Romanian filmmaker Andreea Cristina Borțun is set to premiere her latest feature film, "The Life and Times of Ion G", at the upcoming Thessaloniki Film Festival's Crossroads Co-Production Forum. The drama follows a man from rural Romania who mysteriously appears in an isolated Roma village, searching for his abandoned family. Instead, he forms an unexpected connection with a strong-willed local woman who offers him love and companionship, forcing him to confront his inability to open up to others.
Borțun's film is billed as a "drama with a humorous touch", told from the perspective of its titular hero - a formerly homeless man who spent nearly three decades drifting in southern Europe. The film explores what it means to love and be loved, examining how emotions are governed by social and political systems that shape us.
The story behind Borțun's film is one of chance and connection. She met Jojo, the real-life protagonist, through Facebook after learning about his incredible journey from being a homeless migrant to becoming an overnight media sensation in France. The two struck up a correspondence, with Borțun drawn to Jojo's humor, charm, and vulnerability.
Borțun is fascinated by how Jojo's experiences as an orphan and homeless person influenced his perception of love. She channels the work of Erich Fromm, exploring how we can transcend our vague understanding of love and view it as a complex process that requires effort and practice.
The film delves into the connections between emotions and politics, highlighting how systems can shape our feelings and relationships. It follows the relationship between Ion G and his love interest, Geta, as they navigate their complicated pasts and learn to open up to each other.
"The Life and Times of Ion G" is set to be released in 2026, with principal photography planned for autumn. The film marks the second installment of a trilogy about rural Romania, following "A River's Gaze" and "Egalité". Borțun has already co-directed a short hybrid documentary about Jojo with Philip Cartelli.
Ultimately, "The Life and Times of Ion G" is a story about love, vulnerability, and human connection. Through her film, Borțun invites audiences to reflect on their own experiences of love and relationships, encouraging them to view it as a complex process that requires effort, practice, and openness.
Borțun's film is billed as a "drama with a humorous touch", told from the perspective of its titular hero - a formerly homeless man who spent nearly three decades drifting in southern Europe. The film explores what it means to love and be loved, examining how emotions are governed by social and political systems that shape us.
The story behind Borțun's film is one of chance and connection. She met Jojo, the real-life protagonist, through Facebook after learning about his incredible journey from being a homeless migrant to becoming an overnight media sensation in France. The two struck up a correspondence, with Borțun drawn to Jojo's humor, charm, and vulnerability.
Borțun is fascinated by how Jojo's experiences as an orphan and homeless person influenced his perception of love. She channels the work of Erich Fromm, exploring how we can transcend our vague understanding of love and view it as a complex process that requires effort and practice.
The film delves into the connections between emotions and politics, highlighting how systems can shape our feelings and relationships. It follows the relationship between Ion G and his love interest, Geta, as they navigate their complicated pasts and learn to open up to each other.
"The Life and Times of Ion G" is set to be released in 2026, with principal photography planned for autumn. The film marks the second installment of a trilogy about rural Romania, following "A River's Gaze" and "Egalité". Borțun has already co-directed a short hybrid documentary about Jojo with Philip Cartelli.
Ultimately, "The Life and Times of Ion G" is a story about love, vulnerability, and human connection. Through her film, Borțun invites audiences to reflect on their own experiences of love and relationships, encouraging them to view it as a complex process that requires effort, practice, and openness.
I'm so hyped about Andreea Cristina Borțun's new film! It sounds like it's gonna be an emotional rollercoaster 
, but in the best way possible 
. I love how she's drawing from her real-life connection with Jojo to explore themes of love and vulnerability 
. It's all about finding that human connection in a world that can sometimes feel really tough 
. Borțun's got this gift for storytelling, and I'm so excited to see what she does next 
! The fact that it's part of a trilogy about rural Romania sounds fascinating too 
... bring on the feels! 
this reminds me of how our online personas can shape our connections with others. like Jojo's Facebook correspondence with Andreea Cristina Borțun, we often form relationships based on the curated versions of ourselves online. but what happens when we're exposed to vulnerability and imperfection? does it make us more open to love and connection or does it push us away? 
... I mean, who wants to watch a movie about some guy searching for his family in the middle of nowhere? But at the same time, I'm super curious about it 
. I love how Borțun met Jojo through Facebook - that's so cool! 
And I'm intrigued by her exploration of love and emotions... but isn't it a bit cheesy to use Erich Fromm as an inspiration? 
. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch a story about love, vulnerability, and connection? It's like she took the essence of Jojo's journey from homeless migrant to media sensation and turned it into this beautiful drama 
And I love how Borțun is all about subverting our expectations with a "drama with a humorous touch" 
!
The way she's exploring the connection between emotions and politics in "The Life and Times of Ion G" has me thinking – how do our societies shape our relationships? 
! I've been following Andreea Cristina Borțun's work and she's always pushed boundaries with her storytelling. The fact that she met the real-life Jojo through Facebook is wild lol 
. Can't wait to see how "The Life and Times of Ion G" unfolds! 
️! But what really caught me is how the director, Andreea Cristina Borțun, weaves in these deep social and political themes. It's like, totally understandable that our emotions are shaped by the world around us 
. I love how she's exploring this complex idea of love with Erich Fromm's work as a guide 
Anyway, can't wait to see this film come to life in 2026! 
I'm intrigued by Andreea Cristina Borțun's latest project - 'The Life and Times of Ion G'. It seems like she's tackling some really deep themes like love, vulnerability & human connection in her story. Reminds me of that saying about how people are only as close as you stand to them on the social ladder 
. I wonder if Borțun is trying to challenge our conventional understanding of love by making it more nuanced and complicated? It's interesting how she met Jojo through Facebook - sometimes those unexpected connections can lead to something amazing 
I'm curious to see how much of his actual experience was woven into the script. also, the fact that she's drawing from Erich Fromm's work is cool, I feel like we could use more nuanced discussions about love in pop culture 
. The fact that Borțun is exploring the connections between emotions and politics is also really interesting - I think we can all learn from that 
- how we can transcend our understanding of love and view it as a process that requires effort and practice. It makes me wonder if her film will spark some pretty deep conversations about love, vulnerability, and human connection 
! the premise sounds so deep and emotional, like borțun is really gonna make you feel all the feels 
. can't wait to see how she brings this story to life with jojo's real-life journey as inspiration 
The fact that Borțun got to meet Jojo, her real-life inspiration, through Facebook is just wild - it's amazing how chance connections can lead to incredible stories. 