Sceneggiatura, fotografia / Screenplay, Photography: Lina Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc Montaggio / Editing: Radu Ciorniciuc, Andrei Gorgan, Ciprian Cimpoi Musica / Music: Jörg Follert Suono / Sound: Hugo Dijkstal, Marcel Huibers Interpreti / Cast: Pavel Vdovîi, Lina Vdovîi, Liudmila Vdovîi, Radu Ciorniciuc Produzione / Produced by: Manifest Film Coproduzione / Co-produced by: CORSO Film, 100%, HBO Max, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Al Jazeera Documentary In collaborazione con / In collaboration with: ARTE In associazione con / In association with: Chicken&Egg Pictures Con il sostegno di / Supported by: Romanian Film Center, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, The Netherlands Film Fund, EO docs, Eurimages, Creative Europe MEDIA Distribuzione internazionale / World Sales: Autlook Filmsales
After years of estrangement, Lina, a Moldovan journalist, receives a video message from her father, a migrant worker in Italy, showing bruises on his arms. Equipping him with a hidden camera so that he may find justice, Lina finds herself on a parallel journey — uncovering a pattern of domestic violence that has plagued her family for generations. Filmed across Italy, Moldova, and Romania, Tata is a raw portrait of a family locked in a relentless struggle against toxic masculinity. It tells the story of a daughter’s quest to break the cycle for herself, the next generation, and even for the one who hurt her.
“When my father reached out for help, I knew exactly what I needed to do as a journalist. But as his daughter, I felt confused. We hadn’t spoken in years, and I was convinced that by running away from him and Moldova, my home country, I would have a more serene life. However, seeing him in pain reminded me of my own suffering. The child growing inside me urged me to confront painful parts of my past that I believed were long buried.” (L. Vdovîi)
Lina Vdovîi
Award-winning independent reporter from the Republic of Moldova, based in Romania, Lina Vdovîi is experienced in investigative and narrative journalism and new media. She was the screenwriter for the documentary Acasă, My Home (2020) by Radu Ciorniciuc. Tata is her feature-length directorial debut. The film premiered at the Toronto FF in 2024.
Radu Ciorniciuc
Film director, producer and investigative reporter, Radu Ciorniciuc in 2012 he cofounded the first independent media organization in Romania “Casa Jurnalistului”. Acasă, My Home, his debut feature-length documentary successfully presented in many international film festivals, won the Trieste FF documentary competition in 2021.
2020 Acasa, My Home doc.; Premi / Awards: Sundance FF – Premio speciale della giuria per la fotografia / Special Jury Prize for Cinematography; Sarajevo FF – Human Rights Award; Krakow FF – Miglior film / Best Film; Trieste FF – Miglior documentario / Best Documentary 2024 Tata diretto con / directed with Lina Vdovîi doc.
