The young director Sara Budrala was rewarded at the Filmul de Piatră Festival with the award for the best fiction film, for the short film “Soniarebeka”. The 16th edition of the festival brought together 18 short films, including 8 fiction films, 6 documentaries and 4 animations. The jury of the festival was formed by filmmaker Bronte Stahl (USA), actress Laura Vasiliu, film critic Ionuț Mareș and director Bogdan George Apetri. The award for the best documentary was awarded to Ana Gurdiș for the film “Capturi”, and the award for the best animation went to Matei Salomia for “The Visit”.
Sarah Budrala
Sara Budrala is at the second award in cinematography. In 2021, she was awarded a special mention at the International Ethnographic Film Festival in Croatia, for the animation “House”.
Sarai’s film, awarded at Piatra Neamț, explores a ritual of the Sânzienel, that of washing with dew, which popular tradition says is meant for learning about the bear and preparing young maidens for marriage. Tradition says that the dew must be collected by the old women of the village at dawn, from untouched and untrodden places, on a white cloth, then squeezed into a new pot. The old women who are in charge of the ritual then bring the eggs to the village, not communicating with each other on the way and avoiding any meeting. Girls who want to get married will wash with this dew, but also married women who want to be loved by their husbands and have beautiful and healthy children.
The young director’s short film reinterprets this ritual, brings it into the present and makes it relevant for today’s young women. It emphasizes the liberating, purifying and, in the case of the film’s protagonists, catalyst to adult life effect that such a ritual can have even today. It also shows how connecting with ancestors and nature lead to the strengthening of the individual’s identity.
“For me this award means a huge boostANDo encouragement to continue. And as good work is rewarded with more work, I will try to use this appreciation as fuel for the next project”, said Sara Budrala.
Sara Budrala is 24 years old, she studied anthropology at Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj (2019-2021) and graphics at the University of Art and Design, Cluj (2018-2020) with the project “Tu ce porti acum?” , which explores people’s relationship with everyday clothes. In a social experiment, Sara wore clothes specific to different communities. Everything culminated with an artistic performance in a public square in Cluj, where he tested the reaction and interaction with people, in relation to the clothes worn. The whole process lasted a year and is documented on the artist’s website.
He is currently studying film and media directing at the Sapietia University in Cluj and is part of the organizing team of the Astra Film International Documentary Film Festival in Sibiu.
