A SAFE PLACE
Genre: Drama
Year: 2025
Directors: Cecilia Stefanescu
Cast: Marina Palii, Virgil Aioanei,
Bianca Cuculici, Emil Mandalac
Writer:Cecilia Stefanescu
Country: Romania
TALLINN BLACK NIGHTS (PÖFF) IFF 2025 - FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
Lucia is spending her vacation with her husband, their son, and a couple of friends at the seaside, in a small Bulgarian village near the Romanian border. Delighted by the villagers’ hospitality, the group enjoys a peaceful holiday. The arrival of Vladimir, a Romanian who seems to know the area quite well, brings a spark of excitement. Yet, a series of unexpected events unfolds in the seaside village: a group of refugees arrives on the beach after crossing the sea, and soon after, a local child mysteriously disappears—an incident that alarms both the police and the villagers.
DIRECTOR'S NOTES
I wanted to speak about personal, social, and physical boundaries — about their crossing or their brutal violation, about irreconcilable positions. About a world in the process of repositioning and negotiation, about the relationships between women and men — through a classic story, as old as it is still current in its moralising perception — and how these relations are redefined in the wake of social and ideological change. About the difficulty of letting go of positions of power, on the one hand, and the inertia of a gender model that makes us all behave toward one another — sometimes awkwardly, other times abusively, and often violently.
- Cecilia Stefanescu, writer and director
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE - TALLINN BLACK NIGHTS (PÖFF) IFF
“A Safe Place” delves into the deep recesses of womanhood with dramatic intensity. Marina Palii plays Luciana, a character memorable for her strength and vulnerability. She gives voice to an inner struggle that many experience but few dare to admit. The powerfully intimate camera work takes the viewer on a journey where summer light and shadows of longing intertwine, revealing the fragile nature of love's apparent permanence.
- Elise Jagomägi
