The Transilvania International Film Festival (Tiff Romania) once again celebrated cinema in Cluj‑Napoca, between June 13th and 22nd. These ten days reaffirmed the festival’s role as a major platform for global and Romanian cinema. This edition showcased over 200 titles from 53 countries across 20 venues, ranging from classic movie theatres to enormous open‑air screenings.
We attended the event for six days, with Lida Bach at the helm. In total, we published 43 pieces (including reviews of films that were covered in other festivals, and reprised at Tiff Romania). Just click here in order to view our full coverage.
The festival opened in the sunny Piața Unirii with Brendan Canty’s coming‑of‑age drama Christy, fresh off its Grand Prize win in the Berlinale’s Generation 14plus section. At the gala, Romania’s 89‑year‑old screen legend Florin Piersic (who even has a cinema named after him in Cluj) and Romanian documentarian Andrei Ujică (TWST – Things We Said Today) both received Excellence Awards, celebrating their lasting impact on Romanian cinema. Hungarian auteur and Guest of Honour Béla Tarr received the Lifetime Achievement Award. His masterclass was a highlight of the festival that screened eight of his feature works. Actress Emilia Dobrin and film critic Valerian Sava were recognized for their lifetime contributions to Romanian film and criticism.
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The Official Competition
The Feature Film Competition showcased 12 bold features from first‑ or second‑time directors. Among these were Mahdi Fleifel’s moving refugee tale To a Land Unknown (pictured at the top of this article), Noaz Deshe’s haunting Xoftex, Gala del Sol’s surreal Colombian journey of self-discovery Rains Over Babel, and Eva Libertad’s poignant Deaf (pictured below).
Though thematically rich, the lineup included only two female directors, one queer narrative, and no underclass representation.
The Transilvania Trophy, the event’s top prize, was awarded to To a Land Unknown. Noaz Deshe received Best Directing for the brooding Xoftex, while Julian Castronovo’s cryptically titled Debut, or, Objects of the Field of Debris as Currently Catalogued earned the Special Jury Award. Ghjuvanna Benedetti’s restrained intensity in Julien Colonna’s The Kingdom garnered her Best Performance.
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Beyond the core selection
Among the 172 feature films and 28 shorts of the main program, Romanian director Radu Jude titillated the audience with two characteristically edgy entries: the webcam‑based Sleep #2, and the Berlinale Silver Bear winner Kontinental ’25, which was shot in Cluj. Audience interaction continued to thrive through Tiff’s signature Q&A sessions. The 3×3 spotlight celebrated Rodrigo Cortés (Spain), Rainer Sarnet (Estonia), and Adilkhan Yerzhanov (Kazakhstan).
In the Romanian Days section, Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year That Never Came won Best Feature, with Andra MacMasters’ Bright Future named Best Debut.
Standout Romanian works included Tudor Giurgiu’s The Spruce Forest, and compelling documentaries such as Tooth and Nail (Mihai Gavril Dragolea and Radu Mocanu) and Little Syria (Reem Karssli and Madalina Rosca). Cannes selections Vasile Todinca’s Alișveriș and Andrei Tache‑Codreanu’s Milk and Cookies underscored the strength of Romania’s emerging voices. The Festival closed with another highlight: Óliver Laxe’s highly poetic Sirât.
Tiff Romania reaffirmed its mission: championing first‑ and second‑time directors, to amplify Romanian creativity and serve as a crossroads for international cinematic dialogue.
