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Daniel Iacob

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daniel Iacob
Born1991 (age 34–35)
Bern, Switzerland
CitizenshipRomanian
EducationUniversity of Portsmouth
University College London
OccupationFilm producer
Years active2012–present
OrganizationZazu Film
Known forSelfie 69, Oh, Ramona!, The Perfect Escape

Daniel Iacob (born 1991)[1] is a Romanian film producer. He is a shareholder in the Bucharest production company Zazu Film, which he ran from 2015 to 2023.[2][3][4] He produced the comedies Selfie 69 (2016), Oh, Ramona! (2019) and The Perfect Escape (2023), all directed by Cristina Jacob.[5][6][7][8] The first two won the Gopo Audience Award, given to the Romanian productions with the biggest box-office success of the previous year,[9][10] and in 2019 Oh, Ramona! became the first Romanian film to be released worldwide by Netflix.[11][12]

Early life and education

[edit]

Iacob was born in Bern, Switzerland, in 1991, and his family moved back to Romania when he was eight months old. He grew up in Galați and moved to Bucharest at sixteen, where he graduated from high school as valedictorian.[1] He studied international relations and politics at the University of Portsmouth, graduating in 2013. The same year he was admitted to University College London, where he completed a master's degree in global governance and ethics in 2014.[1][4]

In February 2014, while he was still a master's student, the newspaper Gândul featured him among six Romanian students in the United Kingdom in its "Let's Change the Story" campaign. The campaign had started as a response to articles in the Daily Mail about Romanian immigrants. Iacob said at the time that the British tabloids had tarnished the image of Romanians everywhere.[1] In September 2015 he wrote an opinion piece for the same paper about corruption among Romanian politicians.[13]

Zazu Film

[edit]

Iacob became chief executive of Zazu Film in March 2015[13] and held the post until March 2023. Since then he has been one of the company's producers.[4] Zazu Film makes comedies and romantic comedies for young audiences.[3][14] In November 2015 the company released Cristina Jacob's Love Is a Story, a co-production with MediaPro Entertainment, in Romanian cinemas.[15]

In September 2017 Iacob presented Zazu ComediFest, a showcase of Romanian comedy films, to the press in Brașov.[16] The local paper Bună Ziua Brașov described it as the first event of its kind and called it a pilot edition. For three evenings, from 8 to 10 September, Piațeta Sfântul Ioan was to become a free open-air cinema with more than 400 seats, showing #Selfie, Selfie 69 and Two Lottery Tickets, one a night. City officials announced a festival of comedies from around the world for the following year.[17]

Selfie 69

[edit]

The first feature Iacob worked on as a producer was Selfie 69, the sequel to the comedy #Selfie. Directed by Cristina Jacob, who also wrote the screenplay with Maria Spirache and Tudor Potra, the film was produced and distributed by Zazu Film and opened in cinemas on 16 September 2016.[18][19][20] In the credits published by Cotidianul before the release, Adrian Sârbu is listed as producer and Iacob as executive producer.[5]

The film drew more than 25,000 viewers on its opening weekend.[21] After three weeks it had passed 100,000 tickets and, according to Mediafax, had become the first Romanian film to gross over 1.5 million lei.[22] In early October 2016 the same agency reported that it was the highest-grossing Romanian production of the previous 26 years.[21] Over its whole run it drew 150,536 viewers and took 2.68 million lei, according to Cinemagia.[19]

In an opinion piece for Mediafax, Liviu Mihaiu praised its urban characters, who talk naturally, far from neorealist clichés.[23] Irina Margareta Nistor was more reserved. According to Cotidianul, she saw it as a film for young clubgoers, who would recognise themselves in it.[24]

For its 2016 results, which the organisers put at 133,207 admissions and 2,296,771 lei, the film won the Audience Award at the Gopo ceremony on 21 March 2017. It shared the award with Two Lottery Tickets, which in the same figures had higher takings but fewer admissions.[9][25][26]

Oh, Ramona!

