TIFF Sibiu announces 18th edition in September

TIFF Sibiu will take place from September 12–15 this year, bringing Romanian film premieres, Hollywood blockbusters, music documentaries, and a focus on German cinema to screens in the Transylvanian city's Piața Mare, CineGold, and the German Forum.

Directors, actors, and screenwriters are expected in the city. The festival will feature some 30 films, among which will be the most anticipated Romanian productions of the year.

Perhaps the most awaited Romanian film of the year, Moromeții 3 (directed by Stere Gulea), will have a special preview, with the team in attendance, at TIFF Sibiu. The final film in Stere Gulea's trilogy, based on the novels by Marin Preda, Moromeții 3 centers on Niculae, Ilie Moromete's youngest son, now a young writer tasked with supporting the party line and participating in collectivization. The top-tier cast includes Alex Călin, Horațiu Mălăele, Mara Bugarin, Olimpia Melinte, Iulian Postelnicu, and Răzvan Vasilescu.

Another unique screening will be The New Year That Wasn't, the feature film debut of director Bogdan Mureșanu, which recently premiered in the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival. The film, a tragicomedy set on a single day before the 1989 Revolution, stars Adrian Văncică, Iulian Postelnicu, Emilia Dobrin, Mihai Călin, and Nicoleta Hâncu.

With an impressive cast - Maia Morgenstern, Rodica Lazăr, Rodica Negrea, Diana Gheorghian, Nelu Serghei, and Claudiu Istodor - Rusalka (directed by Claudiu Mitcu) presents five old friends spending a few days together at a resort they used to visit in their youth. One of them delivers news that will disrupt their vacation and their lives.

The TIFF Sibiu program also includes other new Romanian films, such as Clasat(directed by Horia Cucuta, George Ganeard), a story constructed like an investigative report that won the Romanian Days Award at TIFF.23, and Where the Elephants Go (directed by Gabi Virginia Șarga, Cătălin Rotaru), a tale of love and friendship between three characters facing a difficult moment in their lives.

The full four-day festival program can be found at Sibiu.tiff.ro and on the festival's Facebook page. The schedule is subject to change in case of unfavorable weather conditions.

(Photo source: TIFF Sibiu)