Hotel Dallas: by Ungar & Huang

Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang’s powerful debut feature is equal parts historical documentary, Romanian fairytale, and radical postmodern cinema. Focus is placed on the role American daytime drama Dallas had in altering the political climate within communist Romania. The Romanian government’s attempt to pacify its people by using Dallas to show the corruption of American capitalism backfires, eventually leading to the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the televised execution of President Nicolae Ceaușescu. This is all framed through the surreal journey of a young artists’ emigration to the United States, accompanied by the reluctant hero Patrick Duffy.