DDB Turns Romania’s Only Female-Featured Banknote Into a Manifesto for Free Contraception

Women’s rights charities the FILIA Center and the Gender Equality Coalition have teamed up to launch a powerful social campaign highlighting the need for free and universal access to contraception, emergency contraception, and protection for women in Romania.

The campaign is a response to the Romanian government's failure to allocate the necessary funding for these measures in its 2024 budget.

'Pass the Bill' was made by creative agency DDB Romania on a pro bono basis, and aims to convince the authorities to fund the implementation of a plan that ensures free and universal access to contraception for all Romanians. 

The charities warn that while this plan has been included in the Romanian National Health Strategy for the past decade, it has been repeatedly ignored by the country’s Ministry of Health, despite warnings from medical experts.

The campaign demands the allocation of these funds, estimated at 7.5 million Romanian lei.

'Pass the Bill' centres around the first Romanian banknote to feature a woman, which was launched in 2021. The 20-lei banknote depicted World War I soldier Ecaterina Teodoroiu, but its limited circulation led to many Romanians perceiving it as a failed attempt to modernise the representation of women in the country.

In the campaign, the banknote serves as a metaphor for broken financial promises. Starring actress Ilinca Manolache, the core message of the film is that “as there’s no money featuring women, there’s no money for women either”.

“The National Contraception Plan exists only on paper. The budget exists only on paper,” says Ilinca in the film, highlighting the lack of concrete action from the Romanian government.

The film shows Ilinca in a dark room where a machine is making a recreated version of the 20-lei banknote. The recreated banknote has no monetary value, but anyone scanning the code that can be found on it, whether on a screen or physically, symbolically unlocks 20 lei for the initiative. It will be distributed within Romania’s largest health care network, Regina Maria. 

The goal is to show the authorities that Romanians want to have access to state-reimbursed contraception methods. The progress of the unlocked amount can be tracked on the this digital platform.

The campaign is running on social media across Romania and is screened in Regina Maria clinics. It was directed by Bogdan 'Hypno' Moldoveanu through MME.

Luca Costea and Ana Tanasă, the creative team behind the campaign, commented, "After delving into the alarmingly extensive studies provided by the team at FILIA, we shaped a message that we hope will amplify women's voices on the issue of contraception. Romanian women experience first hand every day what it means to face promises kept only on paper. This line of thinking consumed us as we began listing all the aspects that fall into this category, particularly from a medical perspective. The challenge was to stay focused on the subject, as clarity and conciseness are crucial for such a sensitive topic." 

Roxana Niță, executive creative director at DDB, said, “20 lei – a banknote meant to celebrate women, but which has almost disappeared from circulation. Just like the budgets meant for women’s real needs: they exist only on paper, not in the real world. We hope that by passing along our new 20 lei bill, this campaign transforms theoretical promises into tangible action for all women in Romania.”

Andrada Cilibiu, PR and communication coordinator at FILIA Center, part of the Gender Coalition, said, “Reimbursing contraceptives means Romanian women can make informed decisions about their bodies. They can choose if and when to have a child, plan their future, and make educated choices for themselves. Without a national contraception plan, there will be more unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, leaving young people without access to life-saving information. For 15 years, women and girls in Romania have been denied access to subsidized contraception. It’s time for that to change. Women’s rights shouldn’t exist only on paper.” 

Ilinca Manolache, actress, commented, “I know well the efforts and intentions of the FILIA team, so I stand by them whenever possible. ‘Pass the Bill’ is one of those campaigns where I use my voice to amplify feminist messages in a society that tends to regress when it comes to women’s fundamental rights.”

Bogdan 'Hypno' Moldoveanu, who directed the film, said, “I always support causes I believe in. This time, we created a cinematic, intense, and powerful promotional film. I hope a large audience feels the emotion and weight of the message as we did and acts accordingly.”