Transilvania at 25: Romanian Festival Thrives, Unveils Bold New Direction

The 25th Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), held in the medieval city of Cluj from June 12-21, opens with "3 Days in September," the latest work from veteran Romanian director and producer Tudor Giurgiu. This film represents a notable departure for Giurgiu, who has previously explored weighty historical and political subjects in films like the docudrama "The Spruce Forest" (2023) and the tense dramatic thriller "Freedom" (2023), set during Romania's 1989 revolution. Giurgiu, also the founder and president of TIFF, confessed he was seeking a change of pace, partly influenced by his eldest son, who reportedly told him, "Gen Z wants different stuff. Give us something else."

TIFF itself was conceived 25 years ago by Giurgiu with a transformative vision for Romanian cinema. At a time when prospects for local filmmakers were described as "shitty," with a teetering domestic industry, a lack of infrastructure, and minimal state financial involvement, Giurgiu dreamed of an event that would not only showcase Romanian films but also serve as a crucial launchpad for new projects and an industry hub. Despite modest initial ambitions—artistic director Mihai Chirilov recalls merely hoping to "survive the seven days" of the first edition—the festival rapidly grew. It soon introduced its Romanian Days industry section, which quickly became a flagship initiative. This expansion coincided with the burgeoning international recognition of the Romanian New Wave. Cristi Puiu’s "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" heralded its arrival in Cannes in 2005, and Cristian Mungiu’s "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" won the director the first of his two Palmes d’Or in 2007. Mungiu's second Palme d’Or, for the Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve-starring “Fjord,” was also fresh in memory. TIFF consequently evolved into a year-round platform dedicated to promoting local cinema.

Two decades later, Romanian Days remains committed to fostering emerging voices, particularly from Romania, while expanding into a truly international event that addresses a broad spectrum of filmmaking aspects. The current program delves into development, financing, international distribution, music, series production, and the evolving opportunities and challenges presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI). A key component is the Transilvania Pitch Stop (TPS), a co-production forum designed for first- and second-time filmmakers. This platform has broadened its geographical footprint to include projects from Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, and, for the first time this year, Cyprus and Albania. TPS boasts a strong legacy, having supported films such as "Apples," "La Civil," "Butterfly Vision," and "To the North." The 2026 selection features new projects from Ukrainian filmmaker Philip Sotnychenko, Turkish director Belkıs Bayrak, and Romanian talents Adrian Silișteanu and Octavian Şaramet. New initiatives for Romanian Days include a "Book to Screen" program for Romanian authors and directors, and an expanded "Works in Progress" screening showcasing seven post-production Romanian features, enhanced by a new €30,000 prize from HBO. Industry program highlights also include a keynote from European Film Academy chair Ada Solomon on European film financing, sessions on AI, and masterclasses by acclaimed Romanian auteur Corneliu Porumboiu and U.K. director Ben Wheatley. Industry head Ami Geger emphasizes that the sessions aim to create opportunities for meaningful exchange and collaboration across generations and sectors of the film industry.

The festival has proudly maintained the "maverick spirit" that animated its early years, characterized by "edgy," "shocking," and "provocative" programming. The inaugural edition, despite its limited scope of two screening rooms over seven days, notably featured films like David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive,” Michael Haneke’s “The Piano Teacher,” and Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away,” which are now revisited in a "25 Years Later" retrospective. Mihai Chirilov affirms the festival's ongoing commitment to preserving this sense of freedom and surprise, actively fighting against conformism and the "global sanitization of film festivals." He underscores TIFF's identity as an "audience festival" that aims to provoke rather than simply provide a comfort zone.

"3 Days in September" exemplifies this daring ethos. The film centers on Bianca, portrayed by Andreea Vasile (Giurgiu's wife), a 40-year-old bride whose picture-perfect wedding to Victor (Emilian Oprea) unravels spectacularly when his mistress crashes the event. Bianca's subsequent emotional tailspin leads her on a "rollicking, night-of-the-soul odyssey" through a faded resort town. The film’s most audacious structural choice is a 65-minute single take, a decision inspired by Chilean filmmaker Matías Bize’s 2003 drama “Saturday” and proposed by Mihai Chirilov. This challenging technical feat demanded extensive choreography from both cast and crew, with Vasile's precise and emotionally charged performance being critical to conveying the necessary tension and meaning beyond mere technical achievement. The film was developed through the Arome Film Creative Camp, a unique collaboration of key creatives who had never previously worked together, and was shot over a frenetic week last September at a hotel in the Black Sea resort town of Eforie Sud. The screenplay was written by Giurgiu, Conrad Mericoffer, and Radu Grigore, produced by Giurgiu and Mirel Olaru for Point Film, with cinematography handled by first-time DoP Alexandru Dorobanțu. The cast also includes Conrad Mericoffer, Adela Popescu, and Mirela Zeța.

In addition to "3 Days in September," Giurgiu is actively engaged in several upcoming projects. These include a documentary about legendary Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, which will reunite him with the creative team behind his acclaimed 2024 Cannes-premiered documentary "Nasty," a portrait of '70s Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase. He is also developing a period piece focused on the unknown life of Dumitru “Trixy” Checais, whom he describes as "the Romanian Nijinsky" and a leading figure in Romania’s 1940s ballet scene who was later imprisoned by communist authorities. Giurgiu intends for this film to narrate the dancer's life while simultaneously mirroring the destiny and complicated identity of Romania during that era.

The 25th TIFF's main competition features 12 titles vying for the Transilvania Trophy, presenting a "polarizing mix" of international cinema. These include Kazakh director Aitore Zholdaskali’s hard-boiled debut “Sicko,” Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr.’s groundbreaking period drama “My Father’s Shadow” (the first West African film to premiere in Cannes), Greek director Konstantina Kotzamani’s “Titanic Ocean,” and Dutch debutante Muriel d’Ansembourg’s edgy portrait of the porn industry, “Truly Naked.” Other notable screenings highlight two-time Academy Award nominee Andrei Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur,” homegrown provocateur Radu Jude’s “Diary of a Chambermaid” and “Dracula,” and legendary auteur Pedro Almodóvar’s tragicomedy “Bitter Christmas.” Special events further enhance the festival experience, such as open-air screenings at Bánffy Castle in Bonțida, as part of the popular "Weekend at the Castle" program. This initiative showcases how TIFF has successfully expanded its reach and cultural impact beyond Cluj while steadfastly adhering to its core principles of being an audience-centric and provocatively programmed festival.