Corneliu Porumboiu's feature film directorial debut, the Rumanian comedy 12:08 East of Bucharest (A Fost sau n-a fost?) was awarded the Europa Cinemas Label today by a jury of Europa Cinemas exhibitors at the closing ceremony of the Directors' Fortnight/Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.

Written, directed and produced by Corneliu Porumboiu, 12:08 East Of Bucharest stars Mircea Andreescu, Teo Corban, and Ion Sapdaru. It's December 22. It's been sixteen years since the Revolution, and Christmas is approaching. Pisconi, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely Christmas. Manescu, a history teacher, does not want to lose his entire salary to pay his debts. Jderescu, the owner of the local TV station, doesn't seem very interested in a holiday. With Piscoci and Manescu's help, he wants to find an answer to a sixteen year old question: did a revolution really take place in the city?

International sales for 12:08 East Of Bucharest are handled by the Coproduction Office.

This marks the fourth year that the Europa Cinemas Label has been awarded at Cannes to the best European film in the section, and complements the Labels awarded at the Panorama section in Berlin and the Venice Days section of the Mostra del Cinema. 12:08 East Of Bucharest will now receive the invaluable support of extended theatrical exposure and additional promotion from the Europa Cinemas network.

A jury of four Europa Cinemas exhibitors awarded the Label at Cannes:
Pierre Nicolas Combe (France)
Screenwriter and Head of programming at the L'Entrepôt cinema in Paris.
Linda Pariser (UK)
Head of the Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester and of the Spanish & Latin American Film Festival, ¡Viva!
Jimmy Stergiakis (Greece)
Head of the distribution company Ama Films and exhibitor at the Asty and Alfaville cinemas in Athens.
Greta Zabukaite (Lithuania)
Head of the Skalvijos Kino Centras cinema in Vilnius.

"This a fresh, engaging comedy whose universal themes really engage with the audience. It deals with important issues very effectively in a humourous way. We are delighted to have discovered another highly talented young director from Rumania," commented the Jury in a statement.

Founded in 1992, the Europa Cinemas network now consists of a remarkable 1562 screens in 664 cinemas in 365 cities in 59 countries. Europa Cinemas' aim is to support the programming and visibility of European films outside their country of origin, and to foster initiatives aimed at encouraging younger audiences to develop their interest in European films and cultural diversity.