Paul Barba Neagra
Encyclopedia
Paul Barbă Neagră or Barbăneagră (February 11, 1929 - October 13, 2009) was a Romania
n film director
and essayist who, starting in 1957, has directed short and medium-length documentaries on topics related to culture and the arts. In 1964 he defected and settled in France
, where he also worked in the media (for France 2
, France 3
, and Radio Free Europe
).
, he studied medicine and cinematography in Bucharest
, graduating from the I. L. Caragiale Institute for Theater and Film Arts. Between 1957 and 1964, he worked for the film studios of Communist Romania
, and, during a visit to Tours
(where he was attending the local film festival), sought political asylum.
He was awarded a first prize for the scenario of his film Versailles Palais-Temple du Roi Soleil ("Palace of Versailles
, Temple of the Sun King
") at the Festival International du Film d’Art (International Festival for Art Films). The film was the first in his series Architecture et Géographie sacrée ("Sacred Architecture and Geography"). To the same series belongs the documentary Mircea Eliade et la Redécouverte du Sacré ("Mircea Eliade
and the Rediscovery of the Sacred").
In 1990, he was awarded The French Grand Prix for Audiovisual Arts for his entire activity.
In 2004, he published with Félix Schwarz Symbolique de Paris: Paris sacré, Paris mythique (Les Éditions du Huitième Jour, 2004).
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and essayist who, starting in 1957, has directed short and medium-length documentaries on topics related to culture and the arts. In 1964 he defected and settled in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where he also worked in the media (for France 2
France 2
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4, France 5 and France Ô...
, France 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
, and Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
).
Biography
Born in IsacceaIsaccea
Isaccea is a small town in Tulcea County, in Dobruja, Romania, on the right bank of the Danube, 35 km north-west of Tulcea. According to the 2002 census, it has a population 5,374....
, he studied medicine and cinematography in Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, graduating from the I. L. Caragiale Institute for Theater and Film Arts. Between 1957 and 1964, he worked for the film studios of Communist Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
, and, during a visit to Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
(where he was attending the local film festival), sought political asylum.
He was awarded a first prize for the scenario of his film Versailles Palais-Temple du Roi Soleil ("Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
, Temple of the Sun King
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
") at the Festival International du Film d’Art (International Festival for Art Films). The film was the first in his series Architecture et Géographie sacrée ("Sacred Architecture and Geography"). To the same series belongs the documentary Mircea Eliade et la Redécouverte du Sacré ("Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade
Mircea Eliade was a Romanian historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, and professor at the University of Chicago. He was a leading interpreter of religious experience, who established paradigms in religious studies that persist to this day...
and the Rediscovery of the Sacred").
In 1990, he was awarded The French Grand Prix for Audiovisual Arts for his entire activity.
In 2004, he published with Félix Schwarz Symbolique de Paris: Paris sacré, Paris mythique (Les Éditions du Huitième Jour, 2004).