The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF; ) is the first international feature film festival in Romania, which is held annually in the historic capital of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca. Founded in 2002 by the Romanian Film Promotion (), TIFF has grown rapidly to become the most important film-related event in Romania. It is a member of the Alliance of Central and Eastern European Film Festivals (CentEast) and it is supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme. In February 2011, TIFF has been accredited by the FIAPF as a "competitive festival specialised on first and second feature films". Indiewire listed it as one of the world's top 50 leading film festivals.
The festival takes place in 20 locations around the city, including outdoor and unconventional places. Since 2007 the festival is also held in Sibiu. It is the year when Sibiu was declared European Capital of Culture. Transilvania IFF's main goal is the promotion of cinematic art by presenting some of the most innovative and spectacular films of the moment that feature both originality and independence of expression, that reflect unusual cinematic language forms or focus on current trends in youth culture. The competition is dedicated to first and second feature films.
Since 2018 the festival is also held in Oradea.
The festival also developed a strong educational platform for children, through EducaTIFF (awarded Best Educational Project in Romania, at Education Awards Gala, 2011 edition), and teenagers, through Let's Go Digital! The intensive workshop gives teenagers the opportunity to cover all the steps of filmmaking under the supervision of film professionals and using modern equipment.
After years of continuous work in promoting Romanian cinema and welcoming international guests to meet national productions and their filmmakers, in 2015, the festival rounded up its industry activities under one umbrella. TIFF – Industry is open for talents from Romania and Moldova and is gathering Transilvania Talent Lab (TTL) – the hands-on programme dedicated to emerging talents, and Transilvania Pitch Stop (TPS) – a tailor-made workshop for feature fiction films wrapping up with a public presentation and one-to-one meetings. TIFF – Industry hosts a series of masterclasses, lining-up experts in audience development, and script writing, film directors, documentarist and personalities. TIFF Industry also means closed screenings for industry members and special screenings of the newest Romanian films, in the presence of their filmmakers.
History
TIFF is the first film festival in Romania with an international feature film competition. The 2007 festival made use of the character Count Dracula for promotional materials, along with a mascot resembling Count Orlok from the Dracula-inspired 1922 film Nosferatu, followed by a screening of the classic film.
In 2016, TIFF attracted more than 120,000 attendees.
Awards
Transilvania Trophy; Best Directing Award; Special Jury Award; Best Performance Award; Special mention of the jury; FIPRESCI Award; Audience Award; Excellency Award; Lifetime Achievement Award; Romanian Days Award for Feature Film; Romanian Days Award for Short Film; Romanian Days Award for Best Debut; Award for the Best Film in the Shadows Shorts Competition; Special Mention of the Short Film Jury in the Romanian Days; Let's Go Digital! Award for the Best Film Produced in the LGD! Workshop; Transilvania Pitch Stop Development Award; Transilvania Pitch Stop Post Production Award; Local Competition Award; Special Mention at the Local Competition; Young Francophone Jury Prize.
Over the years, Transilvania IFF's Lifetime Achievement Award has been presented to important figures of European and worldwide cinema, including Sophia Loren Nastassja Kinski, Jiří Menzel, Debra Winger, Claude Lelouch, Geraldine Chaplin, Wim Wenders, Marin Karmitz, Jacqueline Bisset, Michael York, Catherine Deneuve, Claudia Cardinale, Annie Girardot, Udo Kier, Vanessa Redgrave, Nicolas Roeg and Franco Nero.
Transilvania Trophy recipients Year Film Director Country 2024 Girls Will Be Girls Shuchi Talati 2023 Like a Fish on the Moon Dornaz Hajiha 2022 Utama Alejandro Loayza Grisi 2021 The Whaler Boy Philipp Yuryev 2020 Babyteeth Shannon Murphy 2019 MONOS Alejandro Landes 2018 Las herederas Marcelo Martinessi 2017 Chemi Bednieri Ojakhi Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß 2016 Câini Bogdan Mirică 2015 El incendio Juan Schnitman 2014 Stockholm Rodrigo Sorogoyen 2013 Ship of Theseus Anand Gandhi / 2012 Oslo, 31. august Joachim Trier 2011 Sin retorno Miguel Cohan / 2010 Jao nok krajok Anocha Suwichakornpong 2009 Nord Rune Denstad Langlo Polițist, adjectiv Corneliu Porumboiu 2008 Intimidades de Shakespeare y Víctor Hugo Yulene Olaizola 2007 La sagrada familia Sebastián Lelio 2006 A fost sau n-a fost? Corneliu Porumboiu 2005 4 Ilya Khrzhanovsky / Whisky Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll /// 2004 Días de Santiago Josué Méndez 2003 Nói albinói Dagur Kári /// 2002 Occident Cristian Mungiu
Best Romanian Feature Film (Romanian Days) winners and nominees
2024 winner: Dismissed 2024 nominees: Alice On & Off, A Cautionary Tale, Dismissed, Ext. Car. Night, Family Weekend, Holy Week, Horia, Maia - Portrait with Hands, Night Butterflies, Rusalka, Three Kilometers to the End of the World, Where Elephants Go 2023 winner: Between Revolutions 2022 winner: Miracle 2021 winner: Otto the Barbarian 2020 winner: Acasa, My Home 2019 winner: Monsters. 2018 winner: Pororoca 2017 winner: Scarred Hearts 2016 winner: The Last Day 2015 winner: The Treasure 2015 nominees: Be My Cat: A Film for Anne, Bondoc, Bucharest NonStop, Passport to Germany, Self-Portrait of a Dutiful Daughter, Toto and His Sisters, The Treasure, The World Is Mine
See also Comedy Cluj Gay Film Nights
References
External links