Dan Stroie
Co-director & Producer
Dan Stroie is a passionate filmmaker with a deep appreciation for storytelling and capturing the human experience on screen. Born and raised in south-western Romania, Dan started filming at the age of 14, by shooting music videos and short films with friends. After, he developed a keen interest in cinema while pursuing Cinematography BA studies at UNATC "IL.Caragiale", the National Film School in Romania.While working mainly as a director of photography, this documentary is Dan's first work as co-director, exploring themes of family, identity, and heritage. He has a keen eye for capturing authentic moments and emotions.
Alexandru Bodrug
Co-director
Alexandru Bodrug, born in the Republic of Moldova, graduated from UNATC University "I.L. Caragiale", Film Directing BA (2021). His first documentary was selected at CineMAiubit ISFF in 2019.
In 2020 he directed a self-portrait documentary about his family, the story of a boy raised without a father - "Our house". In 2021, he directed the film "Three Oranges", shot on 35mm film, with the main theme being the emigration of parents. The graduation film is "Dragons do not exist", which is based on his own experience through which he met his father, selected at multiple festivals: Cinemaiubit, Filmul de Piatra, European Film Festival, Moldova Film Festival.
In 2020 he directed a self-portrait documentary about his family, the story of a boy raised without a father - "Our house". In 2021, he directed the film "Three Oranges", shot on 35mm film, with the main theme being the emigration of parents. The graduation film is "Dragons do not exist", which is based on his own experience through which he met his father, selected at multiple festivals: Cinemaiubit, Filmul de Piatra, European Film Festival, Moldova Film Festival.
Alexandru CocindAu
Executive Producer
This movie was brought to life with the help of Mr. Cocindau Alexandru. Passionate about theater and movie production and drawing from his experience in the IT industry, Mr. Alexandru played an important role in the production stages of the movie, actively participating as an executive producer. Among other tasks, he ensured that the needed funding was obtained.
Overall, the collaboration between the filmmakers and Mr. Alexandru brought 77 Years Back's story to a wider audience and highlighted the importance of pursuing one's passions, even in the face of adversity.
Overall, the collaboration between the filmmakers and Mr. Alexandru brought 77 Years Back's story to a wider audience and highlighted the importance of pursuing one's passions, even in the face of adversity.
PROJECT TIMELINE - WHAT WE DID?
I am Dan Stroie, graduate of UNATC University - Cinematography BA, and I am the producer and co-director of "77 Years Back".
The film was made in two stages.
Stage 1 (the filming that took place in 2021)
The person I worked with during stage 1 of the production was the director, Andrei Olănescu, who was convinced by the universality of my grandfather's story and for him, the film was about:
“The search of the universal child, a game of expectations and reality, an unfulfilled desire... Leaving home to find out who he was as a child, he finds himself at the end of a journey that did not begin, back to his own origin. Seeking happiness in the farthest place, he ends up finding it in his own weft.”
Codruța Corocea, as a camera operator, and Adina Ghiță, as a sound engineer, have also been involved in the project. Together we filmed with minimal budget and equipment from generous people.
This part of the production was meant to be the only one, but as it usually happens with documentary movies, some new pieces of information were revealed afterwards.
Stage 2 (the filming that took place in 2022)
The idea to film more for this documentary came after a phone call from my grandfather, who told me that if we go to Chisinau again, it would be nice to go once more to Mărculești, where he is from, because he would like to seek some things more in depth in the village of Mărculești, located near the city of the same name.
There were more days of search, in the district and city of Florești and in the nearby communes and villages. We went from one town hall to another, from one archive to another, and like in a road movie with detectives, we arrived at some new information that neither I nor my grandfather knew. Above all, what I found striking and moving was people's willingness to help.
During this stage 2 of production, the crew changed because our vision on how the movie should be, turned out irreconcilably different. So, lately, I decided to be more involved in the making of this personal documentary, along with Alexandru Bodrug, as a co-director.
