In a quiet Romanian small town fampous its salt mine during the 1990s, young Mihaela, just a 3-year-old in 1989, sat beside her grandmother every evening. They would gather around an old pick-up, its mysterious allure captivating Mihaela. With great care, her grandmother played classic Romanian stories on vinyl records. These tales painted vivid pictures in Mihaela’s mind, filled with brave characters and enchanting landscapes. Though too young to grasp them fully, she sensed the stories’ ability to connect her to the world. As Mihaela grew, her love for film blossomed. She pursued cinematography and began crafting her own movies. Each production aimed to capture the magic she felt as a child while listening to stories on her grandmother’s pick-up. The old pick-up became a bridge between past and present, carrying little Mihaela’s 90s passion for film into the realm of contemporary cinema. The Salt Mine in Slanic Prahova is open for the visitors from all over the world.
Mihaela’s cinematic pursuit became a living proof of the strong influence of childhood experiences. The old pick-up, once a vessel for storytelling, has become a symbolic bridge, connecting the realms of memory and modernity. It is one that links Mihaela’s earliest fascination with narratives to her present-day endeavors, showcasing the timeless power of stories to shape and inspire across generations. This seamless continuity between past and present exemplifies the strong connection between Mihaela and her grandmother. The imagination is limitless, especially when it is provided food for thought. Cinema is namely this imagination and the power of stories to transcend borders and connect numerous people around the world – Zhana Kalinova, curator