Maria Popistașu is an academically trained Romanian actress. She worked closely with the National Theater in Bucharest and debuted her international career in 2004, in BBC’s Gunpowder, Treason & Plot, directed by Gillies MacKinnon, which won a FIPA D’or Grand Prize at the Biarritz IFF. She was then cast in the harrowing British miniseries Sex Traffic for Channel Four. For her role as a young Romanian sold into slavery, she received a Gemini Award as “Best Supporting Actress”. Alongside other European titles that premiered in Berlin or Munich IFF, Maria appeared in 2008 in the German production My Mother, My Bride and I and her performance won her the 2009 Adolf-Grimme Preis. She also worked with Romanian directors and was present in Cannes with two of Radu Muntean’s films, Tuesday, After Christmas (Un Certain Regard 2010) and One Floor Below (Un Certain Regard 2015).

Alexandru Baciu was born in 1977, in Bucharest. In 1999 he graduated from the Bucharest Film Academy as film director. He continued his studies at the University of Bucharest, Communication and PR department, from which he graduated in 2003. As a scriptwriter, Alexandru Baciu worked together with Răzvan Rădulescu and Radu Muntean for Muntean’s The Paper Will Be Blue (Locarno IFF 2006), Boogie (Cannes, Quinzaine des réalisateurs, 2008; Awarded Best Script at Hamptons IFF), Tuesday, After Christmas (Cannes, Un Certain Regard 2010), One Floor Below (Cannes, Un Certain Regard 2015; Awarded Best Script at Seville IFF and RiverRun IFF). Muntean’s last film, Alice T., with a script by Alex Baciu, Răzvan Răduleascu and Radu Muntean, is now in post-production. He also teamed up with Răzvan Rădulescu for Gruber’s Journey and Principles of Life (San Sebastian IFF, 2010). In 2011, Alex Baciu co-directed, along with Radu Muntean, Visiting Room, a documentary produced by HBO Romania.