Venice, July 23, 2025 – The Europe Today: Romanian filmmaker Mihai Mincan returns to the prestigious Venice International Film Festival with his second fiction feature, Milk Teeth (Dinți de lapte), which will have its world premiere in the competitive Orizzonti section of the festival’s 82nd edition, scheduled for August 27 to September 6.
The official selection, announced Tuesday, July 22, during the festival’s press conference, marks Mincan’s second consecutive inclusion in the Orizzonti section. His debut feature, To the North (Spre Nord, 2022), previously earned acclaim in the same section and won the Bisato d’Oro Award from Venice’s association of independent film critics.
A Poetic Allegory of Romania’s Post-Communist Transition
Described by producers Radu Stancu and Ioana Lascăr of deFilm as an allegory of Romania’s transition from communism to a hopeful democratic society after 1989, Milk Teeth captures a generation’s inner turmoil and yearning for change.
“Maria’s search for truth reflects a generation’s longing for justice and symbolizes hope for a free future,” the producers said in a joint statement.
Director Mincan shared that the project evolved over six years, transforming from a genre-based narrative into something “more abstract, harder to define.”
“Milk Teeth spent six years searching for its own voice,” said Mincan. “Its final form is a mix of the time and place I find myself in and a team who believed in me and gave me everything. I owe them more than just a film.”
Set in the late 1980s, the film follows Maria, a 10-year-old girl from a provincial Romanian town whose older sister suddenly vanishes. As her family searches in vain, Maria and her friends begin their own quest—leading her to confront loss, truth, and the abrupt end of innocence.
A Strong Creative and International Team
Milk Teeth is a Romanian-led international co-production with contributions from France, Denmark, Greece, and Bulgaria. It features the screen debut of Emma Ioana Mogoș in the lead role of Maria.
The supporting cast includes Marina Palii, Igor Babiac, István Téglás, Victor-Ioan Rogobete, Lara Maria Alexandra Comănescu, and Maia-Victoria Boboc, among others.
Key members of the creative team expected to attend the premiere in Venice include:
- Director and Screenwriter: Mihai Mincan
- Producers: Radu Stancu and Ioana Lascăr
- Associate Producer: Carmen Rizac
- Cinematographer: George Chiper-Lillemark
- Editor: Dragoș Apetri
- Composer: Marius Leftărache
- Production Designer: Anamaria Țecu
- Costume Designer: Dana Păpăruz
- Line Producer: Adrian Moroca
The film will be distributed in Romanian cinemas this fall by T.R.I.B.E Films.
Judged by Visionaries of Global Cinema
The Orizzonti section, known for spotlighting innovative cinematic voices and global trends, will be presided over this year by acclaimed French filmmaker Julia Ducournau (Titane, Raw). The international jury also includes:
- Yuri Ancarani (Italian filmmaker)
- Fernando Enrique Juan Lima (Argentine critic)
- Shannon Murphy (Australian director)
- RaMell Ross (American director and writer)
Mincan: A Bold Voice in New Romanian Cinema
Mihai Mincan began his career in 2008 as a screenwriter for The Palm Lines (Palmele), directed by George Chiper-Lillemark, and later helmed several acclaimed short films (Alaska, Cometa, Idila) produced by deFilm. He also co-directed TV documentaries The Man Who Would Be Free and Emigrant Blues, both broadcast by Romania’s TVR.
His breakout feature To the North (2022), a tense thriller shot across three countries, was selected by over 25 international festivals, winning 13 Gopo Award nominations and earning three major wins—including Best Debut, Best Cinematography, and Young Hope for actor Niko Becker. The film also took home five awards from the Romanian Filmmakers Union, including Best Film and the Grand Prize.
To the North is currently streaming on HBO Max and Antena Play.
With Milk Teeth, Mincan solidifies his place among the most promising voices in contemporary Romanian and European cinema, delivering stories that bridge personal narratives with deep socio-political reflections.
