# The New Year That Never Came

The New Year That Never Came (Romanian: Anul Nou care n-a fost) is a 2024 Romanian historical tragicomedy film written and directed by Bogdan Mureșanu in his feature directorial debut. Based on Mureșanu's 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift, it stars Adrian Văncică [ro], Nicoleta Hâncu, Iulian Postelnicu [ro], Mihai Călin [ro], Emilia Dobrin [ro], and Andrei Miercure. It premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2024, where it won the Orizzonti Award for Best Film. The film received a theatrical release in Romania on 24 September 2024.

## Premise

Six lives converge on 20 December 1989 amid the unrest of the Romanian revolution.

## Cast

* Adrian Văncică [ro] as Gelu
* Nicoleta Hâncu as Florina, an actress from the Nottara Theater [ro]
* Iulian Postelnicu [ro] as Ionuț Dincă, a Securitate officer
* Mihai Călin [ro] as Ștefan Silvestru, a TVR director
* Emilia Dobrin [ro] as Margareta Dincă, Ionuț's mother
* Andrei Miercure as Laurențiu Silvestru, Ștefan and Alina's son, a student
* Ioana Flora as Mariana, Gelu's wife
* Ada Galeș as Camelia Dincă, Ionuț's wife
* Marian Râlea [ro] as Mihalcea, a TVR producer
* Gabriel Radu [ro] as Gabi, a TVR cameraman
* Manuela Hărăbor as Alina Silvestru, Ștefan's wife and Laurențiu's mother
* Ion Sapdaru [ro] as Comrade Vârtosu, the head of TVR
* Angel Popescu as Alex
* Vlad Ionuț Popescu as Vlad, Laurențiu's best friend
* Victoria Raileanu as Lili, an actress
* Elvira Deatcu [ro] as doamnă
* Gabriel Spahiu as Benghe, Florina's neighbor
* Vasile Muraru [ro] as Uncle Romică
* Theodor Șoptelea as Manu
* Sorin Cociș as Stamate
* Răzvan Vasilescu as the theater director
* Ilinca Hărnuț [ro] as the scenographer
* Luca Toma as Marius, Gelu and Mariana's son
* Mircea Andreescu as Uncle Chican
* Ioan Paraschiv as the investigator
* Doru Cătănescu as the postman
* Nicodim Ungureanu [ro] as the taxi driver
* Marius Damian as Uncle Jiji
* Marian Adochiței as Berlogea
* Dana Voicu as a pharmacist
* Afrodita Androne [ro] as the set secretary
* Virgil Aioanei as Gelu's coworker
* Vlad Jipa as Comrade Marcel

## Production

The film expands on characters from director Bogdan Mureșanu's 2018 short film, The Christmas Gift. Regarding the feature film's conception, Mureșanu stated, "I was interested in the humanity of small lives exposed to great historical events and how they deal with the feeling of a disappearing world."
Principal photography took place in and around Bucharest. Filming also took place in Gostinu, a commune roughly an hour outside of Bucharest. Cinematographer Biró Boróka utilized the Arri Alexa Mini for filming. Filming was completed by 28 September 2023.

## Release

The trailer was released on 28 August 2024. The film premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on 1 September 2024 as part of the Orizzonti competition. The following day, Memento Distribution acquired the French distribution rights to the film.
The film received a theatrical release in Romania on 24 September 2024. On its opening weekend, it topped the Romanian box office with over 20,000 admissions.

## Reception

Ștefan Dobroiu of Cineuropa wrote, "...The New Year That Never Came is a powerful example of how cinema can become a time machine that teleports us to a certain era, bringing us back to safety just as the issues of that period seep into our very soul." Wendy Ide of Screen Daily wrote, "There's a lot going on, and initially, the film coasts a little, before gradually picking up momentum. But a near 20-minute final sequence, set to Ravel's Bolero, builds to an explosive crescendo, seamlessly blending archive footage into the action and capturing the exhilarating impact of history in the making."

## Accolades

| Award | Year | Category | | Result |
| Cairo International Film Festival | 2024 | Golden Pyramid | The New Year That Never Came | Won |
| European Film Awards | 2024 | European Discovery | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
| International Film Festival of India | 2024 | Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
| International Film Festival of India | 2024 | Best Director | Bogdan Mureșanu | Won |
| Lisbon & Estoril Film Festival | 2024 | Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
| Luxembourg City Film Festival | 2025 | Grand Prix | The New Year That Never Came | Won |
| Luxembourg City Film Festival | 2025 | FIPRESCI Prize | The New Year That Never Came | Won |
| Molodist International Film Festival | 2024 | Scythian Deer | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | 2024 | New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
| São Paulo International Film Festival | 2024 | Best Fiction | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |
| Venice Film Festival | 2024 | Orizzonti Award for Best Film | The New Year That Never Came | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | 2024 | FIPRESCI Prize | The New Year That Never Came | Won |
| Zurich Film Festival | 2024 | Best International Feature Film | The New Year That Never Came | Nominated |