Western Romania: Transilvania International Film Festival holds first edition in Timișoara

After 13 years of bringing Romanian and international premiere films to Timișoara, the TIFF Caravan event has evolved into a full-fledged festival, turning into the first edition of TIFF Timișoara.

The four-day festival, from September 5-8, promises premiere films, the most popular movies from the recent TIFF edition held in Cluj-Napoca (June 14-24), a cine-concert, workshops, children's films, and meetings with Romanian actors, directors, and producers.

One of the most anticipated Romanian films of the year, "Moromeții 3" (directed by Stere Gulea), will have a special preview at TIFF Timișoara in the presence of the team. The last film in Stere Gulea's trilogy based on Marin Preda's novels centers on Niculae, Ilie Moromete's youngest son, who has become a young writer called to support the party line and participate in collectivization. The top cast includes Alex Călin, Horațiu Mălăele, Mara Bugarin, Olimpia Melinte, Iulian Postelnicu, and Răzvan Vasilescu.

Another unique screening will be "The New Year's Eve That Never Was," the feature debut of director Bogdan Mureșanu, recently selected for the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival. This tragicomedy, set over a single day before the 1989 Revolution, stars Adrian Văncică, Iulian Postelnicu, Emilia Dobrin, Mihai Călin, and Nicoleta Hâncu.

The TIFF Timișoara program also features other new Romanian films, such as "Clasat" (directed by Horia Cucuta, George Ganeard), a story constructed as a journalistic investigation that won the Romanian Film Days Award at TIFF.23, and "Between Silence and Sin" (directed by Diana Nicolae), a documentary about poet Ana Blandiana.

Residents of Timișoara are also invited to an extraordinary cine-concert: Blüesferatü – a symphony of blues. The screening of the most famous silent film of all time, "Nosferatu" (directed by F.W. Murnau, 1922, Germany), will be accompanied live by the blues band Blüesferatü from Brașov.

Viewers will also have the opportunity to watch the winner of the Transilvania Trophy at TIFF.23 – "Girls Will Be Girls" (directed by Shuchi Talati), which explores what it means to be a woman in a strict and oppressive environment, along with films like "Summer Brother," "One Life," and "La Cocina."

TIFF Timișoara also has a section dedicated to children, who can participate in a stop-motion animation workshop by BeanBag Animation Studio, Cluj-Napoca. Here, they will learn to create animated stories using characters they imagine themselves. The workshops are for students aged 7-13 and 14-18, participation is free, and registration is required – https://forms.gle/oFHCmiQoKMZgJ6Fi6.

TIFF Timișoara will take place at Cinema Timiș, Cinema Victoria, and Grădina de Vară Capitol. Tickets for screenings at Cinema Timiș and Cinema Victoria are available online. Access to screenings at Grădina de Vară Capitol is free. The full program is available at tiff.ro/timisoara.