[edit]

Oh, Ramona!, an adaptation of the autobiographical novel by the comedian Andrei Ciobanu, was Cristina Jacob's first film in English. Iacob was executive producer and Adrian Sârbu producer.[6][27] Its budget, large for a Romanian film, was over €2.5 million, part of it covered by the National Centre of Cinematography.[11]

Produced by Zazu Film and distributed by Jacob Bros, the film was released on Valentine's Day, 14 February 2019.[28][29] It drew 111,881 viewers on its opening weekend, the best start for a Romanian production in 30 years,[28] and by its third week it was the first Romanian production to gross more than a million dollars.[30] It ended its cinema run with 256,115 admissions and 5,016,367 lei, the most watched Romanian film of the year.[14][31][12] The result brought it the Audience Award, shared with 5Gang: Another Kind of Christmas, at the Gopo ceremony of 29 June 2020. The gala was held outdoors at Verde Stop Arena, three months late because of the pandemic.[10] In a doctoral thesis written at the I. L. Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film, Iulia Stoianovici gives it as an example of a film that found its audience through a story that was already popular, in this case Ciobanu's novel.[32]

On 1 June 2019 the film appeared on Netflix in 190 countries, translated into 33 languages. It was the first Romanian film that the platform distributed worldwide.[11][29][12] By the autumn of that year, four of Cristina Jacob's films were on Netflix, the director said in an interview with Luxury magazine.[33]

Gloria Sauciuc wrote on Cinemagia that the film leaves viewers in a good mood, though she found its AP-12 rating permissive for its erotic content.[34] After the Netflix release, American critics were much harsher. Asher Luberto gave it an F in The Playlist, and Roger Moore of Movie Nation found it sexist, crude and backward.[35][36]

The Perfect Escape

[edit]

His third feature, The Perfect Escape, was shot under the working title Stormy Nights. Filming, delayed by the pandemic, began on 31 March 2021 at the studios in Buftea and continued in Transylvania, with an international cast. Iacob produced the film through Zazu Film, and the National Centre of Cinematography supported it with about €250,000.[37] In an interview with HotNews, the director said the film had cost $4 million and that its producer was Iacob, together with the partners who financed it.[7]

The comedy, also in English, opened in cinemas on 17 February 2023, distributed by Jacob Bros.[38][39] According to Box Office Mojo, it took $81,969 on its opening weekend and $183,762 in total.[40] On Cinemagia, Gloria Sauciuc recognised the romantic-comedy formula but liked the good mood the film leaves behind.[41] The film has been available on SkyShowtime since 4 April 2024.[8]

Aspire Romania

[edit]

Iacob has been involved with Aspire Romania, a non-governmental organisation founded in 2011 by graduates of leading universities in the United States and Europe. It aims to find and train future leaders and entrepreneurs through summer programmes taught by professors from Harvard, Stanford and Georgetown.[42] By 2024 its community had over 1,000 members of 51 nationalities.[43]

In early 2020 he hosted the second of the Aspire Dinners at his office in Bucharest. The dinners are small gatherings where members of the community talk with leaders and business people.[44][45] In the summer of 2022 he taught an optional course, Film Making 101, at the Aspire summer school,[46] and that November he was one of the guest speakers at the alumni programme held in Snagov.[47]

Filmography

[edit]
YearTitleDirectorRoleNotes
2012În film la Nașu'Cristina Iacobproduction crewShort film[48]
2014#SelfieCristina Iacobproduction assistant[48]
2016Selfie 69Cristina Iacobexecutive producerGopo Audience Award, 2017[5][9]
2019Oh, Ramona!Cristina Jacobexecutive producerGopo Audience Award, 2020; released on Netflix in 2019[6][10]
2023The Perfect EscapeCristina JacobproducerOn SkyShowtime since 2024[49][8]

