”Ovidiu Jelea was a student of mine at the VSLO 2014 film-workshop in Vama Veche, Romania. The topic of the film-workshop was basic film grammar and storytelling. As in any language, film has a grammar and a syntax. Our goal with the VSLO 2014 film-workshop was to make the students understand and apply these basic fundamentals to any film and practice it in their VSLO-workshop film projects.

One day Ovidiu approached me and asked me if I would like to see a film that he had made. I was a bit hesitant. After all, this was an entry-level film-workshop. The basics. I did not expect much of his film. The next day we had breakfast together. Ovidiu turned on his notebook and screened me his film. The first documentary of his series of Vagabond project, this was the film about the Romanian racing-car driver Claudiu David.

My omelet got cold, my coffee got cold, my water was already cold so that got tempered. I was overwhelmed. What he showed me was way beyond any of my expectations. Ovidiu Jelea is a natural born film-maker. He has a personal nerve, an understanding and a God given talent for film-making that is rarely seen. Ovidiu will go very far in international film-making if he wants to. What Ovidiu need is a producer that could help him tighten his films. With that support, he will be a Film Festival winner and he will become a recognized film-maker on top international level. It is a privilege to me to know Ovidiu.”