Catane Kicks Off SEEfest in Los Angeles with a Charming and Witty Fairytale About Deception

Twin Girls Lead ‘Catane’ in A Whimsical Tale of Deception and Community

In Catane, a film by director Ioana Mischie, twin sisters create an elaborate ruse by braiding their long red hair and sharing a single sweater to appear conjoined. This act is not merely for show; it is part of a larger scheme in their remote Romanian village, where residents feign disabilities to secure government benefits.

Government officials in Bucharest grow suspicious of the village’s unusual circumstances. “All of the residents of Catane village claimed they have disabilities,” one official states. Another questions, “What if it’s true?” Subsequently, they initiate an investigation into the village’s dubious claims.

This sets the stage for a charming and satirical narrative described by Cineuropa as “poetic, humorous and satirical.” The film, which marked Mischie’s directorial debut, premiered as the opening night feature at the 21st South East European Film Festival (SEEfest) in Los Angeles.

After the screening, Mischie revealed that many Romanian viewers likened her film to the works of Wes Anderson. “Which is funny for me because I do feel it’s very local and it’s very different at the same time,” she commented during a Q&A session.

Mischie faced numerous challenges in bringing her vision to life over the years. “It took a decade to raise the money for it,” she explained. “Everyone rejected it at first.” Although larger producers were interested, they wanted to shift the tone from comedy to drama, a direction Mischie was not willing to take. “I’m very happy we stayed courageous because it’s a beautiful feeling to see the seeds of a story coming to life in the way that you envisage them.”

The director emphasized the need for uplifting narratives in today’s media landscape, stating, “I feel we have a lot of dramas everywhere. It’s an overload of traumas. And I think we need to find something to elevate us from the very low point where we are.”

As the story unfolds, the arrival of government inspectors in Catane introduces an array of eccentric villagers, including a man with an extraordinary pair of glasses and another who has replaced a lost limb with an animal’s hoof. "It’s really a lovely fairytale," remarked SEEfest founder Vera Mijojlić, who moderated the post-screening discussion.

Reflecting on the film’s themes, Mischie noted, “It talks about, on one hand, the power of community. One of my dreams was to create the collective hero’s journey, not just the individual hero’s journey.”

Finding the film’s rural setting in the Apuseni Mountains took considerable effort. Mischie recounted, “We scouted for this village for more than a year. A lot of Romanian villages got very modernized… and others became completely depopulated.” Eventually, her crew found a welcoming community in Transylvania.

She initially considered casting non-professional actors from the village but ultimately collaborated with experienced Romanian talents. Mischie’s script received recognition at several prestigious forums, winning accolades including Best Script at the Manaki Script Lab in North Macedonia.

The film’s score, composed by Emiliano Mazzenga, was nominated for Best Original Score at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. He explained how the music aimed to evoke a sense of magic, intertwining local instrumentation with Indian melodies for ethereal moments.

Having screened in Romania to an enthusiastic audience of 10,000, Mischie expressed hope for Catane‘s future in U.S. theaters. “That’s the dream,” she said, hoping to connect with a distributor as the film continues to circulate in festivals.

SEEfest runs in Los Angeles through Wednesday, May 6.