The New Year That Never Came () is a 2024 Romanian historical tragicomedy film written and directed by Bogdan Mureșanu in his feature directorial debut. Based on Mureșanu's 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift, it stars , Nicoleta Hâncu, , , , and Andrei Miercure. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2024, where it won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film. The film received a theatrical release in Romania on 24 September 2024.
Premise Six lives converge on 20 December 1989 amid the unrest of the Romanian revolution.
Cast
Production The film expands on characters from director Bogdan Mureșanu's 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift. Regarding the feature film's conception, Mureșanu stated, "I was interested in the humanity of small lives exposed to great historical events and how they deal with the feeling of a disappearing world." Principal photography took place in and around Bucharest. Filming also took place in Gostinu, a commune roughly an hour outside of Bucharest. Cinematographer Biró Boróka utilized the Arri Alexa Mini for filming. Filming was completed by 28 September 2023.
Release The trailer was released on 28 August 2024. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2024 as part of the Orizzonti competition. The following day, Memento Distribution acquired the French distribution rights to the film. The film received a theatrical release in Romania on 24 September 2024. On its opening weekend, it topped the Romanian box office with over 20,000 admissions. It opened the South East European Film Festival in April 2025.
Reception Critical response Ștefan Dobroiu of Cineuropa wrote, "...The New Year That Never Came is a powerful example of how cinema can become a time machine that teleports us to a certain era, bringing us back to safety just as the issues of that period seep into our very soul." Wendy Ide of Screen Daily wrote, "There's a lot going on, and initially, the film coasts a little, before gradually picking up momentum. But a near 20-minute final sequence, set to Ravel's Bolero, builds to an explosive crescendo, seamlessly blending archive footage into the action and capturing the exhilarating impact of history in the making."
Accolades Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Cairo International Film Festival 2024 Golden PyramidThe New Year That Never Came Crossing Europe 2025 Best Fiction FilmThe New Year That Never Came European Film Awards 2024 European DiscoveryThe New Year That Never Came Gopo Awards Best Feature FilmThe New Year That Never Came Best Director Bogdan Mureșanu Best Screenplay Bogdan Mureșanu Best Lead Actor Best Lead Actress Nicoleta Hâncu Best Supporting Actor Best Cinematography Boróka Biró, Tudor Platon Best Editing Vanja Kovačević, Mircea Lăcătuș Best Sound Sebastian Zsemlye Best Production Design Iulia Fulicea, Victor Fulicea Best Costumes Dana Anghel Best Makeup and Hairstyling Iulia Roșeanu, Domnica Bodogan Best First Feature The New Year That Never Came International Film Festival of India 2024 Best FilmThe New Year That Never Came Best Director Bogdan Mureșanu Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival 2024 Best Film The New Year That Never Came Luxembourg City Film Festival 2025 Grand PrixThe New Year That Never Came FIPRESCI PrizeThe New Year That Never Came Molodist International Film Festival 2024 Scythian DeerThe New Year That Never Came Palm Springs International Film Festival 2024 New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury PrizeThe New Year That Never Came São Paulo International Film Festival 2024 Best FictionThe New Year That Never Came Venice Film Festival 2024 Orizzonti Award for Best FilmThe New Year That Never Came FIPRESCI PrizeThe New Year That Never Came Vilnius International Film Festival 2025 Best Film The New Year That Never Came Zurich Film Festival 2024 Best International Feature FilmThe New Year That Never Came
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