1996, open sea. During his shift on a transatlantic ship’s deck, Joel, a religious Filipino sailor, discovers Dumitru, a Romanian stowaway hidden between some containers. If he is spotted by the Taiwanese officers running the vessel, Dumitru is at risk to be thrown overboard. Joel decides to hide him, as a sign of his gratitude toward God. Soon, a dangerous cat and mouse game begins. When his crew, his own friends, and even God himself start to turn their backs on him, Joel learns that he has to face his cruel destiny alone. Inspired by a true story and first formulated as a radio documentary, this is a story – in the words of its own creator – “about moral choices, kindness and compromise, courage and fear. A film that could speak to people about their own lives.”
To the North
Spre Nord
No physical screenings scheduled. |
- Direction: Mihai Mincan
- Script: Mihai Mincan
- Cinematography: George Chiper-Lillemark
- Editing: Dragos Apetri
- Sound: Nicolas Becker
- Music: Marius Leftarache
- Actors: Soliman Cruz, Niko Becker, Bart Guingona, Olivier Ho Hio Hien, Alexandre Nguyen, Dimitar Vasiliev, Olivier Chen
- Production: deFilm
- Producers: Radu Stancu, Ioana Lascar, Cyriac Auriol, Konstantinos Vassilaros, Poli Angelova, Nikolay Todorov, Mikuláš Novotný
- Co-production: Remora Films, StudioBauhaus, Screening Emotions, Background Films
- Costumes: Iulia Fulicea
- Production Design: Iulia Fulicea
- Format: DCP
- Color: Color
- Production Country: Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France
- Production Year: 2022
- Duration: 122΄
- Contact: Best Friend Forever
Mihai Mincan
Mihai Mincan graduated from the University of Philosophy in Bucharest in 2002, followed by an MBA degree from the University of Poitiers. Since 2004, for 12 years, he’s been working as a journalist at some of Romania’s biggest newspapers and magazines. In 2008, he wrote his first script – the short film The Palm Lines, which was selected at Locarno, Rotterdam, Cottbus. He wrote and directed or co-directed, two short animations, three short films, and two documentaries, which premiered at festivals in Europe and Romania, while also working as a scriptwriter for other Romanian filmmakers. To the North is his debut feature.
Filmography
2014 Alaska (short)
2015 Bondoc (doc, co-director)
2017 The Comet (short)
2019 Emigrant Blues: A Road Movie in 2 1/2 Chapters (doc)
2019 The Man Who Would Be Free (doc)
2022 To the North
