SERGIU CUMATRENCO

BIO

Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr. is one of leading producers from Moldova. He is CEO and a co-founder of the YOUBESC Creative Institute, Executive Director of the Art Consumers Association, and the founder of the RAVAC International Film Festival. A member of the Moldavian Filmmakers Association, he has produced and co-produced 14 film projects, among them two international co-productions.

 

 

PROJECT Santa Barbara

Sasha installs heating systems for a state-owned natural-gas company. When his wife gives birth to a second daughter two months early, the expensive medical procedures to save the premature baby squeeze his already difficult financial situation. Despite this, he refuses to take bribes, which threatens his job and leads to friction with his colleagues and friends. Even his wife doesn’t understand him any- more. Faced with crisis, Sasha receives an order to install a furnace in a church in the suburbs. As he works out the plans, he realises that to complete the job, he will have to destroy an icon painted on the church wall. The priest tells him not to worry about it, as rethinking the project will cost time and money. Hoping to save the sacred image, Sasha finally makes the choice to give in to a corrupt system – but it’s too late.