A jury made up of four exhibitors from the network handed over the award at the closing ceremony of Directors' Fortnight.

The film also won the Caméra d'Or, awarded to a first film from any of the sections at the Cannes Festival.

12:08 East of Bucharest was produced, written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu. This young filmmaker born in 1975 has previously made two short films, which won awards at numerous festivals, Calatorie la oras (A Trip to the City) and Visul lui Liviu (Liviu’s Dream).

It’s December 22. It’s been sixteen years since the Revolution, and Christmas is approaching. Pisconi, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely Christmas. Manescu, a history teacher, does not want to lose his entire salary to pay his debts. Jderescu, the owner of the local TV station, doesn’t seem very interested in a holiday. With Piscoci and Manescu’s help, he wants to find an answer to a sixteen year old question: did a revolution really take place in the city?

In awarding this prize, the exhibitors of Europa Cinemas are expressing their commitment to the renaissance of filmmaking in Central and Eastern Europe, which has been particularly highlighted at the 59th Cannes Festival.

The jury explained its choice as follows: “12:08 East of Bucharest is a fresh, engaging comedy whose universal themes really engage with the audience. It deals with important issues very effectively in a humourous way. We are delighted to have discovered a new European director from a country that will soon be a member of the European Union.”

International sales for 12:08 East Of Bucharest are handled by the Coproduction Office: www.thecopro.de

The film will now receive the invaluable support of extended theatrical exposure and additional promotion from the Europa Cinemas network.

A jury of four Europa Cinemas exhibitors awarded the Label at Cannes:
Pierre Nicolas Combe (France), Screenwriter and Head of Programming at the L'Entrepôt cinema in Paris
Linda Pariser (UK), Head of the Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester and of the Spanish & Latin American Film Festival, ¡Viva!
Jimmy Stergiakis (Greece), Head of the distribution company Ama Films and exhibitor at the Asty and Alfaville cinemas in Athens
Greta Zabukaite (Lithuania), Head of the Skalvijos Kino Centras cinema in Vilnius

Press Release