Biography

Adrian Velicescu was born in Transilvania, Romania. Educated at the Institute for Theatrical and Fine Arts and presented with the Romanian National Film Prize in 1981, Velicescu was expelled from Romania by the Communist regime. He left Bucharest in 1983 for Los Angeles, California. Upon arrival in Los Angeles, Velicescu's photographic and film portfolios enabled him to begin work as an editorial, fashion, and fine art photographer. Within a few years, his growing reputation led to inclusions in exhibitions in Austria, Germany, Great Britain, England, Poland, Spain and America. Featured exhibitions include 'Light and Space' at the Museum of Modern Art, The World Photography Contest in San Francisco, and the traveling 'New Blood' show. Commercial publishing includes credits in Vogue, Elle, Architecture, Architectural Record, Domus, Interne, L.A. Style, and Los Angeles Magazine. In 1990, Velicescu founded Tainbreaker Films and began development of his first feature film, Trumpet #7 (1991). Directed and photographed by Velicescu, Trumpet #7 explores the psyche of an artist living in a world where art is no longer possible. Time, space and color are twisted as a tortured musician's perceptions of beauty and terror are presented through the eyes of Velicescu's relentless camera work. Completed in 1991, Trumpet #7 opened in competition at Cannes and was selected to complete in numerous other festivals including Rotterdam, Sundance, Ghent, Tokyo, Montreal, Toronto and Stockholm. The Secret Life of Houses (1994) Velicescu's second feature, co-written with author Scott Bradfield, portrays the adult world as seen through the eyes of a distraught little girl. Visually and aurally stunning, Secret Life paints surreal images of religion, family, sickness and death into a deeply troubling dreamlike menagerie. Secret Life opened in competition at Sundance in 1994, Velicescu's visionary direction and photography propelled the film into international exhibition with Berlin, Rotterdam, Gent, Edinburgh, Goteborg and many other film festivals inviting the film to compete. Created in part with a grant from the U.S. Independent Television Service, Secret Life is now part of the P.B.S. library and has aired several times a year since its completion. In conjunction with these feature film endeavors, Velicescu's skill as a live action director and DP generated work from advertising agencies. From 1991 to 1998, agencies such as Ammirati Puris Lintas, Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy and Mather, and Leo Burnett hired him to work with such clients as Unilever, Kraft Foods, Wella and Brau Union. Throughout this period, Velicescu's visual skills coupled with his instinct for design and identity propelled many of these brands to remarkable success. In 1998, Velicescu founded Standard, a subsidiary of Tainbreaker Films. Standard is a full service live action, motion graphic main title design and visual effects company. Velicescu, serving as Standard's Creative Director, has assembled an international client roster including Artisan, MGM, Battleground Productions, CBS, Tapestry Films, Myriad Entertainment, Disney Television, Discovery Networks, The House of Blues, Showtime Networks and Sebastian International to name a few. Adrian is presently attached to direct "Baltimore Low Ball" and "Oregon Hill" that are both in active development at Tainbreaker Films.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jessica James