I Matter

Ben Önemliyim / Eu Contez

DCP / Color / 101’
Romanian; with Turkish and English Subtitles
Romania, Germany, Belgium, 2026

Director: Alina Şerban
Screenplay: Alina Şerban
Cinematography: Nona Cătușanu
Editing: Letiția Ștefănescu
Cast: Denisa Farcaș, Sorin Mihai, Angelina Pavel, Vanessa Dancea, Raisa Mihai, Alexandru Stancu, Alina Berzunțeanu, Natalia Călin
Producer: Ada Solomon, Carla Fotea, Harry Flöter, Jörg Siepmann, Cassandre Warnauts, Jean-Yves Roubin, Dries Phlypo, Leontine Petit, Erik Glijnis
Production: microFILM, 2PilotsFilmproduction, Frakas Productions, Lemming Film Belgium
World Sales: Pluto Film

Synopsis

I Matter, which won the hearts and the award of the audience at its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, is the autobiographical feature directorial debut of Alina Șerban—the Romanian actress known for her award-winning lead role in Hüseyin Tabak’s Gipsy Queen and her feminist theatre plays focused on Roma identity. Collaborating with Ada Solomon, a prominent figure in Romanian cinema, to adapt her short film of the same name into a feature length movie, Șerban chronicles her protagonist’s experience growing up in an orphanage as the first actress of Roma descent to be accepted into a drama conservatory. Featuring amateur child actors who actually live in a real orphanage, Șerban practically writes a manifesto against the discrimination that permeates every aspect of life and every layer of society. Standing out for its authenticity, sincerity, sensitivity, and its ability to balance emotional depth with humor, I Matter vividly exposes how the Roma community is driven into poverty, despair, substance abuse, and crime through systemic exclusion, as well as the authorities’ failure to ensure equal treatment for citizens and protect them from racism. In the leading role, Denisa Farcaș proves she is following in Alina Șerban’s footsteps with a performance that captivates the audience in every sense.

Screenings