Following the Road to “Aferim!” June 1, 2016
Courtesy of Big World Pictures
Big World Pictures founder Jonathan Howell
The films we show at the Museum give audiences the opportunity to see movies on the big screen, and we work with many film distributors who share that goal. The acclaimed Romanian film Aferim! comes to the MFAH via Big World Pictures, a small distribution company.
I talked with Big World’s founder, Jonathan Howell, about this road movie, which we’re thrilled to screen on two Sundays, June 5 and 12.
When did you first encounter Aferim!, and how did you decide to release it?
I first heard of Aferim! when it had its world premiere at the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) last year, but I was unable to get a ticket. I really made an effort; I even went to the sales agent to beg for one! I was excited to see that it was programmed at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York a few months later, so I finally got to see it. I was so impressed that I went back to see it again the next night—something I’ve only done two other times in my life!
Can you put Aferim! in the context of the Romanian New Wave?
It is quite different from other Romanian New Wave films. However, it’s just as true to say Aferim! is different from really anything else out there, since it is a combination of genres I can say with assurance have never been combined before.
For one thing Aferim! is a period piece, while most of the Romanian New Wave films are contemporary reflections on society. It’s also highly aestheticized, shot on 35mm black-and-white stock in widescreen. Filmmaker Radu Jude uses the rugged landscape much as John Ford did the American West. This is in sharp contrast to other Romanian New Wave films, which are for the most part obstinately low-fi and often trying to capture the gritty realism of contemporary life.
Can you share any highlights from your involvement with distributing this film?
As always, when a film gets rave reviews in New York, there are some “important people” who ask to see it. Harvey Weinstein requested a copy on opening weekend—not that we had one to spare, so we made a Blu-ray especially for him.
The Museum’s big screen is the first to show “Aferim!” in Houston! See it on June 5 and 12.
