Many of the events held regularly in the country have announced their dates and part of the program which means fans can already start planning their attendance for another year of culture-filled travel and going out.

American Independent Film Festival

April - May

Established in 2017, this festival presents a selection of recent independent productions that have been screened at top international and North American festivals. Other sections of the festival include retrospectives, special screenings and events. Guests who have previously attended the festival include actors Ethan Hawke, John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Sebastian Stan and directors Kent Jones, also the curator and director of the New York Film Festival, Barry Jenkins, the Oscar winner for Best Film in 2017 for Moonlight and Sean Baker. Updates about the event are posted here.

Art Safari

May 15 – 24

This event showcases new and historic Romanian masterpieces and international art through its Central Pavilion, Museum Pavilion, International Pavilion, Guest Artists and educational programs. At last year’s edition it presented the largest exhibition dedicated to Romanian painter Nicolae Tonitza in the last 50 years. More on this year’s edition here.

Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF)

May 29 – June 7

The largest international feature film festival in Romania gathers a wide public and top representatives of the local and international film industry to Cluj-Napoca every year. The first films in the 2020 program have already been announced and include Roman Polanski’s J'accuse (An Officer and a Spy) – the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival – and La verité (The Truth), the first film made outside of Japan by Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda. More on the festival here.

Sibiu International Theater Festival

June 12 – June 21

A highlight of the year for theater lovers, the International Theater Festival in Sibiu brings to the central Romania city numerous companies from all over the world, and offers an extensive program of events, also covering dance, film, exhibitions and many others. Last year, 3,300 artists and guests from 73 countries performed in no less than 575 events as part of the festival, which also saw a record number of members of the public attending: 72,000 people daily, and 123,000 in the closing day. Updates about this year’s edition are posted here.

B-Fit in the Street! – Bucharest International Street Theater Festival

June – July

This is an entertaining event for both children and adults. It takes over the streets and squares in downtown Bucharest for colorful performances and parades of companies from all over Europe and, of course, Romania. Updates are posted here.

The Histories and Film Festival in Râșnov

July 17 - 26

A mix of historical films, lectures, debates, workshops, concerts and exhibitions in the Râșnov Citadel. The program is updated here.

Anonimul International Independent Film Festival

August

The festival features independent films and young directors and takes place each year in the Danube Delta, in the village of Sfântu Gheorghe. The festival has three competitive sections: a feature competition, a short international and a short Romanian competition, while master classes, debates and concerts also take place. The event’s website is here.

Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest

October

The fresh crop of productions awarded at the Cannes Film Festival is screened in Bucharest at this event. The festival also gives the public the opportunity to meet top filmmakers from around the globe. Past guest have included Olivier Assayas, Asghar Farhadi, Gaspar Noe, Carlos Reygadas, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Amat Escalante or Claude Lelouch, in a much longer list. The event’s website is here.

Iasi International Festival of Literature and Translation

October

The largest literature festival in Romania, it gathers each year in Iasi writers, translators, publishers, critics, book retailers and distributors for hundreds of events. Authors such as Jonathan Coe, David Lodge, Gao Xingjian, Olga Tokarczuk, Evgheni Vodolazkin, Richard Ford or Jonathan Franzen have so far been guests of the event. Updates on the program are available here.

National Theater Festival

October

This is a top event for the theater community and the public in the capital. Last year, it gathered a public of over 25,000 who attended the performances held as part of the National Theater Festival (FNT). The festival had some 3,000 guests and encompassed 101 events, held in almost 50 theater and exhibition venues. Updates about the festival are posted here.

Bookfest & Gaudeamus Book Fairs

Spring, Autumn

The two major book fairs in Bucharest take place in spring (Bookfest) and autumn (Gaudeamus). Bookfest also has local editions in several other cities in the country. Both events are good opportunities to meet local and international authors and get books at discounted prices.

(Photo: Geeorrge | Dreamstime.com)

editor@romania-insider.com