International cinema and Japanese animation are in focus at film festivals taking place in Bucharest this weekend, when the Swan Lake and Piaf! The Show are also among the to-see options.

In Bucharest:

Film O'Clock

Until March 3

Contemporary and classic films and associated events are part of the program of the festival which takes place simultaneously in several countries. The screenings, which are free for the public to attend, are held at the I. L. Caragiale National University of Theater and Film, Cinema Hall. The program is available here.

IZANAGI – Japanese Film Festival

March 1 – March 3

The festival dedicated to Japanese animation holds its fourth edition this weekend in Bucharest, and the theme is dystopia. Films such as Akira, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence are part of the program. After Bucharest, the festival will travel to Cluj, Timișoara, and Iași. More details here.

SoNoRo Conac

Until March 6

The first part of the SoNoRo Conac tour kicks off in Bucharest with a Mărțișor concert held at Sala Radio on March 3. Violist Răzvan Popovici, violinist Nicolas Dautricourt, and pianist Shani Diluka perform a program of works by Tchaikovsky, Piazzolla, Liszt, Brahms, and more. The program is available here.

SoNoRo Conac, which aims to spotlight heritage architecture and exceptional buildings in the country has reached this year its 12^th edition, held under the title of L’Heure Bleue. The March leg of the tour also includes concerts in Băile Govora, Feldioara, and Galați. Other sections of the tour are scheduled for May and June. More here.

Târgul Mărțișorului @ the Romanian Peasant Museum

Until February 29

The Romanian Peasant Museum hosts this event celebrating the custom marking the beginning of spring. Artisans who created various reinterpretations of the symbol with roots in the rural universe will be present at the fair, alongside be schools, foundations, associations and non-profits supporting various social causes. The public can also find here various home-made food items, sweets, fruit preserves, and plant infusions. More details here.

Târgul Mărțișorului @ the Village Museum

Until March 3

The alleys of the Dimitrie Gusti Village Museum hosts numerous artisans who are ready to welcome the public with their creations inspired by the spring tradition of Mărțișor. More details here.

The Swan Lake @ Sala Palatului

March 2

The ballet ensemble of the Bucharest National Opera and guests perform in this production set on Tchaikovsky’s well-known music. The ballet premiered in 1877 at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and did not received a new choreography until 1895, when Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov worked on the very successful production at the Mariinsky Theater in Sankt Petersburg. More details here.

Piaf! The Show

March 3

Nathalie Lermitte stars in this production regarded as one of the most successful francophone ones, with performances in more than 50 countries and more than one million tickets sold. Conceived and directed by Gil Marsala, the show is a tribute to the famed French singer and has been performed in sold-out representations in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York or Olympia in Paris. In Bucharest, the show is held at Sala Palatului. Further details here.

Carmen @ONB

March 3

Soprano Ruxandra Donose stars in the lead role in this production of Bizet’s four-act opera. Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas is Don José. The full cast is listed here.

George Enescu Philharmonic concerts

February 29, March 1

Lawrence Foster conducts the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra in a program of works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Berlioz. Pianist Andrei Korobeinikov is the soloist. Further details here.

The Universe of Salvador Dalí

Until May 12

ARCUB hosts this exhibition encompassing some 170 works by Salvador Dalí, ranging from sculptures and engravings to drawings, miniatures, and furniture. The exhibited items are part of Beniamino Levi’s collection. More details here.

Victor Brauner. Between the oneiric and the occult

Until April 30

The exhibition at the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR) focused on the Surrealist painter brings together works from the collections of local and European museums – paintings, drawings, books, magazines and more. More here.

Jonathan Lasker: Paintings from Five Decades

Until May 11

The solo exhibition of the New-York-based painter is open at the Museum of Recent Art (MARe) in Bucharest. The show, part of MARe’s international program, includes 15 large-size works by the artist, created over the past five decades and selected from various European collections. More details here.

Théo Massoulier: Organism

Until March 30

Théo Massoulier’s first solo show with Gaep presents new sculptures, assemblages and paintings that investigate our relationship with technology and the distinction between alive and non-alive. Further details here and here.

Alice in Wonderland @ Botanical Garden

Until March 3

This outdoor multimedia exhibition combining light and music, open at Dimitrie Brandza Botanical Garden, invites children and grownups alike to discover the magical universe of Alice in Wonderland. Further details here.

In the country

Rituals, Keepers and Storms

Until March 9

The exhibition, open at Isho House / Art Encounters Foundation in Timișoara, showcases works by the late artist Ioana Nemeș and is meant as a “gesture of reassessment and documentary research of the body of works Relics for the Afterfuture (Brown).” Further details here.

(Photo: Splaiul Unirii at dusk by Rares Gudea | Dreamstime.com)

editor@romania-insider.com