Awards

[edit]
YearAwardCategoryFilmResult
2017Gopo AwardsAudience AwardSelfie 69Won[9]
2020Gopo AwardsAudience AwardOh, Ramona!Won[10]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 Matis, Alina (24 February 2014). "LET'S CHANGE THE STORY. „Scrisoarea pierdută" a studenților români din UK: „Până când să nu avem și noi faliții noștri?!"" [Let's Change the Story. The "lost letter" of Romanian students in the UK]. Gândul (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Barbu, Petre (29 May 2020). "Adrian Sârbu a promis că va lansa televiziunea Aleph News în iunie (conține UPDATE)" [Adrian Sârbu promised to launch the Aleph News channel in June (updated)]. Forbes România (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 "About us". Zazu Film. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Daniel Iacob – Media Executive & Film Producer". LinkedIn. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Dobrescu, Anca (24 August 2016). "Selfie69 sau despre cum trăiește Cristina Iacob în modul „TGV"" [Selfie69, or how Cristina Iacob lives in "TGV" mode]. Cotidianul (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Distribuție Oh, Ramona! (2019)" [Oh, Ramona! (2019) cast and crew]. Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 Tepșanu, Ana (26 February 2023). "Interviu cu regizoarea de 34 de ani, care a făcut primul film românesc distribuit, prin Netflix, în 128 de țări: „Succesul, o iluzie frumoasă. Creația aparține lui Dumnezeu"" [Interview with the 34-year-old director who made the first Romanian film distributed by Netflix in 128 countries: "Success, a beautiful illusion. Creation belongs to God"]. HotNews (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Bunea, Iulia (27 March 2024). "Filmul The Perfect Escape, regizat de Cristina Iacob și produs de Adrian Sârbu, va intra pe SkyShowtime de săptămâna viitoare" [The Perfect Escape, directed by Cristina Iacob and produced by Adrian Sârbu, comes to SkyShowtime next week]. Pagina de Media (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Premiile Gopo 2017 – nominalizări și câștigători" [Gopo Awards 2017: nominations and winners] (in Romanian). Asociația pentru Promovarea Filmului Românesc. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "„La Gomera", marele câștigător la Gala Premiilor Gopo 2020" [La Gomera, the big winner at the 2020 Gopo Awards] (in Romanian). Asociația pentru Promovarea Filmului Românesc. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Blaga, Iulia (4 June 2019). "Romanian Teen Film Oh, Ramona! Released on Netflix". Film New Europe. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "„Oh, Ramona!", cel mai de succes film românesc în 2019. Top box office românesc" [Oh, Ramona!, the most successful Romanian film of 2019: the Romanian box-office chart]. Descoperă (in Romanian). December 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  13. 1 2 Iacob, Daniel (7 September 2015). "GÂNDUL MEU. „Corupția la cel mai înalt nivel este cea mai mare dovadă de impotență, incompetență și nesimțire a actualei generații de politicieni. Ce avem de făcut"" [My view: "Corruption at the highest level is the greatest proof of the impotence, incompetence and shamelessness of the current generation of politicians. What we must do"]. Gândul (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  14. 1 2 "FNE Market Analysis 2019: Romania". Film New Europe. 27 January 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  15. ↑ "Poveste de dragoste (2015)". Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "Trei comedii romanesti, la Zazu ComediFest Brasov" [Three Romanian comedies at Zazu ComediFest Brașov]. Ziare.com (in Romanian). 5 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Chirvasă, Adina (5 September 2017). "Trei seri de comedie, în aer liber, în Piațeta Sf. Ioan" [Three evenings of open-air comedy in Piațeta Sf. Ioan]. Bună Ziua Brașov (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  18. ↑ "Distribuție #Selfie 69 (2016)" [#Selfie 69 (2016) cast and crew]. Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  19. 1 2 "#Selfie 69 (2016) – box office". Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  20. ↑ "#Selfie 69". Cineuropa. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  21. 