BUCHAREST: Berlin-based Pluto Film has acquired I Matter / Eu contez, the debut feature by Roma director Alina Șerban, ahead of its world premiere in the Venice Spotlight competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival (2 – 12 September 2026). The Romanian/German/Belgian coproduction has Ada Solomon among its producers. This is the first A class festival for a Roma female director.
Spoken in Romanian and Romani, the film tells the story of Rebeca, a young Roma woman who is about to leave the foster home where she grew up. She puts all her hopes in her father’s release from prison, convinced that he will finally offer her a family, but she does not suspect that the path to adulthood will be harder than she imagined.
I Matter marks the finish line of a seven-year artistic research process carried out with young people from the social protection system. During this period, Alina Șerban made several documentary short films and theater performances with them. The script she wrote for the feature film is a mix between her personal experience and the experiences of these young people.
The cast includes Denisa Farcaș, Sorin Mihai, Angelina Pavel, Vanessa Dancea, Raisa Mihai, Juno (Alexandru Stancu), Alina Berzunțeanu, and Natalia Călin, alongside 16 children and young residents from the Casa Iosif and Casa Sara foster homes, within Ansamblul Social CreștinMăgurele in Bucharest.
The film is produced by Ada Solomon and Carla Fotea through Romania’s microFILM, Germany’s 2Pilots Filmproduction, and Belgium’s Frakas Productions, in coproduction with ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel, Lemming Film Belgium, Avanpost Media, Orange & Be tv, Proximus, Shelter Prod, and the Romanian Public Television.
It was supported by the Romanian Film Centre, the Government of Romania, Creative Europe MEDIA, Film-und Medienstiftung NRW, Film and Audiovisual Centre of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Tax Shelter Programme of the Belgian Federal Government, Tax shelter.be & ING, and The Belgian Development Cooperation, in association with ZDF/ARTE.
Romanian producer Ada Solomon spoke to FNE about the relevance of the project and its selection in Venice: “I am used to take challenges, being them backing up emerging talents or bringing to screen untold stories. I Matter is beyond the usual challenges, it’s a premiere in terms of bringing to an A class festival a feature film made by a Roma woman filmmaker. I am extremely grateful to the festival for putting into spotlight this perspective and honoured that I had the chance to contribute to the creation of Alina’s inspiring and relevant film.”
