Experiencing Interruptions?

Sentimental Stories

An almost deserted diner in the middle of the port. The owner, Violeta, dreams of a life that could have been different. She employs her niece, Maria, a radical passivist who steers away from any drive or ambition. Between chores and cigarette breaks they fantasise about the future. As the day unfolds they are the witnesses of one love story dying out while another is trying to be born.

  • Xandra Popescu
    Director
    Perfect Two
  • Xandra Popescu
    Writer
  • Janna Fodor
    Producer
  • Sabrina Holzapfel
    Producer
  • Artemis Chalkidou
    Key Cast
  • Marie Tragousti
    Key Cast
  • Estelle Widmaier
    Key Cast
  • Leo Da Silva
    Key Cast
  • Ezra Luke
    Key Cast
  • Grego Belau
    Key Cast
  • Jesus Fernandez de Castro
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 2, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Language:
    French, Modern Greek (1453-), Spanish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin
  • 80th Venice International Film Festival
    Venice
    Italy
    September 7, 2023
    World Premiere
    Orizzonti Shorts
  • Venice
    Italy
    September 7, 2023
    World
    Orizzonti Shorts
Director Biography - Xandra Popescu

Xandra Popescu works as a curator and filmmaker. Between 2010 and 2020 she co-curated for Atelier 35, an art space in Bucharest and several international art spaces. She is one of the initiators of D'EST, a video art platform that maps out artistic reflections of post-socialist transformation. She is currently working with producer Ada Solomon on a feature film about Ion Tugearu, a man who used to be a Ballet star in communist Romania.

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Director Statement

Sentimental Stories came out of a desire for dissidence. It wanted to resist triumphant affects and the acceleration of our time. The port itself was to play a character, strangely deserted, a place of work where no one can be seen working. I hoped that for a few minutes I could make time stand still, without a fear of missing out.