Romania’s National Culture Day programs: Online performances, films, events

Many cultural institutions have announced dedicated online programs for January 15, the National Culture Day, a celebration introduced in 2010. It is marked on the birth date of poet Mihai Eminescu.

TIFF Unlimited, the streaming platform launched by Transilvania International Film Festival, will show a series of Romanian films, available for free, between January 15 and January 24. Each film is available for 24 hours. Among the movies available are Moromeții and Moromeții 2, documentaries about Romanian personalities such as poet Nina Cassian, singer Maria Tănase, or sculptor Constantin Brâncuși. There will also be online discussions about the films, the values they spotlight, and the history of Romanian cinema. More about the program here.

The Bucharest National Theater (TNB) will stream on its YouTube channel and Facebook page a recording of a recital of poems by Mihai Eminescu, recorded on January 15, 2008. Actors Ion Caramitru, Valeria Seciu, and Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan feature in the recital, accompanied by clarinet player Aurelian Octav. It can be watched from Friday, January 15, at 18:00, until Sunday, January 17, at 22:00.

The Bucharest National Opera (ONB) will mark the occasion with a series of six performances (ballet, opera, a performance for children) by Romanian composers, streamed on its website and YouTube channel on January 15. The program is available here.

The branches of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) will also hold various online events, ranging from concerts and exhibitions to film screenings and reading sessions. The program is available here.

The Romanian Youth Orchestra and local music group Direcția 5 have partnered for a concert that will be broadcast by the public television TVR1 on January 15, at 21:00. The program will cover Romanian symphonic music performed by the Youth Orchestra, conducted by Cristian Mandeal, and the collaboration with Direcția 5 and conductors Ionel Tudor and Andrei Tudor.