Corneliu Porumboiu

Corneliu Porumboiu (b. 1975) is a Romanian writer-director celebrated for his minimalist realism, wry satire, and probing reflections on bureaucracy and history. Trained in film directing at Bucharest’s UNATC, he debuted with 12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Cannes Directors' Fortnight Camera d'Or), followed by Police, Adjective (2009), noted for its spare dialogue and institutional critique (Un Certain Regard FIPRESCI and Jury Awards) . He continued with When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (2013, Locarno) and moved between fiction and nonfiction with The Treasure (2015, Cannes Un Certain Regard A Certain Talent), Infinite Football (2018, Berlinale Forum), and The Whistlers (2019, Cannes Official Competition) . Known for smart formal rigor and darkly comic pacing, Porumboiu is now preparing a new French-language feature in the Basque Country—an adventurous, musical-tinged project set to shoot in late 2025 .