Saturday, October 26, 2013

Women in Film: Clara Vodă

By Olivia Maria Hărşan

Romanian actress Clara Vodă is a rare gem in the acting industry. Not only has she portrayed some highly complex roles in films that form part of the New Romanian Cinema (2001 - today), but she has recently proved her ability to perform on a transnational level, working with Spanish documentary filmmaker Chema Rodríguez on his debut narrative feature Night Falls in India/ Anochehe en la India (2013). 


I first saw Clara perform on stage over ten years ago in a Romanian theatre production in Melbourne. The play focused on the life of Maria Callas, particularly emphasising the tragedy of the singer's vocal decline. Clara and Bogdan Vodă (partner and fellow actor) delivered supporting roles answering to the principles of Theatre of the Absurd that were comically clever, passionate and energetic. I managed to meet Clara after the show, even though she was adorned with flowers and praise from other Romanian fans, and she was just as lovely in person as I imagined.


Since then Clara has acted in a variety of important films working alongside some interesting directors that reside at the forefront of Romanian cinema today - Cristi Puiu, Adrian Sitaru, Cătălin Mitulescu, Florin Șerban, Tudor Giurgiu and Paul Negoescu. Her experiences of working on films that satirize the communist past, such as Cristi Puiu's The Death of Mr Lazarescu/ Moartea domnului Lăzărescu (2005) and Mircea Daneliuc's Snail's Senator/ Senatorul Melcilor (1995) have proved vital to my research on exploring the socio-political nuances in Romanian cinema pre-1989 and post-Revolution - today. 


Clara is a diverse actress who has continued and will endure to impress audiences on a national and international scale.


View Clara's showreel here.




When I Want to Whistle, I Whistle/ Eu când vreau să fluierfluier (2010) Florin Șerban


Snail's Senator/ Senatorul Melcilor (1995) Mircea Daneliuc


Waves/ Valuri (2007) Adrian Sitaru


This photo of Clara is derived from the blog Micafotografa - photography by Bucharest based actress and photographer Ana Maria Moldovan.

3 comments:

Daniel Ionita said...

Indeed a complex and complete actress. I have watched her in Waves, as well as a very difficult role in When I want to whistle I whistle, which won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2010. Would love to see Night Falls over India, when it comes to Australia next year!

Daniel Ionita said...

I have watched Clara Voda in When I want to whistle I whistle, a very complex, demanding role, exceptionally acted (the movie was awarded at the Golden Bear in Berlin 2010). Would love to see her work in Night Falls over India, cannot wait to see it when it comes to Australia in early 2014.

Anonymous said...

Great text, thanks!

Anochece en la India (film)
https://www.facebook.com/anocheceenlaindia