US Premiere!
On the Ukrainian steppe, toward the end of WWII, the German and Romanian troops are retreating in the face of the unstoppable Red Army. As a Romanian military unit awaits disaster at their squalid headquarters, a surprise visit of a high-ranking Wehrmacht officer awakens hope. The German general has difficulty disguising his disdain for the impoverished conditions of the Romanian “allies”, but a case of French champagne loosens the atmosphere. The German major, a bon vivant, shares his memories of Paris and tries to impress his hosts. He tells them he is the owner of the most expensive stamp in the world, one of only two in the world, the famous aurochs head from Romania, which he has “aquired” from a Jew in a concentration camp. There is no third copy. The German officer proudly takes out the stamp and shows it around. Suddenly, inexplicably, on it’s route around the table, the stamp disappears. Tensions run high, as the Romanian General orders his men to strip naked in order to be searched. One officer refuses…

Lucian Pintilie worked for Romanian national television and as a director at Romanian theaters but was banned after a production of Gogol’s The Inspector. He was forced to continue his career as a stage director (drama and opera) in France and the USA.

Producers: Constantin Popescu, Filmex Romania, with assistance of Ministry of Culture and Religion Screenwriter: Lucian Pintilie Cinematographer: Silviu Stavil Editor: Melania Oproiu Sound: Anu Savan Cast: Victor Rebengiuc, Sorin Leoveanu, Tudor Istodor, Cornel Scripcaru , Bogdan Stanoevici

Note: North Korea will be shown with God Wears My Underwear