Irina Movilă

Studied acting in the class of maestro Mircea Albulescu at the Academy of Theatre and Film, graduating in 1991.

From 1992 to 2001, she appeared in numerous productions at the Small Theatre (Equus, The Seagull, The Fall of Troy, The Merchant of Venice, The Hunting Rifle). Since 2002, she has been an actress at Bucharest’s National Theatre, where she has been outstanding in the rôles of Dora in Marijke Schermer’s Clay, Varya in Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, Maria Sinești in Camil Petrescu’s Dance of the Fairies, Marta in Albert Camus’ The Misunderstanding, Hippolyta and Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Ion Luca Caragiale’s A Stormy Night.

In 1999, she worked with the National Theatre in Timișoara on a production of The Woman in Red. In 2002, she took part in The Dark Ring around the Sun, a recital of folk poetry held at the Salle Romanian Radio.

Irina Movilă is also an appreciated film actress, having worked with major directors such as Andrei Blaier and Dan Pița, appearing in parts including Fifi in Pepe and Fifi and Sofia in Hôtel de Luxe.

In 1992, she was awarded the Prize for Best Actress at the Festival of Latin Worlds, Arcachon, France, and in 1993, the Prize for Best Actress at the Geneva Film Festival. She was named European Cinema’s Best Hope for her rôle in Pepe and Fifi (1993). The Association of Film Producers, Authors and Makers has awarded Irina Movilă its Pro Victoria Prize—The Golden Plaque for Best Female Part.

She was a member of the jury at the International Festival of Audiovisual Programmes (FIPA), Biarritz, in 1993, at the DAKINO Festival in 1995, and at the Love Film Festival, Mons, in 2003. In an interview, she declared, ‘Acting is not a profession. It is a calling. It is a cry that you feel within, in the very depths of your being. Acting is a modus vivendi and a way of learning to live your richest life.’