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Dan Radu Mihai releases “Monarch,” a Romanian-Czech sci-fi film about a young man whose emotions affect electricity

Cristiana Dida

11 November 2026, 14:56

Arts & Lifestyle

Afișul filmului Monarh / foto: Facebook / Monarh

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“Monarch,” the feature-film debut of director Dan Radu Mihai, was released this week in cinemas across Romania. The Romanian-Czech production follows Bogdan, a 35-year-old man who discovers that his intense emotions can cause electrical circuit failures.

Played by Vladimir Proca, drummer of the band Robin and the Backstabbers, the character sets out to find his missing girlfriend. His journey takes him to the city of his childhood, where he confronts people, secrets and questions about his own identity. What he believed was a heart condition turns into an ability that affects the world around him.

Written by Dan Radu Mihai together with poet Dan Sociu, the film combines realism and fantasy in a near future dominated by surveillance technologies. Virtual reality is used, among other purposes, for psychological and social rehabilitation, while the film explores the fragile boundary between control and freedom.

Filmed in 20 days at more than 50 locations across Romania, “Monarch” is a co-production by Redwood Productions, Armadillo Entertainment, Dash Film and 8Heads Productions. The film is touring nationally, with screenings and meetings with the team in several cities until the end of November. Tickets purchased by December 23, 2026, can be entered into a prize draw for a Kia EV2 electric car.

Context: Romania’s film industry has grown rapidly, especially with the rise of streaming

In recent years, Romanian cinema has recorded significant growth, with budgets increasing compared with the period when art film productions often started with sums far below international standards. Industry analyses indicate that this progress is driven primarily by advertising production, participation in international productions and, in particular, the development of the OTT (streaming) segment, including platforms such as Netflix and HBO. In this context, estimates place the industry at approximately 750–772 million euros, although adjustments are necessary because tax classifications make it difficult to distinguish film production from TV production and because streaming revenues do not appear in full in the statistics of companies in Romania.