The 2025 edition of the European Film Festival (FFE), which takes place this year in Bucharest and nine other cities, will screen more than 40 feature films, 28 of which are national premieres. The festival will also present two selections of short films, also screened as national premieres. Among them are 11 documentaries, 13 films directed by women, and two films co-directed by women.

Among the films to be screened are productions awarded at top festivals worldwide, including Mark Cousins's A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things, winner of best film at Karlovy Vary; Saulė Bliuvaitė's Toxic, the best film winner at Locarno; and Shoghakat Vardanyan's 1489, named best film at IDFA, the largest documentary film festival in the world. The program also includes Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala's Des Teufels Bad / Devil's Bath, winner of the Silver Bear in 2024, granted to cinematographer Martin Gschlacht; Pedro Martín Calero's El llanto / The Wailing, winner of the Best Director award at San Sebastian; and Kurdwin Ayub's Mond / Moon, which received the Special Jury Prize at Locarno.

"Beyond the awards, there are films that open perspectives and bring more understanding, whether we are talking about the victims of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the marginalized of the French filmmaker Virgil Vernier, to whom we dedicate a portrait, the victims of colonialism in the films of Margarida Cardoso, a guest of the festival, or the employees exploited to the point of dehumanization in Youth (Homecoming) and Youth (Hard Times) by Wang Bing. At FFE, more than being a primarily visual tool for reconstructing the world, film fulfills a vital function, that of unleashing empathy," Cătălin Olaru, the artistic director of FFE, explained.

The screenings will take place starting on May 8 in Bucharest, followed by local editions in nine cities in Romania: Botoșani, Brașov, Chitila, Deva, Iași, Sfântu Gheorghe, Târgu Jiu, Târgu Mureș and Timișoara. This edition marks a record in terms of the number of cities in which the festival will be present, the organizers said.

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In Bucharest, the festival takes place between May 8 – 18, at the Luceafărul Hall (Opening Gala, on May 8), Elvire Popesco Cinema (May 9 – 15) and Cinemateca Eforie (May 9 – 11 and 16 – 18).

The program will continue as follows:

Brașov: May 9 – 11, Reduta Cultural Center

Timișoara: May 15 – 18, Studio Cinema

Sfântu Gheorghe: May 17 – 18, Arta Cinema by Cityplex

Botoșani: May 22 – 25, Unirea Cinema

Deva: May 23 – 25, Drăgan Muntean Cultural Center

Iași: May 23 – 25, Vasile Pogor Museum – Casa Junimii

Târgu Mureș: May 23 – 25, Mureș County Museum - History Section (Cetate), Multimedia Hall

Chitila: May 30 – June 1, Valea Mangului Park Amphitheater

Târgu Jiu: May 30 – June 1, Sergiu Nicolaescu Cinema

The festival is organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute, with the support of the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, EUNIC Romania and UCIN – the Union of Filmmakers in Romania, in partnership with European embassies, cultural centers and institutes.

"This year, we are present in the largest number of cities we have ever dared to reach simultaneously: ten! We persevere in this ambition to spread as much as possible the generous message "Culture unites," perfectly aligned with the European spirit and very topical these days. Our festival affirms itself, once again, as an essential instrument in confirming European unity through art. In a Europe besieged by uncertainties, film becomes an essential beacon, and, beyond escapism, it can transform into a courageous mirror of reality. European cinema has always cultivated diverse stories and authentic voices, without backing down in the face of fears, crises and challenges of all kinds," Liviu Jicman, president of the ICR, said.

In Bucharest and Timișoara, tickets can be purchased online, on the Eventbook.ro platform, and in cinema halls. In the rest of the cities, access is free. The full program will be announced soon.

(Illustration: the organizers)

simona@romania-insider.com