23/08/2017 - The Scharf Advertising production was presented at CineLink Work In Progress

Romanian director Radu Dragomir is currently in post-production with his first feature, Mo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Dragomir
film profile], presented earlier this month at CineLink Work In Progress at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The project is being produced by Scharf Advertising, represented by Liviu Mărghidan, and co-produced by Strada Film, both Romanian production companies.

The screenplay, written by Dragomir, follows two college students and childhood friends, Mo (Dana Rogoz) and Vera (Mădălina Craiu). Mo’s father died when she was a teenager, but she is still affected by the loss. While doing an exam, the two friends are caught cheating by Ursu (Răzvan Vasilescu), an exigent professor. Mo defies him and the professor confiscates the smartphone she was cheating with, marking the start of a difficult day for the troubled youngster.

Mo was shot in February and March 2017. The team expects the post-production to end by next April, with a domestic release planned for later in 2018, hopefully after a world premiere at a high-profile film festival. The budget amounts to approximately €270,000, and the team still needs circa €60,000 to complete post-production. In 2014, the project received just over €130,000 from the Romanian National Film Center.

Talking about the title character, Dragomir says, “She is still disorientated after her father’s death… She is searching for her path in life. A series of events will lead her to the bedroom of her professor soon after he has failed her. It is the threshold of a crisis.” Dragomir also says his film explores the “rebellion” in the main character’s mind.