Alina Șerban’s “I Matter” Selected for the Venice Film Festival

Alina Șerban’s debut feature as a director, I Matter (Eu contez), has its world premiere at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, selected for the Official Selection of the Venice FF Spotlight. The film is produced by Ada Solomon. It screens on 8 September 2026 at 21:00 (Sala Giardino), with a second screening on 9 September at 08:45.

The selection is a significant achievement for Șerban, marking her transition from more than 17 years as an actress and theatre-maker to feature directing, and placing her debut film in one of European cinema’s most prestigious festivals. It is also a milestone for Romani filmmaking and representation on screen, bringing a Romani-led story to one of the industry’s most visible international stages.

I Matter tells the story of Rebeca, a young Roma woman navigating the transition out of the orphanage system while pursuing a place at university and reckoning with her father’s return from prison. The screenplay draws on four years of research Șerban conducted with children and young people from children’s homes.

“The film is a celebration of the Roma experience,” Șerban has said of the project. She has described wanting the film to hold space for joy, humor and tenderness alongside its harder moments, noting that Rebeca’s story, while specific, speaks to universal emotions.

Alina Șerban and I Matter have also been part of ERIAC’s Film Pitch Deck, the institute’s curated industry platform supporting Romani filmmakers and connecting their projects with producers, funders, broadcasters, distributors and festival programmers across Europe, presented at Marché du Film in Cannes in both 2025 and 2026. The film’s premiere in Venice is a moment of pride for the Pitch Deck as well, standing alongside Șerban’s achievement as a marker of the platform’s growing presence in the industry.

ERIAC congratulates Alina Șerban and the I Matter production team on the film’s selection and premiere in Venice.

Cast: Denisa Farcaș, Sorin Mihai, Angelina Pavel, Vanessa Dancea, Raisa Mihai, Alexandru Stancu, Alina Berzunțeanu, Natalia Călin

Producers: Ada Solomon, Carla Fotea, Harry Flöter, Jorg Siepmann, Cassandre Warnauts, Jean-Yves Roubin, Dries Phlypo, Leontine Petit, Erik Glijnis

Production companies: microFILM, 2Pilots Film Production, Frakas Productions, Lemming Film Belgium