LXV MACHINA - The Fisherman

Béla Baptiste: Born in Berlin, he developed his love for filmmaking while growing up immersed in Paris’s rich theater and opera scene. He later moved to Vienna, where he earned an MFA in film directing from the Filmakademie Wien, where Michael Haneke taught.

As a director, he values understanding the process from both sides of the lens. His work as an actor has shaped his approach, particularly his role as narrator Dieter Albrecht with the closing words in Martin Scorsese’s Silence.

His most recent project is The Obelisk, a feature film following the success of The Dutchman’s Pipe, a commissioned short film. Currently, he is in pre-production for The Box, a full-length adaptation of a theater play.

At the core of his work lies a fascination with the juxtaposition of opposing forces—a recurring theme in his storytelling. He also embraces humor as a powerful narrative tool, believing that “we can laugh about everything, but not with everyone.”
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A classically trained actor, Cristian Balint has played roles from Shakespeare to Edward Albee, crossing the whole theatre spectre, from playing the lead at the renowned Odeon Theatre in Bucharest to acclaimed independent productions. Working steadily for the past 10 years in theatre, film and television, Cristian was a co-star on the NBC worldwide hit TV show “The Blacklist” and has collaborated with the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Tim Roth, Andrew McCarthy (Orange is the new black, St. Elmo’s fire, The Blacklist), BBC award winning director Craig Lines, Michael Watkins (The Blacklist, X-Files, Law and Order), Ludi Boeken (World War Z) and some of the best Romanian film and theatre directors including “Palm d’or” winner Cristi Puiu, Radu Muntean, Radu Afrim and Florin Zamfirescu, to name a few.
In 2012, Cristian was one of the 10 best Romanian theatre actors featured in the first edition of the “10 for film” program, during Transilvania International Film Festival.
He studied acting for 4 years at the University of Theatre and Cinema in Bucharest, working with esteemed teachers like Catalin Naum, Florin Zamfirescu, Vladimir Granov, Florin Fieroiu and many others.
Cristian is the creator of the www.actoranima.ro acting lab, an acting course that combines classical acting training with self discovery aspects.