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Kapitalism – Our Secret Recipe

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Twenty years after the execution of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania has the appearance of a Western, capitalist democracy. However, behind the enticing commercial facade, the country has the lowest per capita income of all former Soviet states. Filmmaker Alexandru Solomon goes searching for the cause of this lopsided growth and interviews some of Romania’s wealthiest capitalists, all of whom have strong roots both in the former regime and the current government. They aren’t ashamed in the least; in the words of one, “You can’t be successful unless you steal.”


Press

  • Video Librarian
    Romanian expatriate Alexandru Solomon’s documentary offers a satirical look at how miserably his homeland has fared in the post-communist era… Both enlightening and engaging. Recommended.
  • Educational Media Reviews Online
    Recommended for academic libraries especially those with a focus on economics, Eastern Europe, and political science.
  • Variety
    Solomon incorporates amusing stop-motion animation with Lego figures and Play-Doh along with slyly juxtaposed historical footage that add knowing chuckles while powerfully driving home his message of monumental fiscal manipulation. Lensing appropriately captures not just the men but their overblown lifestyles, while shots of giant billboards covering crumbling apartment blocks form a nice metaphor.
  • Nisimazine
    Succeeds in illustrating highly complex economic processes in an easily understandable manner
  • Society for Romanian Studies Newsletter
    A beautifully shot and produced survey of the first two decades of Romanian capitalism.

Festival Participation

  • | Sarajevo Film Festival, International Film Festival Bratislava
  • Jihlava IDFF
  • Belgrade Free Zone Festival
  • IDFA Amsterdam
  • Watch Docs Warsaw
  • Ad Hoc: Inconvenient Films / human rights film festival – Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Documentaries in Maribor / DokMa festival - Maribor, Slovenia
  • One World Slovakia
  • Romanian Film Festival in NYC, The Film Society of Lincoln Center
  • London International Documentary Film Festival
  • Transylvania Film Festival
  • Prix Europa
    Nominee

Additional Materials

Distribution Company

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