The new productions of Lars von Trier and Fatih Akin, which won big prizes at the Venice and Locarno festivals, but also the long-awaited Tár, with Cate Blanchett in the lead role, are part of the lineup of the 2023 Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in Romania.

Riget Exodus/The Kingdom Exodus (Denmark, 2022), the third part of the cult horror trilogy directed by Lars von Trier, premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. The series follows the absurd and supernatural life of patients and staff in the neurology department of Rigshospitalet hospital in Copenhagen. Twenty-eight years after the premiere of the first season made for Danish television, The Kingdom quickly became an international sensation, and in this final season, von Trier returns to some of the original characters and stories. All five episodes of the series will be presented at TIFF in a special marathon screening, part of Focus Nordic.

Starring Cate Blanchett, Tár will also be screened at TIFF. With 6 Oscar nominations – including Best Picture and Best Actress – Tár is a psychological drama about an exceptional character, but tormented by paranoia and insomnia. From rumors of inappropriate relationships with younger women in the orchestra to her rock star-like lifestyle, Lydia Tár's destiny is a violent one, obsessively amplified by the music she composes and conducts.

Also, the famous German director, screenwriter and producer Fatih Akin will present his new film Rheingold (Germany, 2022) in June in Cluj-Napoca. Inspired by the life of the rapper Xatar, the movie is a captivating story about success and music, but also the violence of the streets, all told with humor, to the rhythms of hip-hop. 

Jean-Paul Salomé's La syndicaliste, the new film starring Isabelle Huppert, will also be seen at TIFF 2023. More titles have been announced here.

The 22nd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival will take place in Cluj-Napoca from June 9 to 18, 2023.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: TIFF organizers)