Our History
The Beginnings
The construction began in 1950 and, although the Studios were not fully finished until 1959, shooting began in the mid and late 1950s. At the time of its completion the Buftea Studios had four stages, one set for mixed indoor-outdoor shooting (under its floor there was a water tank with crystal walls for underwater shootings), and a film processing lab.
Film production during the Communist years
From 1959 until 1989 the Studios produced around twenty films per year. Some of them won international acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival: Scurtă istorie (A Short History) directed by Ion Popescu-Gopo, which won the ''Palme d'Or'' for Short Films in 1957; Pădurea spânzuraţilor (Forest of the Hanged) directed by Liviu Ciulei, who won the Best Director Award in 1965; Răscoala (Blazing Winter) directed by Mircea Mureşan, who won the Best First Work Award in 1966; Cântecele Renaşterii (Rennaissance Songs), a documentary about the Madrigal Choir directed by Mirel Ilieşiu, which won the ''Palme d'Or'' for Short Films in 1969.
Some of the most famous directors of the Romanian cinema made their debut at the Buftea Studios: Iulian Mihu and Manole Marcus – Viaţa nu iartă (Life Doesn’t Spare), in 1959; Dan Piţa – Nunta de piatră (The Stone Wedding), in 1972; Mircea Veroiu – Duhul aurului (Gold Fever), in 1974; Mircea Daneliuc – Cursa (The Long Drive), in 1975.
Due to the good technical conditions provided by the Romanian studios, many international co-productions were shot at the Buftea Studios before 1990. Ciulinii Bărăganului (Baragan Thistles), directed by L. Daquin, Codin (Codeine) and Steaua fără nume (Nameless Star), both directed by Henri Colpi, Serbările galante (The Lace Wars), directed by René Clair, Dacii (Les Guerriers), directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu, or Columna (The Column), directed by Mircea Drăgan, are only a few examples.
The transition to the market economy
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989 the Studios suffered heavily from lack of funding. Film production dramatically diminished and the number of theaters that stayed open was in freefall. However, Romanian film directors managed to make their voice heard in international festivals once again: Dan Piţa was awarded the "Silver Lion" at the Venice Film Festival in 1992 (for Hotel de lux - Hotel Deluxe) and Lucian Pintilie was awarded the "Special Grand Prize of the Jury" at the same festival in 1998 (for Terminus Paradis).
A new beginning
In 1998 the Studios were purchased at a public auction by MediaPro – the largest Romanian media company, owned by Adrian Sârbu. It took more than a year of intensive renovation to bring back to life all the production facilities. Today MediaPro Studios has 19 stages, the largest water tank in Eastern Europe, an impressive backlot (located on the shore of a lake), more than 30,000 costumes from all historical periods and exterior sets from the 16th and 18th centuries.
The first important production after 1998 was shot in 2000. Costa Gavras’ Amen reestablished the reputation of MediaPro Studios and opened the way for more than 50 international productions.
In the following years prestigious international filmmakers such as Franco Zeffirelli, Jeremy Irons, Sissy Spacek, Donald Sutherland, Andy Garcia, Dennis Hopper, Fanny Ardant, Robert Carlyle, Dolph Lundgren, Bob Hoskins or Olivier Martinez set foot in the Studios and contributed to international productions - features and TV films. Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas), French nominee at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, Sex Traffic, which won 9 BAFTA awards, The Cave, a science fiction horror film, An American Haunting or Blood and Chocolate are some of the titles shot in the Studios.
In the autumn of 2006 alone 3 new Romanian films entered the theaters: Margo, directed by Ioan Cărmăzan, Lacrimi de iubire (Tears of Love), the first Romanian spin-off, directed by Iura Luncaşu, and Trei fraţi de belea (Three Loony Brothers) – from the authors of the number one film in local box-office after 1990, Garcea şi oltenii (Garcea, the Dumbest Cop on Earth).
In 2007, California Dreamin' (Endless), a MediaPro Pictures production directed by late Cristian Nemescu, received the "Un certain regard” Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
In recent years, MediaPro Studios has diversified its range of services to include television. Working with the TV stations co-owned by Adrian Sârbu and Central European Media (Pro TV and Acasă), MediaPro Studios and its sister company, MediaPro Pictures, produced the first local sitcom, Neighbors Forever, in 2002, as well as the first local telenovela (Only Love, 2004). Neighbors Forever was on the air for 13 seasons, which is a record in Romanian television.
The television production portfolio includes many other telenovelas and sitcoms, a police series, the first Romanian teen soap opera (One Step Ahead), and dozens of TV films.
The services provided by the Studios also include the shooting of television commercials and music videos, as well as event management.