Romania will have 18 cultural projects at the Cultural Olympiad in London this year, in the wake of the summer Olympic Games in the British capital. The Romanian Cultural Institute's London subsidiary will manage the Romanian program within the Cultural Olympiad, based on a competition of ideas in April last year.

Screenwriter Alex Baciu, director Radu Muntean, editor Cătălin Cristuţiu and actress Anamaria Marinca will work with 20 young people from seven Olympic neighborhoods in East London. The short movie created by them will be presented in a special ceremony at the East End Film festival that will take place between July 3 and 8 in London.

The event “Poetry and Sport: great sports people read from great poets” is scheduled on June 11 and will be attended by Olympics winners Nadia Comăneci, Tanni Gray-Thompson, Edwin Moses and Steve Williams.

The show "20/20", directed by Romanian Gianinei Cărbunariu will be presented at the London International Festival of Theater (LIFT), between June 12 and July 15. The Romanian director's show focuses on the details of the Romanian-Hungarian cohabitation, bilingualism and potential conflicts.

Poet Doina Ioanid will attend the Poetry Parnassus festival between June 26 and July 2 at the Southbank Centre, while a show dedicated to William Shakespeare, by Romanian Ion Caramitru and Michael Pennington will be organized on July 2 at Kings Place.

Artists Dan and Lia Perjovschi will organize a masterclass at Hayward Gallery between June 27 and 29, part of the Wide Open School summer school project.

A sculpture by Romanian Paul Neagu, called Edgerunner, will be exhibited permanently in the Islington neighborhood, where the artist lived. A Romanian week-end will be included in the Thames Festival (September 8,9 ), close to the Tower Bridge.

The London Olympic Games will take place between July 27 and August 12 this year. The Cultural Olympiad started in 2008 and will peak with the London 2012 Festival this summer.

editor@romania-insider.com