(Life Doesn't Spare), in 1959; Dan Pița – Nunta de piatră (The Stone Wedding), in 1972; Mircea Veroiu – Duhul aurului (Gold Fever), in 1974; Mircea Daneliuc – Cursa (The Long Drive), in 1975. Due to good technical conditions provided by the Romanian studios, many international co-productions were shot at Buftea Studios before 1990. Ciulinii Bărăganului (Baragan Thistles), directed by Louis Daquin, Codine (Codeine) and Steaua fără nume (Nameless Star), both directed by Henri Colpi, Serbările galante (The Lace Wars), directed by René Clair, Dacii (The Dacians), directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu or Columna (The Column), directed by Mircea Drăgan, are only a few examples. Transition to the market economy After the fall of the communist regime (the Romanian Revolution of 1989) the studios suffered heavily from lack of funding. Film production dramatically diminished and the number of theaters that stayed open was in freefall. However, Romanian film directors managed to make their voice heard in international festivals once again: Dan Piţa was awarded the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1992 (for Hotel de lux – Hotel Deluxe) and Lucian Pintilie was awarded the Special Grand Prize of the Jury at the same festival in 1998 (for Terminus Paradis). Like the entire Romanian economy, the Buftea Studios entered a recession period. The government reduced funding the film industry during this period. Thus, the late 1990s found the Buftea Studios on the verge of bankruptcy. New beginning In 1998 the Studios were purchased at a public auction by Media Pro Group. It took more than a year of intensive renovation to bring back to life all the production facilities. Media Pro Studios has 19 stages, the largest water tank in Eastern Europe, a backlot (including a lake), more than 30,000 costumes from all historical periods, and exterior sets from the 16th to 18th century. The first important production after 1998 was in 2000. Costa Gavras' Amen reestablished the reputation of Media Pro Studios and opened the way for more than 50 international productions. In the following years, some international filmmakers such as Franco Zeffirelli, Jeremy Irons, Sissy Spacek, Donald Sutherland, Andy García, Dennis Hopper, Fanny Ardant, Robert Carlyle, Dolph Lundgren or Bob Hoskins set foot in the studios and contributed to international productions, features, and TV films. Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas), French nominee at the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, Sex Traffic, which won 9 BAFTA awards, The Cave,