Între revoluții

In the 1970s, an Iranian student named Zahra meets a fellow student called Maria at university in Bucharest. They are both pursuing a degree in medicine and develop a deep friendship and admiration for each other. When the revolution against the Shah breaks out in 1979, Zahra goes back to Iran, moved by the hope of political transformation, although disappointments are quick to follow. Zahra never ends up returning to Romania. Over the next decades, Zahra and Maria exchange letters about protests, the general upheaval in both countries, the oppression of women and how it affects them; Romania is not to remain untouched by revolution either. Separated by the revolutions, their correspondence depicts two women struggling to conform to societal stereotypes and grappling with their profound feelings for each other, which seem to stretch beyond simple friendship. In his film, Vlad Petri draws entirely on incredible, stunningly edited archival footage from Iran and Romania to tell the story of these two women in such a way that the lines between documentary and fiction blur. In such testing times, doesn’t such a bond almost seem too good to be true? (Jacqueline Nsiah)

Production Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan. Production company Activ Docs (Bukarest, Romania). Director Vlad Petri. Screenplay Lavinia Braniște, Vlad Petri. Editing Dragoș Apetri, Cătălin Cristuțiu, Vlad Petri. Sound Filip Mureșan, Vlad Voinescu. Production manager Elena Martin. Co-producer Oliver Sertić. Co-production Restart. With Victoria Stoiciu, Ilinca Harnut.

Vlad Petri, born in Bistriţa, Romania in 1979, he studied cinematography as well as visual and media anthropology. He is active as a filmmaker, screenwriter and cinematographer. His films have been shown and won awards at international festivals.

Filme: 2014: București, unde esti? / Where Are You Bucharest? (80 min.). 2020: Cerbul a trecut prin fața mea / The Deer Passed in front of Me (27 min.). 2021: Același vis / The Same Dream (30 min.). 2023: Între revoluții / Between Revolutions.

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