Bucharest International Film Festival: Eight productions selected in international competition, seven premiering in Romania

The 22nd edition of the Bucharest International Film Festival – BIFF will present eight films in its International Competition section, seven of which will be screened in Romania for the first time. The only exception is the Romanian-Moldovan production The Circle by Valeriu Andriuță.

The international competition includes Everytime, directed by Sandra Wollner; 17, by Kosara Mitic; No Rest for the Wicked, by Kasper Kalle; The Blow / La Frappe, by Julien Gaspar-Oliveri; The Circle, by Valeriu Andriuță; We Are Aliens, by Kohei Kadowaki; Roya, by Mahnaz Mohammadi; and Heysel 85, by Teodora Ana Mihai.

Sandra Wollner’s Everytime won the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Feature Film. 17, Kosara Mitic’s feature debut, had its world premiere in the Perspectives section of the 2026 Berlinale and subsequently received awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival and Herceg Novi – Montenegro Film Festival.

Kasper Kalle’s No Rest for the Wicked was awarded at the 2026 Fantasia International Film Festival, where the director received the Cheval Noir for Best Director, while Pilou Asbæk received the Outstanding Performance Award.

The Blow / La Frappe, Julien Gaspar-Oliveri’s feature-length debut, was presented at Cannes 2026 in a special screening at the Semaine de la Critique section. It subsequently received awards at the Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême, where Julien Gaspar-Oliveri won the Valois de la mise en scène and Diego Murgia the Valois de l’acteur.

We Are Aliens, by Kohei Kadowaki, had its world premiere at Cannes 2026 in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes / Directors’ Fortnight section, continuing its international festival run in the official feature-film competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Roya, by Mahnaz Mohammadi, had its world premiere at the 2026 Berlinale in the Panorama section.

Heysel 85, by Teodora Ana Mihai, had its world premiere at the 2026 Berlinale in the Berlinale Special Gala section, with the director later receiving the Best Director award at BAFICI 2026.