Ruxanda Burlacu, the star of the latest Romanian film hit, LEAF, directed by Horatiu Carpiuc, traveled to Moldova for a special screening organized by the Transylvania International Film Festival in this beautiful Eastern European country.

LEAF had its world premiere at HollyShorts Dubai and has since competed at countless film festivals around the world.

Synopsis:

A single father’s surprise for his 14-year-old daughter turns into a tense confrontation when he discovers her with an older boy, forcing them to confront their bond.

Director’s Statement:

Horațiu-Petru Carpiuc was born on February 8, 1997, in Târgoviște, Romania. He graduated from Ienăchiță Văcărescu Theoretical High School, specializing in Humanities, where he was an active member of the school’s theatre troupe, performing in various stage productions and participating in national competitions—an experience that ultimately inspired him to pursue a career in the arts.
A self-taught artist, he learned to draw portraits and independently studied photography. During high school, he held a graphic drawing exhibition, with part of the works being sold to support a charitable cause related to the Colectiv tragedy in 2015.
In order to support himself while living in Bucharest and, at the same time, to deepen his understanding of filmmaking, he joined the RPS Stunt Team, where he first came into contact with a professional film set on the production of By the Rails (dir. Cătălin Mitulescu). He later had the opportunity to work on several national and international productions, including The Sisters Brothers (dir. Jacques Audiard), The Nun (dir. Corin Hardy), Hackerville (dir. Ralph Martin, Jörg Winger), Comrade Detective (dir. Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka), and Umbre (dir. Bogdan Mirică, Igor Cobileanski).
Subsequently, he worked as a camera assistant and focus puller in both television and film while simultaneously founding his own post-production studio, where he handled film editing, TV shows, commercials, music videos, and various promotional materials.
Transitioning from television editing to documentary and reality directing, he joined the successful Romanian format of Asia Express (adapted from Peking Express). This project gave him the opportunity to travel across 11 countries in Asia and Latin America, exploring and studying distant cultures. Alongside filmmaking, he continued to nurture his passion for photography, building a street photography collection—both digital and film-based—featuring images from all the countries he visited during filming.
After working for ten years across multiple departments, teams, and productions, he decided to return to his first passion: film directing. He applied for the first time to the Romanian National Film Center (CNC) competition with the screenplay for his short film Frunză(Leaf) (written by Andreea Mateiu), which received the highest writing score and secured funding for the production of his debut film. He later won the competition a second time with the short film screenplay Gorgota 2048, which he co-wrote.

LEAF is a story written by Andreea Mateiu and starring Ruxanda Burlacu, Uretyan Reinhardt, and Andi Vasluianu.

LEAF is also a film by George Dogaru, the most promising Producer of the new wave of Romanian cinema.

Stay tuned, because in a few days we’ll be announcing new successes for our films on the international film festival circuit.

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