THE MARAMURES-FILMARCHIVE
Here is an overview of the films Maramures
documentaries by Björn Reinhardt with english subtitle

All films are with an interactive DVD menu and extras presented.
The films listed here, you can buy, giving the movie title on DVD.

Current offers:
10 Maramures-movies of their choice on 10 DVD's for 145, - EUR
3 films of the "Ruthenian Trilogy - "Obcina","Kid Mountain" and "The Third Violin" for 45, - EUR
Five movies of their choice on 5 DVD's for 75, - EUR
2 movies about Greece ("Kalami" and "The Last Pelican") for 35, - EUR

All prices are exclusive of shipping costs of 1, - EUR per DVD bzw.2, - EUR for 2 DVD's, etc.

DVD Cover
Synopsis
„Polyphonia - Albania’s forgotten voices”

"Off Europa: Lajme nga Shqipëria - Nachrichten aus Albanien" Festival für zeitgenössische darstellende Kunst, Dresden und Leipzig
"Norient Musikfilmfestival" 2012, Bern/Schweiz
"World Film Festival" Festival of Visual Culture 2012,Tartu/Estonia

Two shepherds in the Albanian mountains, Arif, a Muslim, and Anastas, an orthodox Christian, have been friends for years in spite of religious barriers. Their profound friendship is constantly strengthened by a local musical tradition, the polyphony. In 2005 this vocal tradition has been declared UNESCO-World Heritage.

The film sets up unforgettable images for the severe poetry, the harsh fates and the almost magical power of the human voice, which helps people in the mountains to master their surreal daily routine at a contradictory stage of post-socialist change. On another level, the film gives an example of how music - even in the Balkans – can build bridges between people and religions.

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 90 min

Special Book for the film:
"Versteckte Stimmen" von Eckehard Pistrick,
edition decus, ISBN 978-3-938819-02-9
www.versteckte-stimmen.de

Do they still images

"THE THIRD VIOLIN"

3. Part of the Ruthenian Trilogy
Film about unfulfilled dreams of talented people

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
"Grazzia Deledda" - Prize for the Best Film
XV Sardinia International Ethnographic Film Festival, Nuoro, Italy 2010

Ivan, a Ruthenian mountain farmer, has many talents.
On the one hand, he plays several musical instruments, even though his greatest passion doubtlessly pertains to his violins. On the other hand, he is able to build jew‘s harps virtually out of nothing. But most probably he himself is not aware of his most outstanding talent: He is witty and extremely entertaining – a real cinematic discovery!
So the film literally starts close-up to Ivan, who delivers a brilliant and strangely funny performance in his hidden mountain village of Obcina.
After the first two successful parts of the Ruthenian Trilogy threads need to be picked up again to outtell the story. With no little worries, we find out that 15 year-old Irina has “shacked up” with her “prince” Gheorghe. Once taken this brave decision, there is more at stake for Irina than for him. New, and quite impressive, Ruthenian characters enter the “stage”:
Mihai, who, in spite of his handicap, managed to gain a respected position among the village kids. But what we see then is almost a miracle: Ivan discovers a new talent! This time he spots it not within himself, but in 10 year – old Adi.
At the end, all threads converge, and we learn with certain surprise what the “Third Violin” is all about. Let this much be said: In spite of all the bitter tears shed over useless deaths Obcina will go on living, and Adi will laugh again!

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 90 min

"For the visually rich portrait of a remote Romanian mountain village, the result of a long term personal relationship based upon mutual respect and affection and technically achieved by a single person; the absence of unnecessary music and commentary allows an intensity of experience that is all too rare today."
Verdict of the Jury of "Sardinia International Ethnographic Film Festival"

Homepage from "The Third Violin"

"KID MOUNTAIN"

2. Part of the Ruthenian Trilogy
Harrowing happy childhood in Obcina

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
"International Ethnographic Filmfestival", Göttingen, Germany 2010
"58th TrentoFilmfestival" , Italy 2010
SPECIAL PRIZE founded by the Museum of Uses and costumes of Trentino people

NAFA Nordic Anthropological Film Association FilmFestival 2010
BergBuchBrig Multimedia Festival Helvetia
"Internationales Bergfilm Festival Tegernsee", Germany 2010
Prize of Special Cultural Value International Mountain Film Festival in Bansko, Bulgaria, 2010
Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, Nepal 2010

