Octav Chelaru
Writer / Director
Romania
Octav Chelaru (1991) started making films when he was 14-years-old using his relatives and classmates as actors. While in college he directed music videos, commercials and experimental videos and produced short films for other directors. Among the short films he directed, we mention OCCUPIED (2015), winner of the Best Romanian Short at Timishort IFF; PRIVATE PARTY
(2017), selected for Tirana IFF and Les Arcs FF; and BLACK CLOTHES (2017), financed by the Romanian Film Centre, produced by Radu Stancu (deFilm) and selected in competition for Locarno IFF, Valladolid IFF and Grimstad IFF. In 2018, Octav is in development with his debut feature, BALAUR (A HIGHER LAW), showcased at various co-production markets and development programmes like Transylvania Pitch Stop, Pustnik Screenwriters’ Residency, Midpoint, Sarajevo Cinelink and LIM | Less is More.
Project
Balaur
Mrs. Ivanovici, 35-years old, lives in a small Romanian town, with strong traditional beliefs. she has a monotonous marriage with an older priest and teaches religious studies at a local high school.
One day, Mrs. Ivanovici challenges Iuliu, one of her 16-year-old students, to the point of insulting him. When Iuliu confronts her, she is surprised by his audacity, but apologizes then gives him a lift home. This is the beginning of a sexual relationship between Mrs. Ivanovici and Iuliu.
As Mrs. Ivanovici starts to raise barriers, Iuliu uses the weapon he knows best against her – religion. In order to continue their relationship, Iuliu blackmails Mrs. Ivanovici by confessing to her husband, the town priest, that he has an older girlfriend. While doing this, he calls Mrs. Ivanovici so she can listen to the confessions live. scared, Mrs. Ivanovici leaves Iuliu, who then reveals to the priest that the older girlfriend is in fact, his wife.
