CRISTINA PAULA ANA BARBU

A graduate in architecture, Cristina Paula Ana Barbu has more than twenty years of experience in the fields of cinema, advertising, photography, theater, and spatial design. Her career demonstrates great artistic versatility, nurtured by an in-depth understanding of space, materials, atmospheres, and visual storytelling.

She has collaborated on numerous films by major Romanian filmmakers, notably Cristi Puiu and Radu Jude. Her work in scenography and set design contributes to the visual identity of films presented and awarded at major international festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlinale, and the Sundance Film Festival.

Among the notable works in her filmography are “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”, “Malmkrog”, “Sieranevada”, “The Tube with a Hat”, and “Cigarettes and Coffee”.

SCENOGRAPHY AND FILM SET DESIGN

Major Collaborations and Award-Winning Films

“THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU” (“Moartea domnului Lăzărescu”, 2005)
Directed by: Cristi Puiu
Role: Set Design
Award: Un Certain Regard Award – Gan Foundation for Cinema, Cannes Film Festival, 2005. The film has become an iconic work of the Romanian New Wave, internationally acclaimed for its humanistic perspective and its striking depiction of loneliness and social indifference. Source

“MEGATRON” (2008)
Directed by: Marian Crișan
Role: Set Design
Award: Short Film Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2008.
Source — Cannes Film Festival

“MALMKROG” (2020)
Directed by: Cristi Puiu
Role: Set Design
Award: Best Director Award, Encounters section, Berlinale 2020, awarded to Cristi Puiu. The film is distinguished by its aesthetic and philosophical ambition and by the precision of its visual universe. Source

“THE TUBE WITH A HAT” (“Lampa cu căciulă”, 2006)
Directed by: Radu Jude
Role: Costumes, according to available credits
Short film widely awarded at international festivals, including:

• Grand Prize at the Bilbao International Documentary and Short Film Festival, 2006;

• Short Film Grand Prize at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival, 2006;

• Best Short Film Award at the Cottbus Film Festival of Eastern European Cinema, 2006;

• Short Filmmaking Award in the International Short Film Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, 2007;

• Gopo Award for Best Short Film, 2007;

• IndieLisboa Grand Prize, 2007. Source

“CIGARETTES AND COFFEE” (“Un cartuș de Kent și un pachet de cafea”, 2004)
Directed by: Cristi Puiu
Short film noted on the international scene. It won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlinale in 2004 and was nominated for the European Film Awards in the Best Short Film category. Source

PRODUCTION DESIGNER - 2006–2026

• “Agenția” - pilot, directed by Radu Bărbulescu

• “Norocoșii – Scapă cine poate” - Ema and Lucian Viziru

• “Jocul luminii” - Ovidiu Georgescu

• “Cine nu e gata” - Florian Aron Anghel

• “Catane” - Ioana Mischie

• “A Dream Weekend” (“Weekend de vis”) - Ovidiu Georgescu

• “99.999%” - Alexandra-Roberta Șerban

• “The Visit” (“Vizita”) - Alexandra-Roberta Șerban

• “Weddings, Christenings and Funerals” (“Nunți, botezuri, înmormântări”) - Alexandru Lustig

• “Luca” - Horațiu Mălăele

• “The Last Trip to the Seaside” (“Ultimul drum spre mare”) - Adi Voicu

• “Malmkrog” - Cristi Puiu

• “1987” - Andrei Cohn

• “Oh, Ramona!” - Cristina Iacob

• “Ceata” - Adi Voicu

• “Sieranevada” - Cristi Puiu

• “Music in the Blood” (“Muzică în sânge”) - Alexandru Mavrodineanu, Strada Film

• “Chocolate Mousse” - Paul Tănicui

• “Instead of Dying” (“În loc să mori”) - Radu Dragomir

• “Contratimp 1” - Jesús del Cerro

• “Contratimp 2” - Jesús del Cerro

• “A Simple Movie” - Tom Gatsoulis

• “The Tube with a Hat” (“Lampa cu căciulă”) - Radu Jude

• “Alexandra” - Radu Jude

• “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu” (“Moartea domnului Lăzărescu”) - Cristi Puiu

THEATER AND SCENIC DESIGN

Her work also extends to theater and stage projects, where she develops visual worlds tailored to the demands of dramaturgy and staging.

Among her projects:

• “The Diary of a Love”

• “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone”

• “Insomnia”

• “Crazy Stories in the City”

• “Alice in Wonderland”

• Project for the Swiss exhibition and the National Day of the Canton of Jura in Neuchâtel

• “Nothing Escapes Me”

• Shakespeare Recital

ART DIRECTION - 2002–2023

• “Singh Is Bliing”

• “The Last Enemy”

• “Affinity”

• “Leonce and Lena”

These experiences reflect her ability to design and coordinate visual universes for productions across various formats and cultural backgrounds.

SET DECORATION - 2019–2023

• “The Doorman”

COSTUME DESIGN - 2002–2026

Her costume design work is part of a comprehensive approach to the image, where clothing, colors, and textures contribute to character development and the story's atmosphere.

Her collaborations notably include films, music productions, and advertising campaigns, among which:

• “The Tube with a Hat” (“Lampa cu căciulă”)

• “Alexandra”

• “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu”

• “Help Yourself” - SENSOR, awarded at the MTV Romanian Music Video Awards in 2005

• Music projects with The Rasmus

• Connex “Mariachi” campaign

• Fanta Latina “Bullfighters” campaign

• Ursus campaigns “The Cave” and “The Party”

A VISUAL APPROACH IN SERVICE OF STORYTELLING

Cristina Paula Ana Barbu's career combines architectural training, a sense of space, aesthetic research, and hands-on set experience. From film scenography to art direction, and from set decoration to costume design, she helps build cohesive visual worlds in service of the directors' vision and cinematic storytelling.

Her involvement in productions associated with filmmakers such as Cristi Puiu and Radu Jude places her within the history of contemporary Romanian cinema, several works of which have achieved major international recognition.