Mihai Dragolea

Biography

Mihai Gavril Dragolea (b. 1989) is a film director, screenwriter and cinematographer; he works and lives in Bucharest, Romania. Dragolea's documentaries focus on the world of the marginalized and those who are not represented in the media, trying to bring the viewer a new version of reality. His artistic practice aims at observational modes of expression, their use to generate empathy between the viewer and the social actors on the screen, through a direct involvement of the audience in the film. He is currently developing projects and working in the fields of cinematography and independent journalism, the last such project being focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, a web series called EuRoPandemic, which is broadcasted on the independent journalism platform dela0.ro. His films have participated in international festivals including: Docuart Fest, Bucharest (2015); One World Romania, Bucharest (2016); Jihlava International Film Festival (2017); Pärnu International Documentary Film Festival (2018); TIFF, Cluj-Napoca (2018, 2020); CREA Conference, Kathmandu (2019). In addition, he is working on a theoretical research that took the form of a doctoral dissertation, entitled "Representations of the marginal in the Romanian observational documentary" and teaches practical courses and seminars at the Faculty of Theater and Film, Department of Cinematography, Photography and Media. His films include: The Golden Robot 2015, produced by Vagabond Film; PhoeniXXX 2017, produced by Vagabond Film; One month of their life 2017, produced by dela0.ro and Totul pentru Riana 2020, produced by Vagabond Film and deFilm. His films have participated in international festivals including: Astra Sibiu International Film Festival, Sibiu, Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, Jihlava, 2017, Beldocs International Documentary Film Festival, Belgrade, 2018, Parnu International Film Festival, RIga, 2018, Film broadcast at the international conference for women's rights CREA, Kathmandu, 2019, TIFF, Cluj Napoca, 2018, One World Romania Kine Dok selection, Bucharest, 2016, Film Festival of Independent Producers, Bucharest, 2016.