COLLECTIVE (COLECTIV), 2019
Romania | HDD, Color, 109’ | Romanian, English
Director: Alexander Nanau
Cast: Razvan Lutac, Mirela Neag, Catalin Tolontan
The nomination from Romania, Collective is a documentary, an uncommon genre for the Oscar category for Best International Feature Film, and the only one of its kind this year. The film portrays the story of reporters working in a sports newspaper who uncover a huge health scandal that ended up with the death of dozens of innocent people, and which involved the government and property owners. The tragic events that begin with a fire that broke out in a nightclub in 2015 are narrated with a breathtaking tempo and a meticulous storyline. Despite the local nature of the story, the film reminds viewers the virtue of journalism and the importance of pursuing the truth.