Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), the largest film festival in the country, has partnered with San Sebastián International Film Festival for this year's edition, which will run a program focused on Spanish cinema.

TIFF, scheduled to take place between July 23 and August 1 in Cluj-Napoca, will run an extensive Focus Spain program, covering screenings, talks and masterclasses, industry initiatives and exhibitions. 

Part of this program is Carte blanche: San Sebastián, showcasing a selection of ten Spanish films recently curated by the San Sebastián Festival selection committee. Among them is the film that will open this year's TIFF, Cesc Gay's comedy The People Upstairs (opening photo).

In keeping with its attention to emerging talent, the majority of the works come from San Sebastián's New Directors section, the festival said. Viewers can therefore enjoy Ane (Ane Is Missing, David Pérez Sañudo, 2020), La última primavera (Last Days of Spring, Isabel Lamberti, 2020), Hil kanpaiak (Death Knell, Imanol Rayo 2020), Viaje al cuarto de una madre (Journey to a Mother’s Room, Celia Rico Clavellino, 2018) and Apuntes para una película de atracos (Notes for a Heist Film, León Siminiani, 2018).  

Carte blanche: San Sebastián will also include the feature film La hija de un ladrón (A Thief’s Daughter, Belén Funes, 2019) and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s six-part series Antidisturbios (Riot Police). Sorogoyen won the Transilvania Trophy in 2014 with Stockholm. Also part of the selection is the musical Explota explota (My Heart Goes Boom!, Nacho Álvarez, 2020). 

"We are delighted to start this collaboration with Romania's most important film festival. The Transilvania Festival will be an exceptional showcase for current Spanish cinema through an interesting selection of films, some of which have recently been screened in different sections of our festival. This selection is a reflection of the diversity of Spanish cinema and pays special attention to young filmmakers who will play a significant role in the future," Jose Luis Rebordinos, the director of the San Sebastián Festival, said. 

"San Sebastián is not only one of my favorites (an alluring seaside town with an enviable cuisine, an enthusiastic team, and top-notch film curation), but is also a renewable resource for our selection of Spanish and Latin American titles at TIFF," TIFF's artistic director Mihai Chirilov said.  

Tickets for TIFF's opening night film, screened outdoor in Cluj-Napoca's Unirii Square, are on sale at tiff.eventbook.ro.  

(Photo courtesy of TIFF)

simona@romania-insider.com