DOCUMENTARY FILMS WITH ECCLESIASTICAL THEMES IN THE WORKS OF PAVEL CONSTANTINESCU BEN-IOSEF FROM THE “ALEXANDRU SAHIA” STUDIO
DOCUMENTARY FILMS WITH ECCLESIASTICAL THEMES IN THE WORKS OF PAVEL CONSTANTINESCU BEN-IOSEF FROM THE “ALEXANDRU SAHIA” STUDIO

Summary/Abstract: Pavel Constantinescu Ben-Iosef (1922-1997), a film director of Jewish origin, lived a life as captivating as his films. In his youth, he was an activist in the Zionist organization “Dror Poalei Țion”. Later on, embracing communist beliefs and dreaming of justice, happiness, equality and human dignity, he volunteered for the Soviet army, eventually becoming an officer. Upon returning to Romania, he held the position of commander at the Bumbești-Livezeni National Construction Site and he continued his studies in film directing at V.G.I.K. in Moscow, Soviet Union. He had the privilege to direct films even in distant countries, including America in the 1970s, and served as a war correspondent in the Vietnam War. He also held numerous significant positions in the Romanian administration.With such origins, beliefs and social position, the following question arises: why did Pavel Constantinescu become one of the few directors from the Sahia Studio who explored ecclesiastical themes, particularly at a time when films on religious subjects were generally viewed with skepticism by the authorities? (even though his films focused solely on the artistic value of churches, rather than their spirituality or religious purpose).In our article, we aim to investigate three essential questions related to the proposed theme. Firstly, how was he able to produce so many films centered around church art during the period of 1964-1968? Secondly, what was the director’s personal motivation behind creating these films? Lastly, we will delve into the factors contributing to the high aesthetic quality of his works and their significance within the production of the “Alexandru Sahia” Studio.

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