THE DEAD NATION “Tara moarta”
Documentary Feature | 83 minutes

2017 | Romanian | Romania

Acclaimed narrative filmmaker Radu Jude explores Romania’s shifting identity throughout history in his first documentary, THE DEAD NATION. Using archival images found from the collection of a rural photographer, text excerpted from the journal of a Jewish doctor, and songs recorded from the nationalistic anthems of the time, Jude’s cinematic essay provides a harrowing yet captivating account of the rise of nationalism and anti-semitism in Romania during the 1930s-40s. Equal parts mesmerizing and horrifying, THE DEAD NATION is, as the narration describes, “torn between reality and poetry,” creating a necessary recollection of a period with eerie similarities to our own.

> Interview with director Radu Jude