12:08 East of Bucharest
| 12:08 East of Bucharest | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Romanian | A fost sau n-a fost? |
|
Preview warning: Using more than one of the following parameters in Template:Infobox name module: 2, 1. | |
| Directed by | Corneliu Porumboiu |
| Written by | Corneliu Porumboiu |
| Produced by | Corneliu Porumboiu Daniel Burlac |
| Starring | Mircea Andreescu Teodor Corban Ion Sapdaru |
| Cinematography | George Dăscălescu |
| Edited by | Roxana Szel |
| Music by | Rotaria |
| Distributed by | Tartan USA |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | Romania |
| Language | Romanian |
| Box office | $523,703 |
12:08 East of Bucharest (Romanian: A fost sau n-a fost?; lit. 'Was it or was it not?') is a 2006 Romanian film directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, released in 2006 and winner of the Caméra d'Or Prize (for best first film) at the Cannes Film Festival. It was also released in the United States under the abridged titles East of Bucharest and 12:08 Bucharest. The film is set in a small Romanian town far away from the capital city of Bucharest, and centers on a group of characters who revisit the Romanian Revolution of 1989 which brought an end to the communist regime.
The full English title refers to the setting of the film and the time of day at which Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu fled following the revolution, 12:08 pm on 22 December 1989. The original Romanian title roughly translates to "Was it, or was it not?", referring to the film's central issue: did Vaslui have any part in the 1989 revolution? The answer depends on whether the city registered any protest before the moment of Ceaușescu's flight.