Team Deakins CRISTIAN MUNGIU - Director
Dec 3, 2025
Cristian Mungiu, a renowned Romanian film director, shares insights into his impactful storytelling and filming techniques. He discusses how growing up under Ceaușescu influenced his creative journey and filmmaking choices. Mungiu highlights the balance between artistic control and working in Romania versus Hollywood. He elaborates on the importance of realism in his works, the process of casting, and his approach to long takes and sound editing. He also previews his upcoming film, Fjord, exploring themes of identity and societal issues.
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Formative Film Access Under Communism
- Cristian Mungiu describes growing up under communism with severely limited TV and cinema access, saved by itinerant cinematech and smuggled VHS tapes.
- Those scarce exposures seeded his cinephilia and shaped his taste for realism over state-produced films.
Reporting During The Revolution
- Mungiu worked on a university paper during the Romanian Revolution and helped it go from monthly to daily as events unfolded.
- That press experience trained him in reporting, urgency, and questioning power before he joined film school.
Write For What The Camera Sees
- Write screenplays that describe only what the camera will see and avoid prescribing characters' inner feelings.
- Build films from documented reality and structure them to show 'why' things happened, not just the sensational 'what.'