Banca Transilvania supports Romanian culture and values, and the 2017 Gopo Awards Gala is a very good example of this. The most important event dedicated to the Romanian film industry, now in its 11th edition, is approaching: it will take place on March 21st, at 8 pm, in Bucharest, at the Ion Luca Caragiale National Theatre. Another good news is that this gala will be broadcast live on www.premiilegopo.ro and on TVR 2.

This year's competition brings a record: it is the largest number of films ever entered in the race for the Gopo Awards, namely almost 90 feature-length fiction, documentaries and short films. The Lifetime Achievement Award will go to actor Ion Dichiseanu and the Lifetime Achievement Award to actor Valentin Uritescu. As one of the main partners of the gala, Banca Transilvania will award the prize for directing.

How did it all start?

In 2007, 50 years after Ion Popescu Gopo won the Palme d'Or award for "Best Animated Short Film", the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Film organized, on that occasion, the first edition of the gala that aimed to award the film productions of the previous year. Also, from the very beginning it was decided that this annual event of reference would bear the name Gopo, considered the father of animated films in our country.

What the Gopo Awards mean:

• The Gala has been held every year for the past 11 years, following a model inspired by countries known for strong cinema, such as France (Cesar Awards), the UK (BAFTA Awards), Spain (Goya Awards) or Sweden (Guldgagge Awards).
• The winners of the trophies are determined by the votes of over 500 professionals from all sectors of the Romanian film industry, who vote individually and secretly for the best nominees, by category. Nominations are made by a jury of industry personalities.
• The categories are Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Music, Best Set Design, Best Costumes, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, Audience Award - Most Box Office Success, Young Hope.
• Each year the following awards are also given: The Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lifetime Career Award and the Special Award, dedicated to a professional in the field. In past editions, Ion Besoiu, Iurie Darie, Tamara Buciuceanu, Radu Beligan, Mitica Popescu, Jean Constantin and Florin Piersic are some of the winners.
• Among the prizes awarded over the years are the following: "Was it or wasn't it?" (directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, 2006), "When I want to whistle, I whistle" (directed by Florin Serban, 2010), "Aurora" (directed by Cristi Puiu, 2011), "ToatA lumea din familia noastrA" (directed by Radu Jude, 2012), "PoziTia copilului" (directed by CAlin Peter Netzer, 2013), "Closer to the Moon" (directed by Nae Caranfil, 2014), respectively "Aferim!" (directed by Radu Jude, 2015).
• The Gala is organized by the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Film and the Film and Urban Culture Association, with the support of the National Center of Cinematography.

Ion Popescu Gopo & His Little Man

Ion Popescu Gopo (1923 - 1989) is a personality of Romanian cinema - actor, film editor, screenwriter and film director. Appreciated even abroad, he was appointed at one time vice-president of the International Animated Film Association and director of the film section of the World Health Organization.

Moreover, he is the one who created the cartoon films where the main character is Gopo's Little Man or The Little Man. He was more than just a character because he played roles that highlighted - with intelligence and subtlety - the dilemmas and concerns of the world at the time. His animated films showed courage and openness for those times, through which Ion Popescu Gopo conveyed information, allusions, even succeeding in productions that featured both actors and animated characters. Gopo's first success was the Palme d'Or award at Cannes, received in 1957 for "Scurta istorie".

Gopo's little man also inspired the concept of the trophies awarded at the gala.

This is the story of the Gopo Awards Gala: 11 "episodes" of success, in which the values are recognized and Romanian cinematographic achievements are rewarded.