MY BEAUTIFUL DACIA

by Stefan Constantinescu & Julio Soto
Thinklab Media - Hi Film
| Romania | 80’ & 54’ | 2009 | HD |

My Beautiful Daciais a light hearted and humoristic portrayal of the evolution of Romania from Communism to Capitalism, seen through the eyes of its most emblematic symbol, the Dacia automobile. In our film, we will follow different generations of Romanians - from the old nostalgic to the young entrepreneurs - showing the present transformation of Romanian society. The connecting point between the different stories is always the Dacia car: first, a symbol of the ambitions of Communist technology and now a reflection of the new global economy. In 1999, Dacia was bought by Renault and nowadays it’s a best-selling car in developing markets.

The first Dacia car came out the Romanian factories of Pitesti in 1968, during the Ceaucescu era. In essence, Dacia was the realization of a dream: modernize Romania and make it totally self-sufficient and independent from foreign hands. In reality, Dacia’s dream was never fulfilled and Romania in the meantime was becoming one of Europe’s poorest countries. With the collapse of the Ceaucescu regime, the dreams that fed many generations of Romanians quickly dissipated. By the end of the 90’s, Dacia was dying, as an old & obsolete relic, spiraling down along with the rest of Romanian industry and mortally wounded by the imports of Western cars. But she survived.

Already in the XXI century and with a foot inside the EU, Dacia’s grandson makes its entrance into a market addicted to petrol and a consumer obsessed with flashy cars: the Dacia Logan (the first model designed under Renault’s umbrella) is born. Will this new model survive into this Darwinian global market, where Italian, Chinese and Indian manufacturers are threatening to manufacture cheaper cars than the Romanian?