»I made the movie because I felt like history was repeating itself. My parents left the country for political reasons. Today, parents leave for economic ones. But the children are always left behind. I thought it was time to tell their story. It’s the story of so many families. I don’t know a single Romanian family that doesn’t have a relative abroad. There’s always someone somewhere else sending money home. It can destroy families, it’s incredibly sad.«
Teodora Ana Mihai

Georgiana turns 15 this winter and she’s the new head of the Halmac family. She lives with her six siblings in a state-subsidised apartment on the outskirts of Bacău, Romania. Her mother is working as a carer for a wealthy elderly couple in Turin. She won’t be home before the summer. Georgiana is responsible not only for herself but also for her siblings. And yet she doesn’t see herself as a victim, but does her best to help her brothers and sisters get by. The only support she gets is in the form of regular phone conversations with her mother, conversations that occasionally trigger a longing for a normal, sheltered adolescence.

The director cleverly chooses to open the film with one of these phone conversations between mother and daughter. We are immediately fascinated by the characters and intrigued to watch them in their busy everyday lives. Apparently unnoticed, Teodora Ana Mihai succeeds in capturing intimate family scenes and drawing an accurate portrait of the seven siblings. The viewer is both fascinated by the children’s resourcefulness and disturbed by the precariousness of their situation.

Film programme Broken Landscapes

Awards for ›Waiting for August‹
Best International Feature, HotDocs 2014 | Best Documentary, Karlovy Vary 2014 | Special Mention, Vision du Réel