Vlad Păunescu is an outstanding personality of Romanian cinema, with a career of over four decades as cinematographer, producer and director.
In the '80s, Vlad Păunescu distinguished himself as a cinematographer in such landmark Romanian films as Concurs and Faleze de nisip (directed by Dan Pița), Întoarcerea din iad and Flăcări pe comori (directed by Nicolae Mărgineanu), Domnișoara Aurica and Cei care plătesc cu viata (directed by Șerban Marinescu), Drumeț în calea lupilor (directed by Constantin Vaeni). The films he worked on have been awarded prizes at prestigious international festivals such as Manila, Moscow, Berlin and Toronto.
After the 1989 Revolution, Vlad Păunescu founded Castel Film Studios in 1992, the first professional film studio in Romania. Under his direction, the studio has produced over 140 films and hundreds of commercials, attracting numerous international productions and famous actors such as Nicole Kidman, Jude Law, Renee Zellweger, Steven Seagal, David Hasselhoff, Christopher Lambert, Adrian Paul and Jean-Claude Van Damme.
Vlad Păunescu made his directorial debut in 2015 with Live, a drama about a successful TV presenter who ends up upsetting important political figures. The film was screened at 14 international film festivals and won the trophy at the PROCULT Romanian Film Festival in Rome .
In 2021, he released his second feature film, Scara, inspired by the life of actor Dragoș Pâslaru, who, after traumatizing experiences during the Mineriad, chose the path of monasticism. The film premiered at the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) and was well received by critics and audiences.
