''Transylvania'' is a

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

French drama film starring

Asia Argento Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with a ...

. In 2006, Director

Tony Gatlif Tony Gatlif (born as Michel Dahmani on 10 September 1948 in Algiers) is a French film director of Romani ethnicity who also works as a screenwriter, composer, actor, and producer. Personal Gatlif was born in Algeria of Pied noir ancestry. Af ...

and composer Delphine Mantoulet won the Georges Delerue Prize at the Flanders International Film Festival for the score, and Gatlif was nominated for the Grand Prix award. ''Transylvania'' premiered at the

2006 Cannes Film Festival The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official selection Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 28 May, and premiered in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

on 16 March 2007 at the

Cleveland International Film Festival The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) is an annual film festival based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the largest film festival in Ohio. It was first held in 1977, showing eight films over a period of eight weeks at the Cedar Lee Theatre. It ...

and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

at the

Cambridge Film Festival The Cambridge Film Festival is the third-longest-running film festival in the UK. The festival historically took place during early July, but now takes place annually during Autumn in Cambridge. It is organised by the registered charity Cambri ...

on 6 July 2007 (with a later theatrical release on 10 August 2007).

Plot

Zingarina (Asia Argento), a rebellious Italian girl who travels to Transylvania with her best friend Marie (Amira Casar) and a young interpreter, Luminita (Alexandra Beaujard), seeking her fiancee and father of the baby she's expecting, Milan Agustin (Morgan), who has been expelled from France, the country where they had met and fallen in love. She knows he's a travelling musician and plays in a gypsy band. Zingarina finds Milan at the winter "Herod's Carnaval" (Festival of customs and traditions) but he tells her that their love story is over. The girl, angry and crushed, doesn't want to return to France or Italy. Marie is angry too so she fires Luminita because she thinks they have to leave from Transylvania. Zingarina exploits a temporary absence of Marie (the woman was at a phone-cabine) for running away from her (leaving a note only), in order to go after Vandana, a vagrant little girl. In her aimless travel through the boulevards and the villages, Zingarina meets Tchangalo (Birol Unel), a charming travelling merchant of Turkish descent. Between them there's a kind of comprehension and solidarity; then a love feeling. Even if Tchangalo is a man without borders and without ties, he accepts Zingarina (even the idea of forming a family with her); Tchangalo also accepts Zingarina's baby, even if he's not his natural son.

Cast

as Zingarina *

Amira Casar Amira Casar is a British-born actress who grew up in England, Ireland, and France. Early life Amira is the daughter of a Kurds, Kurdish father and a Russian mother. She was born in London and was subsequently raised in England, Ireland, and Fran ...

as Marie *

Birol Ünel Birol Ünel (18 August 1961 – 3 September 2020) was a Turkish-German actor who played in German and Turkish films, television, and theatrical productions. He was perhaps best known for his role as the alcoholic Cahit Tomruk in Fatih Akin's 200 ...

as Tchangalo * Alexandra Beaujard as Luminitsa *

Marco Castoldi Marco Castoldi (born 23 December 1972), better known by his stage name Morgan, is an Italian singer and musician. His musical genres are mainly alternative rock and electronic rock, sometimes experimental rock and synthpop. He has also been a ...

as Milan Agustin *

Bea Palya Bea Palya (Hungarian pronunciation: pɒjɒ_bɛ.ɒ.html" ;"title="small>pɒjɒ bɛ.ɒ">small>pɒjɒ bɛ.ɒ born Beáta Palya; in Makó, 11 November 1976) is a Hungarian folk and world music singer and songwriter, sometimes appearing in films ...

as the cabaret singer (as Beáta Palya) * Rares Budileanu as the young musician * Gabor as Gabor, the peasant at the sled

References

External links

Producers' official website
ha
a sub-page for the film
* {{Tony Gatlif 2006 films Culture of Transylvania Films directed by Tony Gatlif Transylvania in fiction French drama road movies 2000s drama road movies Georges Delerue Award winners 2000s French films