The 25th Transilvania International Film Festival opens today, June 12, in the city of Cluj-Napoca, marking a milestone edition for Romania’s leading film event and one of the key festivals in Central and Eastern Europe.
Running until June 21, 2026, TIFF.25 will bring together screenings, international guests, special programs and industry activities across the city. Organized by the Romanian Film Promotion Association and the Transilvania Film Festival Association, the festival continues to position Cluj-Napoca as a regional meeting point for audiences, filmmakers and audiovisual professionals.
Opening Night
The festival opens in Unirii Square with the Romanian premiere of 3 Days in September, the independent comedy directed by Tudor Giurgiu, following its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Built around a single 65-minute long take, the film follows a couple on the coast shortly before their wedding, when the arrival of a mysterious woman changes the course of the night.
The opening evening will also include an exclusive preview of NADIA, a work-in-progress documentary about Nadia Comăneci. The gymnastics legend is expected to attend, adding symbolic weight to an anniversary edition that also coincides with 50 years since her perfect 10.
Cannes Titles Come to Cluj
TIFF.25 will also present several titles arriving from the Cannes Film Festival in Romanian premiere. Among them is Minotaur, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s return to filmmaking after almost a decade. Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, the film is inspired by Claude Chabrol’s La femme infidèle and will be released in Romania by Bad Unicorn.
Radu Jude’s Diary of a Chambermaid, presented in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes, offers a new reinterpretation of Octave Mirbeau’s classic novel through the story of a Romanian woman working in France while her daughter remains at home. Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas, presented in Competition at Cannes, marks the director’s return to Spanish-language cinema and explores grief, creativity and autofiction. Both titles will be distributed in Romania by Independența Film.
The Full Moon section will include Species by Marion Le Corroller, which premiered in Cannes Midnight Screenings. The genre film follows a hospital intern confronted with strange symptoms affecting young patients, before discovering that her own body is also changing.
A Regional Film Platform
Beyond the screenings, TIFF.25 strengthens the festival’s role as a central event for the region. Its Official Competition remains focused on first and second-time directors, while the documentary competition What’s Up, Doc? continues to support non-fiction and hybrid cinema.
The festival’s industry side also keeps expanding through RO Days | Industry Events, Transilvania Pitch Stop and a new Works in Progress program developed in partnership with HBO. Together, these initiatives give Romanian and regional filmmakers opportunities to present projects, meet international professionals and connect with development, financing and distribution networks.
As it opens its 25th edition, TIFF confirms its role not only as Romania’s most important film festival, but also as a growing professional platform for Central and Eastern European cinema.
