Ruxandra Zenide, a half Swiss and half Romanian individual, was born in Bucharest in the year 1975. When she was merely 15 years old, her parents made the decision to relocate to Switzerland, where she would spend the remainder of her formative years.
As a young individual with a deep passion for cinema, Zenide's professional journey began when she became the assistant director of the prestigious Cinéma Tout Ecran Fim Festival in Geneva in the year 1998. This experience would prove to be a significant stepping stone in her career, as it allowed her to develop her skills and gain valuable industry insight.
Following the completion of her Master's Degree in International Affairs at the 'Institut Universitaire des Hautes Etudes Internationales' (IUHEI) in Geneva, Zenide went on to study film directing at the New York University for a year and then at the FAMU in Prague from 2000 to 2002. During her time at FAMU, she co-wrote, produced, and directed the short film "Dust," which would go on to receive international recognition and accolades, including selections at the Clermont-Ferrand, Bruxelles, and Locarno film festivals.
The success of "Dust" led to Zenide's medium-length film, Green Oaks, which was shot in Romania and co-produced with Swiss TV. This film would also receive widespread recognition, winning awards at numerous film festivals, including Brest, Drame, Olympia, Solothurn, Nenzing, and Famu Fest.
In the year 2004, Zenide co-founded the film production company Elefant Films, where she would go on to produce several films. Her feature film debut, the Swiss-Romanian drama Ryna, was released in 2005 and was shot in the Danube Delta in Romania. Produced by her childhood friend Cãtãlin Mitulescu, co-written by talented Czech screenwriter Marek Epstein, and photographed by acclaimed DP Marius Panduru, the film received an impressive 25 international prizes at film festivals around the world.
Ryna was also widely distributed in theaters in the USA, Switzerland, Germany, and Romania, and was highly requested by television buyers. Zenide's second feature film, The Miracle of Tekir, was released in 2015 and was shot near the Black Sea in Romania. This film boasted an equally impressive team, with Hélène Louvart as cinematographer, Nelly Quettier as editor, and actors Elina Löwensohn and Bogdan Dumitrache in the main roles.
In recognition of her outstanding work, Zenide received the prestigious "Emerging Swiss Talent Award" at the Zurich Film Festival in 2015. Her ambitious art house drama would go on to be released in Romania and Switzerland in the following year.
