Country: Romania
Year: 2025
Duration: 14'
As summer fades, Silvana embarks on a hide-and-seek odyssey through the Romanian countryside, where a distant voice calls her into absence. Cutezătorii is a quiet farewell to childhood — a world ruled by children, shaped by longing and subtle transformation.
Biography
film director
Miruna Straut
(Romania), currently based in New York, is a writer/director pursuing her MFA in Film Directing at Columbia University. She holds a BA in Film Studies from the University of Southampton and is the 2024 recipient of the Milena Jelinek Memorial Award. Cutezătoriiis her directorial debut, followed by four additional shorts and three completed feature screenplays. She is currently developing her first feature film, set in Japan.
FILMOGRAFIA
Cutezătorii (2025).
Declaration
film director
“The film explores the shifting landscape from late childhood into early adolescence, and childhood as a lost period of life – the further we move away from it, the more surreal and dreamlike it becomes. At its heart are kids who had to grow up too quickly, navigating adult realities while still clinging to the wonder of youth. To capture this feeling authentically, I cast non-professional actors from my hometown – kids who, like my younger self, dream of exploring life beyond rural bounds. Cutezătorii speaks to anyone wrestling with the process of growing up, no matter where they are. It is rooted in a specific community yet resonates across cultures. At its core, the film is about resilience: the determination of children to protect their joy. Working with these children reminded me of our shared human journey to rediscover the safety and joy of our younger selves – and that, even in a harsh world, there is still a softness worth protecting.”
Cast
& Credits
DIRECTOR, SCREENPLAY: Miruna Straut. CINEMATOGRAPHY: Codruța Corocea. EDITING:Adina Ghita, Miruna Straut. PRODUCTION DESIGN, COSTUME DESIGN: Alexandra Putineanu. MUSIC, SOUND: Darren Huang. CAST: Teodora Pauna, Andra Dobre, Sorina Meghes, Ionut Buliga, Ana Maria Baltag, Lucas Stancu, George Matache, Tudor Cantemir, Irina Topircean, David Turcescu, Alexia Boroghina, Andrei Taraboiu. PRODUCERS: Daria Popescu, Delia Dumont, Simona Straut
CONTACT: Miruna Straut mcs2321@columbia.edu