Should they ever talk of wealth the inhabitants of Obcina would doubtlessly refer to the number of their children. It is them who add a distinct sound to this picturesque mountain village, who know how to enchant the audience with their unspoilt childishness. The film traces the summer routine of a colourful group of children. All of them give off a very special air which, like in a dream, inexorably draws one into their brisk mountain lives. The kids cope with their parents’, to some extent, inexplicable absence with admirable commitment. They collect and cook their meals, tend cows and sheep, and employ a lot of imagination to keep themselves busy.
Both the use of black & white film footage and quotations of the New Testament contrasting the children’s general airiness make the film an unforgettably intense and touching experience.

"The sensitive, lovingly shot portrayal affords a timeless insight into a small and completely random community of children in a remote village in the Rumanian mountains, providing a universal metaphor for childhood with effective and gentle religious undertones.

"The Jury-Verdict from the "58th TrentoFilmfestival"

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 60 min

Homepage from "Kid Mountain"

"KALAMI"

Riot of thoughts

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
Festival " Cinema and Reality" at the French Institute Athen, Greece 2010

Kalami is a many-centuries-old mountain village in Crete.
Only a handful of people have remained. In the daytime, they sit in Irini’s café waiting.
Into this very special world barges Giorgos, proletarian hero, poet, maybe anarchist. Giorgos represents the raging sea, impetuous life, everything that has always made Crete independent and rebellious. His stage is this café, where everyone has his specific role. We meet Mihailis, who would no comment on anything, but sings surprisingly well, Irini, the café owner, world-wise and tired of life, Polichronis, a giggling granddad who has become a child again, Lefteris, the village spokesman, mentally enriched by poverty, and Vassilis, a strange priest who day by day struggles with the devil. Stylishly framed by their crocheting wives, the daily miracle happens: Giorgos brings more than just a change into their lives – he brings Crete, and … hope.

“Crete is something apart… Crete is a cradle, an instrument, a vibrating test tube in which a volcanic experiment was carried out. Crete is capable of silencing one’s mind, of quieten mind’s turmoil.”
(Henry Miller, Colossus)

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 60 min

Do they still images

"THE FUNNY SISTERS"

Happiness despite bitter times

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
"ASTRA FILM FESTIVAL 2009" Sibiu, Romania 2009

Can an ancient peasant civilization go unnoticed lost? Actually, it seems inconceivable, but it happens! Just as the sisters Mary and Ieana have lost a touching her extended family will disappear without much ado day in the villages of Maramures an original farm after another. The fate of the two is already meaningful to the fate of an entire generation. And although in her shrewd observations already reflected the demise of their world, they grow in the film with captivating appeal beyond themselves and their existential problems. How are the sisters with an almost contagious joy manage to face life, is highly instructive, and show that there can be mastered only with an optimistic attitude to life blows. "Merry Sisters" is a rebel film about the sinking of a quiet period.

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 90 min

Do they still images

"THE LAST RAILWAY PARADISE"

Best Sellers on the tourist phenomenon, "Wassertalbahn"

Even to people indifferent about the enthusiasm of railway lovers word has spread that in the mountainous area of North-Western Romania, at the heart of a National Park, a veritable railway sensation has survived. To the enjoyment of a growing number of tourists from all over Europe narrow-gauge steam locomotives affectionately called “Mocanita” travel far into one of the most picturesque valleys of Romania.
During this archaic journey passengers may witness not only the hardships, but also the romantic moments of a trip into civilized forms of locomotion of the past.
With breath-taking shoots the film reflects the persistent fascination and appeal of this “last railway paradise”. Set in a ravishing nature along a lonesome line of 40 km length the film flashes a winking eye at steam engine fans and “guardians of paradise” alike, a committed team presided by Michael Schneeberger, the Swiss chairman of an association dedicated to the rescue of Romania’s last narrow-gauge railway. But the film also depicts the hard work of engine drivers and trackmen, thus highlighting several aspects of a tourist phenomenon which, quite unexpectedly, affected the lives of the native population. Effects on nature cannot be foreseen as yet, but even at this early point it is essential to preserve and sustain the old dream of man and nature living in harmony.

