Romanian Film Festival UK kicks off in London this week

The Romanian Film Festival UK (RFF25UK) begins this week with a program showcasing a selection of new and archive Romanian feature films, documentaries, and shorts.

The festival will open with the UK premiere of Traffic, Romania's 2026 Academy Awards entry. The film is directed by Teodora Ana Mihai from a screenplay by Palme d'Or–winning filmmaker Cristian Mungiu. The film is inspired by the real-life case of a burglary committed by a group of Romanians at the Kunsthal Rotterdam in October 2012.

It will close with Radu Jude's Kontinental '25, a film that brought the Romanian directorthe Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at this year's Berlin International Film Festival/ Berlinale.

The program also includes a screening of the digitally restored Forest of the Hanged. Director Liviu Ciulei won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1965 for this.

Also in the program are Tudor Giurgiu's The Spruce Forest, which recounts the horrors of the Fântâna Albă massacre, as well as the Romanian New Wave landmark The Death of Mr Lazarescu, directed by Cristi Puiu.

"This year's program highlights the evolution of Romanian cinema — its courage, humor, and deeply human stories. Each film in the lineup reflects our shared experiences of resilience, love, and identity. We are proud to welcome outstanding Romanian film personalities to the UK, who will share and discuss their latest works with audiences in London and beyond," RFF 25 artistic director Alexandru Gherman said.

The festival takes place from November 27 to December 1. In addition to the main event in London, it will also feature a pop-up screening in Colchester, Essex. Screenings will be held daily at Curzon Soho, with a special pop-up event at Firstsite Gallery in Colchester.

The festival is organized by film and TV marketing professional Manuela R. Morar and film and theatre director Alexandru Gherman.

More on the program here.

(Illustration: Romanian Film Festival UK Facebook Page)