Biography
Born in 1993 in Orăștie, Dragoș Hanciu is a Romanian film director, cinematographer and photographer based in Bucharest. He began using cameras as teenager when he started filming his friends skateboarding building an archive of various verité footage that he would later edit.
After graduating from UNATC film school in Bucharest, he made Ionaș Dreams of Rain, which premiered in Visions du Réel in 2017 and Three, a co-directed short experimental documentary which was selected at Edinburgh Film Festival 2017. His debut feature length documentary, The Man and His Shadow, was shown in 2021 in Transylvania IFF and his latest short experimental film, When Flamingos Fall From the Sky, premiered in Cairo IFF 2022.
Beside filming his own projects, he began working as a cinematographer for other films such as Adina Pintile's Touch Me Not, Eva Pervolovici's documentary about Daniel Spoerri, Andrei Inizian's Iceberg and Alexandra Gulea's projects. Starting 2020 he is also tutoring in documentary film workshops for teenagers in smaller cities of Romania, some of them without a cinema.
Dragoș is an active photographer publishing his first photobook, Hometown, in 2018 which was shortlisted for several international book awards and followed by photo exhibitions and book presentations. Hometown was acquired by Romania’s Museum of Contemporary Art for their permanent collection.
In 2020 he is nominated among the 100 emerging European photographers selected by GUP Magazine for their annual Fresh Eyes catalog and in 2021 he is shortlisted for the New Flavours award of Gomma Grant.
Currently he is shooting a documentary as a co-director with Denisse Conn Tubacu, developing his 2nd feature length film, and also working on other photobook projects and exhibitions.
Since 2010 he is actively involved in the skateboarding crew Crăci Movement which is supporting the local skateboarding community. He is also creating the visual identity of the brand.
Filmography
When Flamingos Fall From the Sky / Un flamingo nu cade din cer, produced by Castalia Productions, Monogram Film, 2022 (short)
The Man and His Shadow / Omul cu umbra, produced by Monogram Film, Romania, 2021 (debut feature length)
Ionaș Dreams of Rain / Ionaș visează că plouă, produced by Aristoteles Workshop, Romania, 2017 (short)
Three / Trei, co-directed with Robert Braga and Andrei Inizian, 2017 (short)
The Floating Bridge / Brudina, produced by UNATC (film school), 2014 (short)
Solo shows
Hometown, Lovelace, Munich, Germany, 2018 + artist talk
Hometown, 12-14 contemporary, Vienna, Ostriech, 2018 + artist talk
Hometown, Minerva Gallery, Cluj, Romania, 2018 + artist talk
Hometown, AP. 1 Gallery, Bucharest, Romania, 2017-2018
Hometown, Die Faerberei, Munich, Germany, 2016
Group shows
De ce ne pasă curated by Black Horse Mansion @ Galateca Bucharest 2022 showing the video installation where is there?
On Distance and Intimacy with Patricia Morosan, Bianca Oana and Vlad Feneșan @ 12-14contemporary / FOTO WIEN, Vienna 2022
unkowing now together with artists Duane Corpis, Eitan Rieger, Lee Dong-Hwan, Timo Herbst, Kinga Toth @ Palmen House Feldafing, Germany, 2021
Sunny Side Up together with artist Torsten Muehlbach, curated by Michael Grudziecki @ Kosk, Munich, 2021
Road Show East, showing Hometown on an itinerary exhibition curated by Denise Parizek with artists Hubert Hasler, Noima Group, Agnes Hamvas, Michael Koch in Budapest (Knoll Gallery), Timisoara (Pygmalion Gallery), Belgrade (Ostavinska Gallery), Zagreb (Galeria Greta), Ljubljana (Chemical Institut Ljubljana), Vienna (12-14 contemporary), 2018
Go Skate Day showing Hometown at Cazul 101, Bucharest, Romania, 2018
Collections
Romanian Museum of Contemporary Art - Hometown: 8 large photographic prints, the photobook, its dummy, Happy Holidays video instalation
Awards / Grants
Surreality, Gomma Grant 2021: Shortlisted for New Flavours
Lockdown, BRD Artist Rooms photography grant, 2020
Hometown, PHotoESPAÑA: Shortlisted - Best Self-published Photography Book of the Year Award, Spain 2018
Hometown, FOLA®: Shortlisted - Photobook Award #2, Argentina 2018
Hometown, Encontros da Imagem: Finalist - Photo book Award, Portugal 2018
Hometown, Istanbul Photobook Festival: Photobooks of the World, Turkey 2018
Residencies
2021 Villa Waldberta, 3 months, Germany - photography
Education / Workshops
2022 Ji.hlava Academy, Czech Republic - filmmaking workshop
2020 dienacht publishing, Bucharest - bookmaking workshop
2018 Sounds like a book, 1 week, Romania - bookmaking workshop
2016 Aristoteles Workshop, 1 month, Romania - documentary filmmaking workshop
2012-2015 UNATC Bucharest, Romania - BA Film Directing
Art / Book fairs
Polycopies, Paris Photo 2018
Publications and press
In print
Grupaj, Issue 2, Romania, 2023
GUP Fresh Eyes, Holland, 2020
Zone Magazine, Issue 1, Turkey, 2020
Eyeshot, Issue Flora and Fauna, Italy, 2020
Revista Arta, Issue 30, Romania, 2018
Arsenal, Issue 1, Romania, 2018
Rotric, Issue 3, Romania, 2018
Online
dienacht blog / Contributor Magazine / Booooooom / dirty harry's blog / Eyeshot / Street Photographers Foundation / VICE / Dreck Magazine / Mondorama / VICE RO / Sub25 / This Must Be The Place / Suplimentul de cultură / celula foto /