UNFINISHED festival to hold tenth edition in September in Bucharest

This year, the UNFINISHED festival will celebrate ten years with a new edition, taking place from September 26 to 28 in Bucharest. After that, the festival will move to a new format, according to the organizers.

Founded in 2016, the festival has grown into a unique project at the intersection of art, science, philosophy, activism, technology, and humanity. It has brought together thousands of people from over 70 countries, not through ticket sales, but via application.

According to the organizers, the theme of this edition is courage and transformation. “It is about that moment when you stop analyzing and start acting,” the press release states.

“The tenth edition, the last in this format, is not an end but a leap into the unknown. We are continuing, but in a different way, at a different rhythm. We’re not revealing what comes next just yet, but the new format will certainly renew our commitment to the community and to our partners, with whom we’ve managed to build, globally, formats we once only dreamed of,” said Cristian Movilă, founder of UNFINISHED.

The edition features six international guests. The first is science journalist and bestselling author James Nestor. His book, “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art,” has been translated into over 35 languages, sold millions of copies, and was named “Best Nonfiction Book” by the American Society of Journalists and Authors. At UNFINISHED, Nestor will speak about breathing as a practice of deep reconnection with oneself and the world

The second speaker, Tristan Gooley, is a writer, adventurer, and, the only living person to have crossed the Atlantic solo both by sea and by air. In his bestselling books, “The Natural Navigator” and “How to Read a Tree,” Gooley reveals how the direction of the wind, the shape of clouds, or even a single tree trunk can provide precious clues about what lies ahead.

Another speaker, the internationally renowned Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar, is known for his political and deeply emotional installations exploring memory, silence, and the invisible mechanisms of power. His work has been presented at the Venice Biennale, Documenta, and in collections such as MoMA, Tate, and Centre Pompidou. Jaar will bring to UNFINISHED a provocative perspective on art as a form of resistance.

Ecologist and systems innovation thinker Anca Damerell, Somatic guide Lera Zujeva, and Moldovan indie-pop artist Valeria Stoica are also among the speakers.

A limited number of participants will be accepted for the tenth edition of UNFINISHED, and the application is the only way to access the event. No tickets are for sale.

(Photo source: press release)