succeeds in having a baby boy.

Besides capturing the traditions of the ‘cortorari’ community, the film follows a young couple in their endeavor to birth a son, the atmosphere surrounding them, the worries in their extended family concerning the gender of the unborn child, who will have a direct influence on the inheritance and the young parents’ fate.

Original Title:O Tahtai. Savendar tai Seiandar
Directors:Dana Bunescu,Cătălina Tesar