ZUBAIR QURESHI
The Romanian historical tragicomedy ‘The New Year That Never Came’ was screened on the inaugural day of the weeklong Francophonie Film Mela kickstarted at the at the Cineplex, Centaurus here on Saturday.
During the seven days, films reflecting the human lives, cultures, diversity, and sensibilities of the people living in the French-speaking countries will be screened.
Ambassador of France, Mr Nicolas Galey while expressing his pleasure on the “inception of a new and important film festival” to celebrate the spirit of Francophonie appreciated the ten member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie in Pakistan, namely, Romania, Canada, Belgium, Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia and Vietnam for participating in the film mela through their films.
“This is the largest-scale collaboration for the first time in Pakistan and a powerful demonstration of the unifying values of the La Francophonie: Solidarity, cultural dialogue and the joy of coming together around a shared language and creative expressions,” he noted.
He thanked Centaurus Group’s CEO Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President Sardar Rashid Ilyas and the General Manager (GM) of Movenpick Nicolas Verdun for their cooperation and support. He also appreciated the Centaurus Cineplex Director Aamir S Haider for his collaboration with the organizers of the Film Mela to make it a success.
Let’s start a true global journey through Francophone, said Ambassador Galey prior to the screening of 2024 Romanian historical tragicomedy ‘The New Year That Never Came’ (Anul Nou care n-a fost).
The 138-minute movie though started ordinarily on a slow pace yet it captured the audience’s attention as the story progressed showing how the Romanians coped with the dark days of Communism under the dictatorial rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu that lasted for almost twenty-five years (1965 to 1989).
Deputy Head of Mission (DHM) Romania, Mr Eduard Preda in his introduction of the movie gave the audience a historical perspective of the movie and the events that it depicted. ‘The New Year That Never Came’ is directed by the famous Romanian screenwriter, producer and director Bogdan Mureșanu.
This movie, he said, is about the day [Dec 21, 1989] that turned the recent Romanian history upside down and initiated the events that actually brought the modern times to my country, he said.
The New Year That never came” shows the end of Communism through an interesting lens and realistically depicts the dark times in which the Romanians lived back then. The movie has struck the Romanian viewership pretty intensely since it abruptly brings back a lot of eerie memories.
The film follows several characters whose lives linked on the eve of December 21, 1989, while they are trying to survive and make a living inside a country that truly became an infamous jail for the biggest majority of the Romanians living under the communist regime, led by a dictator and enforced by a feared security apparatus. Romanians barely survived under Communism 35 years ago but that period was marked by unspeakable suffering.
