At Avenor, the past is not just a collection of dates and events — it is a space for reflection, an opportunity to understand how societies are formed and how each of our choices shapes reality. For young people, becoming aware of the past is a form of responsibility and an exercise in critical thinking, essential in a world where extremist and polarizing ideologies increasingly find their way into the public sphere.
Although our high school follows a British curriculum, the Romanian language remains a bridge between identity, culture, and historical context. Starting this year, the Romanian Language curriculum includes a special component dedicated to the communist period, with a focus on understanding everyday life, the mindsets of the time, and the impact of this past on today’s society.
Reading relevant novels and poems, engaging with significant speeches, and watching films that illustrate this era turn theoretical lessons into concrete, memorable experiences for our high school students.
Learning through Literature and Film
Classes dedicated to studying communism, integrated across different learning units, have used diverse resources: from the novel ”Sînt o babă comunistă” by Dan Lungu and the essay ”Era mai bine înainte” by Andrei Pleșu, to the banned poetry of Ana Blandiana and the speech “Istorie, eroi și moștenire” delivered by Princess Marina Sturdza at TEDxCluj.
Within this framework, watching the film Anul nou care n-a fost offered students a direct and moving perspective on everyday life and moral dilemmas during that period. The film complemented these resources, providing a visual and emotional context that stimulated curiosity and reflection.
“At the high school, out of the need to understand the Romanian communist era, we dedicated a few Romanian classes to this period, which for students sounded as distant as the Battle of Rovine. With each class, we introduced a concise overview of society, dictatorship, and daily life. Recently, the 11th-grade classes, along with a few guests from other classes, watched the film ”Anul nou care n-a fost” from start to finish. For two and a half hours, the room remained completely silent — you could have heard a pin drop,” says Dana Papadima, Educational Director.
Dialogue with the Film’s Creators
The experience was enriched by the presence of actress Emilia Dobrin and the film’s creative team: set designer Iulia Fulicea, set designer Victor Fulicea, and director Bogdan Mureșanu. After the screening, students met the team and took part in a discussion lasting over an hour, asking questions, receiving answers, and engaging in an active exchange of ideas.
“For Victor and me, participating in this event confirmed that we made a good choice regarding our children’s school. We have presented the film Anul nou care n-a fost at several screenings for students from different high schools in Bucharest and across the country. We felt the unequal opportunities among various social and cultural backgrounds, but we were also deeply impressed by the lucidity, confidence, and light in the eyes of some of the students.
At Avenor, we arrived with hearts full of emotion. Some of the participants we know personally, others only by sight, yet I can say we found a group of beautiful, curious, spontaneous, and courageous students who, after more than two hours of watching the film, stayed for the Q&A session. Their ability to listen calmly and attentively to our answers, and the maturity of their questions — surpassing even many adults — was remarkable. People say their generation lacks patience and wants everything fast, with immediate gratification. What we saw in these wonderful young people was exactly the opposite.
We left Avenor with our hearts at peace and filled with the emotion shared by the students and their teachers,” says Iulia Fulicea, set designer and parent in the Avenor community.
More Than a Film
From an educational perspective, the experience was much more than watching a movie. It was an opportunity to understand social and historical context, reflect on the impact of the past on the present, and practice open, reasoned, and empathetic dialogue. Through such activities, classroom theory comes alive, and students learn to connect literature, history, and direct experience in a coherent and profound way.
