01/06/2022 - Nine of the titles are feature debuts, several of which have already been screened and acclaimed at international festivals

The fact that up-and-coming Romanian directors are cutting loose from the previous, successful generation was already noticeable in last year’s selection for the Romanian Days section – the national competition and local production showcase taking place within the larger Transilvania International Film Festival. During its upcoming 21st edition (17-26 June, Cluj-Napoca), the gathering will pay particular attention to local cinema's new voices by presenting works by a significant number of first-time filmmakers. Alongside the feature-film selection, 18 new shorts will be screened as well.

Two of the full-length productions will be locking horns for the Transilvania Trophy in the International Competition, too: they are Octav Chelaru's debut, A Higher Law (see the news), and Emanuel Pârvu’s drama Mikado [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emanuel Pârvu
film profile], which premiered at San Sebastián last autumn. Meanwhile, the hybrid experiment You Are Ceaușescu To Me [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Sebastian Mihăilescu, revolving around a casting call for a film about the former dictator's early years, is included both in the What's Up, Doc? section for documentaries, which will give out awards for the first time this year, and in the National Competition.

Among the national premieres is Alexandru Belc’s Metronom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Belc
film profile], set back in the communist years and being shown in Romania immediately after Cannes; Ștefan Constantinescu's noir love triangle Man and Dog [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ştefan Constantinescu
film profile]; Gabriel Achim's post-modern and fragmented Snowing Darkness [+see also:
film review
interview: Gabriel Achim
film profile]; and Ligia Ciornei's independently made Clouds of Chernobyl, dealing with a forced terminated pregnancy owing to the titular disaster (see the news). Written and directed by Florin Piersic Jr, the provocative infidelity drama Nothing About Love [+see also:
interview: Florin Piersic Jr
film profile] will celebrate its world premiere in Cluj, alongside Victor Canache's indie debut The Goat with Three Kids, developed from the 2019 short film of the same title.

Another three Romanian pictures, which have already secured theatrical distribution, will be re-released in the Romanian Days section: the latest San Sebastián Grand Prix winner, Blue Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alina Grigore
film profile] by Alina Grigore; Immaculate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Monica Stan, George Chiper-…
film profile] by directorial duo Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark; and Miracle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan George Apetri
film profile], the second part in Bogdan George Apetri's trilogy, with both of the latter films having celebrated their world premieres at Venice. Additionally, Anca Damian's latest animated oeuvre, The Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], will enjoy a special screening in the Romanian Days, after starting its international festival run at Rotterdam and Göteborg last January.