EUR 18,-
DVD/VHS
Running time: 52 min

Do they still images

"THE INGENIOUS AMATEUR"

After more than four years of shooting the film about Vasile Laza Arpad, called "Gagarin"

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
"Dialektus Festival/European Documentary and Anthropological Film Festival", Budapest, Hungary 2009
"Crossroads of Europe" Lublin, Poland 2009

As his father Mihai, more than 90 years old, accurately observes, Vasile Laza Arpad has had his foot more than once in the proverbial door. But he insistently tripped as many times over the other, his left foot. Whether he failed in his early intents to fly from the shingle-thatched roof of his pig-sty, as the community gossip in this remote valley went, or in his hopeful attempts to study mathematics in Cluj, the big city, crossing the notorious threshold always proved too much for Vasile.
However, Vasile never despairs, on the contrary, as a bizarre wanderer between different worlds he created a magnificent recess for himself: Photography. Unnoticed and smirked at by the others, he produced something unique, even imperishable. Right at the beginning of the film he hands me a plastic bag with hundreds of negative reels, yield of 30 years of photography. Ironically, Vasile himself is not aware of what kind of treasure he gave away. In the following 5 years I was lucky to have the opportunity to film his wonderful parents. Vasile, too, used several cameras during this time, so, as it turned out, I got the chance to observe this “ingenious amateur” firsthand. Then happened what had to happen sooner or later, given his parents’ advanced age. First, his beloved mother passed away, then, a short time later, his father died at the age of 96. Vasile himself is well advanced in years, too, and, as he never found a suitable wife, he would have ended up with both feet in a home had his smart father Mihai not provided for his son in his living years, as you will be able to admire in this film.

EUR 18,-
DVD
Film lengtht: 45 min

"MORE OR LESS"

Absolutely incredible outdoor life

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
"Braking the Barriers", NAFA Fillmfestival in Island, 2008
"Beeld voor Beeld", Amsterdam 2008
"Crossroads of Europe" Lublin, Poland 2009

Nastaca und Grigore kennen sich nicht persönlich, doch sie verbindet ein selten schweres Schicksal. Bei Grigore ist alles winzig: Das Tal in dem er seit 30 Jahren einsam lebt, sein Haus und er selbst. Auch Nastaca lebt nach dem Tod ihres Bruders allein in ihrem schon vor Jahren zusammengebrochenem Haus.
Ihr gesamtes Hab und Gut ist inzwischen verfault, doch die Dorfbewohner behaupten, sie wäre steinreich. Allerdings findet sich ihr Besitz nur auf wertlosem Papieren oder in den Händen der Neffen. Sie selbst lebt schutzlos unter freiem Himmel ohne die geringste soziale Unterstützung. Verraten und von den Neffen als dumm verkauft fordert sie Gerechtigkeit, die ihr verwehrt bleibt. Einzige Zuflucht ist ihr Glaube an Gott, doch ihr Leben ist geradezu unmenschlich. Grigore hat etwas mehr Glück, denn es gibt noch Menschen in seiner Nähe, die ihm helfen wollen. Als Nastaca plötzlich einsam und unter freiem Himmel stirbt betreten die Neffen die Spielfläche. Sie zelebrieren unter neugieriger Anteilnahme der Dorfgemeinschaft eine traditionelle Beerdigung und versuchen, ihre unmenschliche Haltung zu Nastaca zu verklären. Es ist erschreckend und stimmt zutiefst traurig mit anzusehen, wie sich Menschen mitten in Europa mit dem absoluten Nichts durchschlagen müssen. Doch wie Grigore sein Schicksal mit Demut und großer Stille zu ertragen versteht, erstaunt und macht uns gleichermaßen betroffen.

