About Noetic Ark
A US sales agency and production company for independent cinema from Central and Eastern Europe.
The company
Noetic Ark brings films from Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, and the wider region to distributors, festivals, and audiences across North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
We handle festival positioning, sales representation, and distribution partnerships, and we develop and co-produce feature films, documentaries, and series with partners in Romania, Ukraine, the UK, and beyond.
Filmmaker and producer
Ligia Ciornei
Romanian director, screenwriter, and producer, born in Suceava, near the border with Ukraine, and trained in film directing and production at UNATC in Bucharest.
Her feature debut, Clouds of Chernobyl, premiered at the Transilvania International Film Festival in 2022 and is distributed in the United States by MVD Entertainment Group. Grounded, her second feature, with Claudia Gerini in the lead, is now in post-production.
In June 2026, Variety named her one of its 7 Rising Romanian Talents Ready to Break Out in 2026. She also founded Augmented Films and leads the Festival of Thinking.
PR and communications
Monica Bildea
PR and marketing strategist with more than 15 years of experience in integrated communications, brand positioning, and media management. She has led cross-channel campaigns for national and international brands in culture, entertainment, retail, and technology.
A co-founder of the Festival of Thinking, she is in charge of its PR and online communications.
Related companies
Augmented Films
Production company in Bucharest, founded by Ligia Ciornei in 2024. Augmented Films produces. Noetic Ark handles sales and distribution.
augmentedfilm.comFestival of Thinking
A festival organized by the Noetic Ark association in Bucharest since 2024. The New York edition runs November 17 to 20, 2026, with ICR New York.
festivalofthinking.comTrack record
All filmsClouds of Chernobyl
- World premiere at the Transilvania International Film Festival, June 2022
- Released in Romanian theaters by Pala Film
- Acquired by HBO for 10 countries in Central and Eastern Europe
- Best International Feature Film, Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival 2022
- Distributed in the United States by MVD Entertainment Group
Grounded
- Starring Claudia Gerini, with Bogdan Farcaș, Dorian Boguță, and Isabela Neamțu
- Production grant from the Romanian Film Center (CNC), October 2024
- Work-in-progress market screening at the American Film Market, November 2026
Gone Guy
- Selected for Ex Oriente Film 2024, the documentary development workshop of the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague
- Work-in-progress market screening at the American Film Market, November 2026
Work with Noetic Ark
Screeners, sales, festival requests, and co-production.