Cristian Mungiu

Artificial Eye 40th Anniversary Collection: Volume 3 Cristian Mungiu

Collection of four films which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The Romanian drama '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' (2007) takes place over the course of one day in 1987. When college student Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) falls pregnant, her kind-hearted friend, Otilia (Anamaria Marinca), helps her to get an abortion from the shady Mr.

Bebe (Vlad Ivanov). In Ceausescu's totalitarian Romania however, abortion and contraception are both illegal. The film follows Otilia's attempts to help her friend despite the terrible obstacles in her path and the fact that Gabita hasn't been entirely honest with her.

'Blue Is the Warmest Colour' (2013) follows the 17-year-old closeted student Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos) as she pursues a passionate and fiery relationship with an older and 'out' blue-haired lesbian called Emma (Léa Seydoux). Throughout their relationship the two women learn a lot about the pains and joys of being in love and the importance of staying true to oneself. 'The Class' (2008), based on the book by teacher Francois Begaudeau, chronicles a year in an inner-city Parisian high school with a high intake of pupils from multicultural backgrounds.

Begaudeau himself stars as the teacher, François Marin, who struggles to keep his motley crew of pupils engaged with their studies and out of trouble. 'The White Ribbon' (2009), written and directed by Michael Haneke, examines German rural village life in 1913. Focusing in particular on the austere and often brutal environment of the village school, the film exposes the cruelty and hypocrisy of adults towards children and offers an insight into the undercurrents of patriarchy and repression that went on to shape 20th-century Germany.

As the outbreak of war draws near, a series of violent and unexplained events shake the small community to its core.