Biography

Adrian Sitaru was born on November 4, 1971 in Deva, Romania. He is a director and writer, known for Hooked (2008), Colivia (2010) and Best Intentions (2011).

[about his successful debut feature] We thought of it more like a student film in the beginning. I wasn't expecting this picture to go very far, so I talked to the actors and DoP Adrian Silisteanu and told them that I needed their collaboration for this project, but I couldn't offer much money at the time, as I was paying everything myself. I really saw Hooked (2008) as an experiment, so I did the rough cut on my own, after the first ten days of shooting were over. It was only after I showed it to a couple of people and I was told that this film really stands a chance that I began to think that maybe the film was worth something. [2009]

For me cinema is like a drug. I'm not addicted to seeing films, but I'm addicted to seeing the world, what's happening around like a film and it's a great pleasure when I'm shooting. [2008]

[on shooting Illegitimate (2016)] Well, actually I have to say a little bit about how the film was shot, because it was a challenge for me. The main actress, Alina [Alina Grigore] came to me and suggested I do some exercises with my actors, and that she wanted to do a film differently, without a script. She wanted it to be more close to a documentary and not just about my inference. She wanted thoughts about the theme of the film to come from everybody. So, finally, we shot the film; it was only one take, which was important for our authenticity. You don't have the chance for a second take. At the same time we had goals. (...) I used two cinematographers and told them I didn't know how to shoot it. I wanted two very good cinematographers because it was more interesting, and they were to use their instincts to shoot. This was most important, so I left them to it. It was more interesting. The Celebration (1998) is one of my favourite films, not only because of the subject, but somehow I saw that it's possible to make a very good film without much money, to be very simple, and so I was inspired by Dogme. Also, my first feature is called Hooked (2008). It had no budget, released in Venice, and inspired by Dogme. (...) We applied to a Romanian film fund for money and we were rejected. We had a B plan to do it no matter what, and used like EUR 7,000 for shooting. [2016]

[on Illegitimate (2016)] There were no retakes in this film and the work was similar to shooting a documentary. For one year we kept trying various settings, ways of getting together a story that will be credible in the end. That was more of a research than anything else. [2016]

[on his biography] Although at first I attended university for Computer Sciences, since I was 20 years old I have been interested in music and believed this would be my future - I even sang in some bands. In Timisoara, while studying Computer Sciences, I discovered "Cinemateca" (Cinemateque) and the first films that I watched, those of Andrei Tarkovsky, made a very strong impression on me: I understood what cinema is, a mixture of all the other arts, I understood what a director does and it became clear to me that this was what I wanted to do. At the same time, music began to seem limited to me and potentially boring at some point, while as a director you could not become bored: You write, you work with the actors, with the DOP, scenography, you shoot, cut, edit, or make music ... a lot. After Tarkovsky, there were Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. In time I discovered Lars von Trier, who 'taught' me how simple and cheap you can make a film. I made my first shorts with my camera, my parents or friends as actors, I edited myself, so, after I finished the school I told myself that if it's possible to make an independent short it's just a matter of time to make a long feature, too. Of course it's harder, but when you believe in your story, if you have passion and patience, you will find the solutions for everything. I hoped but I never really thought that the film [Hooked (2008)] will have a real future, I just shot it and liked it. Like any parents who love their child, I wish the best for the film, to show it to the people, festivals etc. I hope to have a good film that people will like,...[2008]