Alina Șerban’s debut feature I Matter to have world premiere at Venice Film Festival – Business Review
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Alina Șerban’s debut feature I Matter to have world premiere at Venice Film Festival
Oana Vasiliu23/07/2026 | 14:10
Romanian director Alina Șerban’s first feature film, I Matter (Eu contez), will have its world premiere in the Venice Spotlight competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, scheduled for September 2-12, 2026.
The selection makes Șerban the first Roma woman film director from Romania to present a feature debut at the festival and one of the few Roma women working as film directors internationally. Written and directed by Șerban, I Matter is a Romanian-German-Belgian co-production exploring fear, hope and self-acceptance. The film is spoken in Romanian and Romani.
The story follows Rebeca, a young Roma woman preparing to leave the residential care centre where she grew up. She places her hopes in her father’s release from prison, believing that he will finally offer her a family, but soon discovers that the transition into adulthood will be more difficult than she expected.
“We rarely see Roma characters living complex human experiences beyond stereotypes. Stories about what it means to be a girl, Roma and part of the child protection system are almost non-existent,” Șerban said. “With I Matter, I wanted to build a bridge towards a deeper understanding of these experiences and, above all, tell a story about humanity. The fact that the film is beginning its journey in Venice means a great deal to me.”
The project emerged from more than four years of artistic research conducted with young people living in Romania’s social protection system. During this period, Șerban worked with them on documentary short films and theatre productions, combining their experiences and voices with elements from her own life.
The cast includes Denisa Farcaș, Sorin Mihai, Angelina Pavel, Vanessa Dancea, Raisa Mihai, Juno, Alexandru Stancu, Alina Berzunțeanu and Natalia Călin. Sixteen children and young people from the Casa Iosif and Casa Sara residential centres, part of the Măgurele Christian Social Centre in Bucharest, also appear in the film.
I Matter is one of eight titles selected for Venice Spotlight, a section dedicated to films distinguished by their creativity and their ability to engage audiences. It will compete for the Armani Beauty Audience Award and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film.
The selection also marks Șerban’s return to Venice. In 2023, she appeared as an actress in Goran Stolevski’s Housekeeping for Beginners, which competed in the festival’s Orizzonti section.
The film was produced by Ada Solomon and Carla Fotea. The creative team includes cinematographer Nona Cătușanu, editor Letiția Ștefănescu, production designer Andreea Popa, costume designer Dana Anghel and composer Vlaicu Golcea.
Șerban previously won Best Actress at the German Actors Awards for her performance in Gipsy Queen in 2019. She studied at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. In 2024, she received Romania’s Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Knight.
I Matter is produced by Romania’s microFILM, Germany’s 2Pilots Filmproduction and Belgium’s Frakas Productions, in co-production with ZDF Das kleine Fernsehspiel, Lemming Film Belgium, Avanpost Media, Orange & Be tv, Proximus, Shelter Prod and Romanian Television.
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