An adventure in the world of Ion Creangă. A cinema ticket turned into support for HOSPICE Casa Speranței. The film brought literature and solidarity together in a campaign where the audience could help simply by taking part.
Made through the collaboration of a team of filmmakers, several companies and an organisation with a powerful cause, the project is part of the experience of Susțin’s founders, through their involvement in Colorbitor.
A still from the film, humour opens the way to a story about care.
THE CAMPAIGN RESULTS
How far a cinema ticket travelled.
800.000 €Donations and contributions mobilised through the campaign
According to the Effie Europe case study
7m+Romanians reached by the campaign’s communication
Same source
The figures describe the campaign for HOSPICE. The amount includes donations and contributions; the communication reach is not the number of viewers or of direct beneficiaries.
FROM MARA’S WORLD INTO THE WORLD OF STORIES
An adventure about friendship, imagination and hope
Mara is 12 and lives with a serious illness. A tree near the care centre opens her way to the Humulești ofAmintiri din copilărie (Memories of My Boyhood). There she meets Nică and steps into the events she knew from the book.
The film brings two worlds together: childhood today and Creangă’s universe. Humour and adventure make room for emotion, and the story invites the audience to think about the time we spend together and about caring for others.
Nică in the cherry tree, one of the episodes Mara knew from the book.
Humulești, rebuilt for the film.
A book. A film. Several ways into the story.
The novelCopacul dorințelor, written by Mihai Mănescu and published by Humanitas Junior, completes the encounter with the film. The book, the feature film and the caravan were all part of the initiative that carried the story and the HOSPICE cause to the public.
Project milestones
2020Shooting begins, in September.
2021The film enters the TIFF selection.
2022Released in Romanian cinemas on 25 March. The campaign also reaches the public through distribution on Netflix.
2023The campaign’s effectiveness is recognised at Effie and Webstock.
The film is catalogued with 2021 as its production year. The national cinema release took place in 2022.
When going to the cinema becomes an act of support
The campaign started from an idea that is easy to grasp: people come to the film, and their attendance supports a cause. The story opens the conversation; the donation mechanism gives it a concrete result.
Support that continued after the screening
According to the project’s presentation on sustin.org, the revenue from tickets and from distribution rights to Netflix, PRO TV and Voyo was directed to HOSPICE Casa Speranței. The beneficiary organisation was at the centre of the charitable mechanism.
A campaign recognised for its effectiveness
3 × GOLD EFFIE ROMANIA 2023
Branded Content & Entertainment · Marketing Disruptors · Positive Change: Social Good – Non-Profit
BRONZE EFFIE EUROPE 2023
Best of Europe, Positive Change
GOLD WEBSTOCK 2023
Best Social Good Campaigns
The Effie and Webstock awards were given to the campaign “Fundraising Reinvented with the 1st Charitable Movie”, as communication distinctions.
The campaign’s trophies, 2023.
A BIG TEAM, A SHARED CAUSE
Our contribution
Through Colorbitor, Susțin’s founders and collaborators contributed to the creative work, the production and the implementation of the campaign. In the association’s portfolio,The Wishing Treeshows the experience our way of working was built on: a cultural idea, a cause, and partners who bring different skills together.
Shooting in the forest, at the Circul Tempus set.
The campaign partners
HOSPICE Casa Speranței
Beneficiary organisation and the cause the campaign was built around.
Colorbitor
Lead agency, credited by Effie Europe and Webstock.
Kaufland Romania
Supporter of the film’s production and a contributor credited by Effie Europe.
Prietenii Casei Speranței, Colorbitor, Viva la Vidra and Chainsaw Europe
CINEMA DISTRIBUTION
Vertical Entertainment
THE BOOK
Humanitas Junior, the novel by Mihai Mănescu
The film credits and the campaign roles are presented separately, according to their respective sources.
The film crew on stage at TIFF 2021.
What remains after the closing credits
The Wishing Treeshowed us how far a collaboration can go when everyone brings their craft: the filmmakers build the story, the partners make production possible, the beneficiary organisation brings the meaning, and the audience takes part.
That experience is present today in Susțin’s direction: cultural and educational projects that bring people together and offer them concrete ways to get involved.
A few useful answers
Is this a new project by Asociația Susțin?
It is a project from the experience of Susțin’s founders and collaborators, delivered through Colorbitor. This page documents the film and its charitable campaign.
Where can I watch the film?
You can watch the trailer on this page. The film was distributed in cinemas and on platforms, but current availability depends on territory and on each distributor’s catalogue.
Can we organise a screening?
Write to us about the audience, the venue and the timing. We can discuss a screening and the steps needed to organise it, depending on screening rights and the team’s availability.
How can I help the HOSPICE cause?
On the HOSPICE Casa Speranței website you will find the current ways to give. For a new cultural project or a collaboration with Susțin, you can write to us directly.
Do you have a story that can bring people together?
Let’s see how we can give it a form that matters: a film, a meeting with an audience, or a campaign where taking part also means giving. We start from the cause, the audience and what we can build together.
