Milk Teeth (film)
| Milk Teeth | |
|---|---|
Official poster | |
| Romanian | Dinți de lapte |
| Directed by | Mihai Mincan |
| Written by | Mihai Mincan |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | George Chiper-Lillemark |
| Edited by | Dragoș Apetri |
| Music by |
|
Production company | de Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | Romanian |
Milk Teeth (Romanian: Dinți de lapte) is a 2025 political fantasy drama film directed and written by Mihai Mincan. It stars Emma Ioana Mogos as Maria, a ten-year-old girl who witnesses her sister's mysterious disappearance during the final days of Nicolae Ceaușescu's dictatorship in 1989. It is a Romanian-French-Danish-Greek-Bulgarian international co-production.
The film had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 28 August 2025 at the Orizzonti section.
Premise
Set in 1989, a ten-year-old girl becomes the last witness of her sister's disappearance during the final days of Nicolae Ceaușescu's dictatorship.
Cast
- Emma Ioana Mogos as Maria
- Marina Palii
- Igor Babiac
- István Téglás
- Karina Ziana Gherasim
Production
The story of the film is partly based on Mincan's own childhood experiences as he grew up during that time. In an interview with Variety, he also stated that his daughter's feelings of disconnection from the world inspired the narrative approach to the character of Maria.[1] The project was first showcased at the 2020 Baltic Event Co-Production Market, held during the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[2] It participated at the 2023 TorinoFilmLab FeatureLab.[3] It won the Production Award and Green Filming Awards, receiving a total of €44,000 production grants.[4] In June 2025, it was presented at the Last Push section of the ECAM Forum in Madrid, Spain.[5]
Principal photography took place in Bucharest, Lupeni, and Vulcan, Hunedoara, Romania in November 2024.[6]
Release
Milk Teeth had its world premiere at the Orizzonti section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 28 August 2025.[7] Prior to the premiere, it was reported that Cercamon had boarded the film's world sales.[8] It will make its North American premiere at the Centrepiece section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.[9]
References
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (28 August 2025). "How Mihai Mincan's Daughter Inspired His Venice Film 'Milk Teeth,' a Personal Tale of Childhood Under Ceausescu, Trailer Unveiled (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (9 November 2020). "Tallinn's digital Baltic Event announces its selection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Dalton, Ben (5 May 2023). "TorinoFilmLab selects 10 projects for 2023 FeatureLab (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Parfitt, Orlando (27 November 2023). "TorinoFilmLab reveals award winners for 2023 edition". Screen International. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Rivera, Alfonso (21 May 2025). "ECAM Forum presents the projects for its second edition". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ "MILK TEETH by Mihai Mincan is in production". European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (22 July 2025). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Kathryn Bigelow, Guillermo Del Toro, Noah Baumbach & Benny Safdie In Competition". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (18 August 2025). "Venice and Toronto-Bound 'Milk Teeth' Lands at Cercamon for World Sales (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (5 August 2025). "TIFF 2025 Adds Over 50 Films to Sprawling Centrepiece Lineup, Including Titles from Richard Linklater, Christian Petzold, Shih-Ching Tsou, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
External links
- Milk Teeth at IMDb