- [on Collective (2019)] I really wanted to make a film about abuse of power...when I started filming, it was a local story. But when Brexit went through, I thought the world was starting to resemble what we were seeing in Romania. And I wanted to understand the human pressure that is on the shoulders of journalists in this climate of 'fake news.' [March 2021]
- [why he decided to do Collective (2019)] I sensed the drama. The survival rate, even with 30% of a body burned, is very high, if the patient is taken care of in a proper way. We knew that the politicians and the health care system were very corrupt, but we could never imagine how deep it went. It was a shock to see this lack of humanity. Even as people were demonstrating in the streets, the political class were manipulating the shocked citizens with lies, which led to so many more deaths. (...) Romania did not have burn units to treat severely burned patients, but [officials] were saying that the hospitals were equipped to treat burn victim patients. They also prohibited the patients to be flown out to other cities and then lied to the parents. And to everybody. (...) The fire is what triggered us, but the film is basically about this turning point in Romanian society. The nightclub fire, which could have been prevented, led to the biggest demonstrations in Romania since the 1989 revolutions. And for the first time a new generation took the streets to protest basically their parents generation and the political class that brought corruption to every level of society in Romania. They wanted to get rid of it. [Jan. 2021]
- [on filming then-health minister Vlad Voiculescu at work for Collective (2019)] I interviewed him and we talked about how there is no reason to have secrets within the health care system, because it's a basic right. He said, "Transparency is the most important thing now." So it was natural to follow the script that life was writing for us. And we had an arrangement that he could never tell me to stop the camera. We agreed that I would ask people with him if they agree to be filmed. [Jan. 2021]
- [on shooting Collective (2019) himself] As a journalist, it's very good when things full of tension are happening, because your subjects forget about you in a way. They can't control their image anymore. They forget they are being filmed. You can see how honest or how authentic people are. That's also the thrill of it. [Jan. 2021]
- [on receiving Romania's first Academy Award nominations for Collective (2019)] We live in an international community, and I think stories have to travel. The pride is more that this story is so crucial for Romanian society, and it was a turning point that changes the perception of investigative journalism and the courage of singular whistleblowers who can really change society. That's something we really need now, when so many countries are dealing with manipulative, corrupt and incompetent politicians. [March 2021]
- [on Collective (2019)] Most of all for me this film is really a tribute to the victims and the survivors that had the courage to let us follow their lives. It's really a win for the independent, investigative journalists and the whistleblowers that are guardians of society and in our film you can really see that they can have an impact, a positive impact on society. [March 2021]
- [on Collective (2019)'s female journalists and whistleblowers] Catalin Tolontan is perhaps the main force on the journalistic side, but this story would have never been told without (journalist) Mirela Neag and her perseverance. Basically it was her saying, "This could really be true," while men didn't really believe it. And all the whistleblowers in this story are women. They're smarter and more reliable and live much more in the present. Men are living in the past. And these women, especially Dr. Camelia Roiu, the first whistleblower, have changed the course of history in Romania. Society has moved forward as a result of her. [Jan. 2021]
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content