BUCHAREST: Romanian director Alina Grigore is currently in preproduction with her sophomore feature Final Deliberation / Juriul, starring Academy Award–winner Melissa Leo alongside Romanian actors Vlad Ivanov and Dana Rogoz. Gabi Suciu of Romania’s Atelier de Film is producing.
A middle-aged filmmaker, who once believed cinema could save the world discovers that, when it really matters, she’s too scared to even watch the film at the heart of a child-abuse scandal. Final Deliberation is a tense, darkly funny chamber drama set at a major film festival, where a jury of “responsible” adults, an AI assistant and the machinery of political correctness all collide, and quietly fail, in front of their own principles.
“Alina Grigore’s new feature is a daring and deeply human exploration of what happens when people from vastly different backgrounds are brought together at the same table. What could have been a straightforward professional task and a friendly meeting among peers transforms into a cathartic journey for each character. Final Deliberation reveals how unresolved memories, cultural fractures, and personal vulnerabilities surface when individuals are asked to judge not only a film, but themselves. Alina’s talent lies in this layered negotiation between ego and empathy, justice and bias, trauma and healing, and Melissa Leo’s encounter with Vlad Ivanov adds gravity to this delicate, explosive dynamic”, producer Gabi Suciu told FNE.
Gabi Suciu, who is producing through Romania’s Atelier de Film, also said that as the financing is in progress, the final budget cannot be confirmed at this point.
So far, in terms of public funds, the project is backed by the Romanian Film Centre (CNC) with a production grant of 140,707 EUR / 700,000 RON, received in October 2024.
The coproduction structure is not yet closed.
The shooting (25 shooting days) is set, most likely, for 2027, as it is preceded by thorough workshops with the actors using the method that Alina Grigore has been chiselling at her acting school InLight Center.
Melissa Leo and Alina Grigore met at Espinho Festival in Portugal, where Grigore was pitching the script of her debut feature Blue Moon, and Leo was a guest of honour. Leo told her that she would love to work together using her acting method. Back in Romania, Grigore shot Blue Moon and then invited the American actress to Bucharest, in 2019, to start developing a new script. Famed Romanian actor Vlad Ivanov soon joined them.
The premiere of Final Deliberation is estimated in 2029. No sales agent or distributor is attached to the project yet.
Grigore’s debut feature Blue Moon / Crai Nou won several awards in 2021, including Best Film in San Sebastian, and the Special Jury Award at the Sofia IFF, among others. It also received Best Newcomer for actress Ioana Chițu at Romania’s Gopo Awards 2024, where it was also nominated in the Best Long Film, Best Director, and Best Debut Film categories.
Blue Moon is a 100% Romanian joint, produced by InLightCenter, Atelier de Film, Forest Film, Unfortunate Thespians, Smart Sound Studios, and Avanpost.
Production Information:
Producer:
Atelier de Film (Romania)
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Credits:
Director: Alina Grigore
Scriptwriter: Alina Grigore
DoP: Adrian Pădurețu
Main cast: Melissa Leo, Vlad Ivanov, Dana Rogoz