1 2 "#selfie69 bate toate recordurile. Succesul supercomediei – fără egal în România" [#selfie69 breaks every record. The success of the super-comedy is unmatched in Romania]. Mediafax (in Romanian). October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  22. ↑ "#Selfie69, primul film românesc cu încasări de peste 1,5 milioane de lei. Peste 100.000 de spectatori în cinematografe, în trei săptămâni" [#Selfie69, the first Romanian film to gross over 1.5 million lei. More than 100,000 viewers in three weeks]. Mediafax (in Romanian). October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  23. ↑ Mihaiu, Liviu (6 October 2016). "În sfârșit, #Selfie 69- film românesc ca-n filme, că mă săturasem de alea ca-n viață" [At last, #Selfie 69: a Romanian film like in the movies, because I was fed up with the ones like real life]. Mediafax (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  24. ↑ Bolozan, Toma (22 November 2016). "Succesul filmului românesc de public" [The success of popular Romanian cinema]. Cotidianul (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "Aflați aici care sunt nominalizările la Premiile Gopo 2017" [Here are the nominations for the 2017 Gopo Awards]. Evenimentul Zilei (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  26. ↑ Dobroiu, Ștefan (22 March 2017). "Sieranevada nabs the main awards at the Gopos". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  27. ↑ "Oh, Ramona!". Cineuropa. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  28. 1 2 "'Oh, Ramona', box office record audience in Romanian cinemas with 111,881 entries in the opening weekend". Film New Europe (Press release). February 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Filmul „Oh, Ramona!", disponibil pe platforma Netflix după ce a stabilit recorduri în cinematografe" [Oh, Ramona! is on Netflix after setting records in cinemas]. Gândul (in Romanian). 1 June 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  30. ↑ "Oh, Ramona! Is First Romanian Production to Surpass 1m USD Gross". Film New Europe. March 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Total număr spectatori" [Total admissions] (PDF) (in Romanian). Centrul Național al Cinematografiei. 1 November 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Stoianovici, Iulia (2021). Tendințe noi în distribuția filmului independent din Europa de Sud-Est [New trends in the distribution of independent film in South-East Europe] (PDF) (Doctoral thesis summary) (in Romanian). Universitatea Națională de Artă Teatrală și Cinematografică „I.L. Caragiale”. p. 17. Retrieved 2 October 2026.
  33. ↑ "Cristina Iacob – Regizorul actorilor" [Cristina Iacob, the actors' director]. Luxury (in Romanian). September 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  34. ↑ Sauciuc, Gloria (15 February 2019). "Oh, Ramona: emoție, spectacol vizual și metafore cu încărcătură erotică" [Oh, Ramona: emotion, visual spectacle and erotically charged metaphors]. Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  35. ↑ Luberto, Asher (14 July 2019). "'Oh, Ramona!': Netflix's Raunchy, Juvenile Romanian Teen Comedy Might Be The Worst Movie Of The Year". The Playlist. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  36. ↑ Moore, Roger (10 June 2019). "Netflixable? "Oh, Ramona!" A teen sex comedy from…Romania?". Movie Nation. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  37. ↑ "PRODUCTION: Romanian Director Cristina Jacob Shoots Stormy Nights". Film New Europe. 1 April 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  38. ↑ Lazarescu, Emanuel (18 February 2023). "Regizoarea Cristina Jacob - invitata CineFAN.podcast din această săptămână" [Director Cristina Jacob, this week's guest on the CineFAN podcast]. Cinefan (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  39. ↑ "Evadarea perfectă / The Perfect Escape (2023)". Cinefan (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 September 2026.
  40. ↑ "The Perfect Escape (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  41. ↑ Sauciuc, Gloria (17 February 2023). "The Perfect Escape. Ignoră că recunoști rețeta, te vei bucura de starea de bine pe care o oferă filmul" [The Perfect Escape: never mind that you recognise the recipe, you will enjoy the good mood the film offers]. Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  42. ↑ "Aspire România anunță că luni se deschid înscrierile pentru programele de leadership din vară" [Aspire Romania announces that registration for its summer leadership programmes opens on Monday]. Mediafax (in Romanian). 11 March 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  43. ↑ Pașca, Eugenia (15 July 2024). "Bihor: Programele de vară ale Academiei Aspire, în premieră la Oradea" [Bihor: Aspire Academy's summer programmes come to Oradea for the first time]. Agerpres (in Romanian). Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  44. ↑ Ivanciu, Maria (1 March 2020). "The First Aspire Dinners". Aspire Romania. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  45. ↑ "Aspire Report 2020-2021" (PDF). Aspire Romania. April 2022. p. 14. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  46. ↑ "Your Aspire Report 2021/2022" (PDF). Aspire Romania. October 2022. p. 5. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  47. ↑ Dragoi, Maria (1 January 2023). "Aspire Year in Review – 2022 edition". Aspire Romania. Retrieved 1 October 2026.
  48. 1 2 "Daniel Iacob". IMDb. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  49. ↑ "The Perfect Escape (2023)". Cinemagia (in Romanian). Retrieved 23 September 2026.
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