EUR 18,-
DVD
Film lengtht: 105 min

"OBCINA"

1. Part of the Ruthenian Trilogy
The most spectacular mountain village of Maramures

PRIZES & FESTIVALS
"SPECIAL JURY PRIZE "Astra-Filmfestival Sibiu" Sibiu/Romania, 2007
"LIDF- London International Documentar Film Festival" London/England, 2008
"GRAND PRIX" & "AWARD POLISH FEDERATION OF FILM CLUBS" Lublin/Poland, 2008
"Days of Ethnographic Film" Ljubljana/Slovenia 2008
"Beeld voor Beeld" Amsterdam/Holland 2008
"LESSINIA SILVER" Filmfestival della Lessinia, Bosco Chiesanouva/Italy, 2008
"20.Internationales Mountainfilmfestival Graz" Austria 2008
"PRIX NATIONAL GEOGRAFIC" 25.Festival International du Film de Montagne d'Autrans, France 2008
"XVII International Festival of Ethnological Film Belgrad", Serbia 2008
Dokumentarfilmfestival Bogota, Columbia 2009
"GROSSER PREIS" Internationales Mountainfilm Festival Tegernsee, Germany 2009
Cervino CineMountain Festival, Italy 2010
"PRIX VIE DE MONTAGNE 2010"

Obcina is a small village hidden in the mountains.During summer dozens of Ruthenians live and work there.
Before winter all of them leave the mountain village, that is exposed to extreme weather.
Only the family of the cooper Stefan Cut houlds out on the mountain as they do so for many years now. During this time they try to defend themselves and their animals against invading wolves in order to survive with the few provisions they cultivated and harvested during the year.
So far they always succeeded, but now a momentous accident threatens their existence.Stefan had frozen his fingers while ascending from the village. Now he is very frightened to undergo the painful amputation. But the family needs his important manpopwer to survive. The hard facts convince him in the end to dare undertake the necessary steps. So the viewer stays in feverish excitement with Stefan for the success of this surgical operation and apprehends with joy, that he can work again on the mountain. Nevertheless the family wants to leave the mountain during wintertime. But like every year nobody believes them. In this moving events further inhabitants of the mountain village are intermingled and set filmic charmingly in scene. There is the devils fiddler Ivan, the philosopher Vasile and families with many children. They make for summery turbulences on the mountain. But will the Cuts now, as the last family , leave the mountain in winter?

The British documentary filmmaker Michael Yorke on "Obcina"

1. A deeply magical film about the mindset of Romanian peasants.
2. Superbly shot and editied. Great craftsmanship.
3. The music and FX track in this film is masterly.
4. A very powerful, gentle and insightful narrative structure, beautifully paced. You must see it in its entirety to appreciate it. Don’t fast forward. The slow realisation of the main characters alcoholism is brilliantly handled with an epic dénouement that then goes on to an even better resolution. Great story-telling skill.
5. Incredible access over a long period.
6. Superbly authored.
7. a deeply poetic filmmaking style with not a boring second in it.
8. The way that all the sub-characters bounce off and reflect on the central character is brillant.
9. Superb contextualisation."

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 80 min

Do they still images

"SHEEP BROTHER"

A cheerful shepherd year?

2009 Video and Multimedia Festival at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia, USA

Petre, the "Good Shepherd" maintains that he "would have it in their blood". His father and his grandfather had already been shepherds. After the end of communism, he remembered his roots, and has now already in its tenth year in the wine valley dairy successfully. Each spring, trust him to the people around her sheep. But it is increasingly difficult for Petre to find motivated pastors. He pays well, provides for typical personally shepherd food and fun atmosphere. Petre is a real phenomenon and popular in the area. Though unmarried, he was fully in life. The movie shows the hardship and the charms of pastoral life and the associated works. More beguilingly atmospheric mitanzusehen are nature shots of the migratory herd. But just as fascinating that the evening milking, the traditional cheese-making and are totally in style, cooking a steaming mamaliga with cheese on the "fire of life".

EUR 18,-
DVD
Running time: 52 min

Do they still images

"CARMINA BURANA"

Captivating documentary opera with the most beautiful shots

The cantata "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff has seen countless stage performances. But as the inspiration for a documentary she should not have served. The long-distance or "medieval" life in Maramures is a documentary production of these songs and dances such as geschaffen.Und anything is clear in view of these suggestive images composed: the vitality of the people of Maramures, their originality and unique identity, their unconditional will to artistic expression and the emotion and the fact is, a positive force. Here many people have remained truly popular. And despite her lately decimating emigration to Western Europe or elsewhere.

EUR 15,-
DVD/VHS
Running time: 45 min

Do they still images