The weekend Romania switches to winter time brings a treat for film and literature lovers as top festivals dedicated to these genres take place in Bucharest and in the country.

In Bucharest: 

Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest

October 25 - November 3

The 25th edition of the festival brings its usual crop of recent auteur releases, awarded productions, Q&As with directors, and many other events for industry professionals and the general public alike. Screenings take place at Elvire Popesco Cinema, Cineplexx Băneasa, Peasant Museum Cinema, and the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR). More on the program here.

National Theater Festival

Until October 28

It is the 34th edition of the festival rounding up productions from all over the country and from abroad. More on the program here.

Garden of Lights: Beauty and the Beast

Until March 2

The Botanical Garden hosts another edition of the Garden of Lights event, this time with the theme of Beauty and the Beast. More details here.

Art Safari

Until December 15

This edition of the event celebrates women that have made a significant contribution to Romanian art and culture, among them Queen Marie and artist Cecilia Cuțescu-Storck. One show is dedicated to German photographer Sibylle Bergemann, while another features the emerging generation of artists. More details here.

Art films @ MNAR

Until December

A series of documentaries on well-known names of art will be screened at the Auditorium Hall of the National Museum of Art of Romania (MNAR). More here.

Royal Charitable Concert

October 25

The Romanian Athenaeum hosts the 15th edition of the event, organized by the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation. More on this here.

Thirty Seconds to Mars @ Laminor Arena

October 25

Thirty Seconds To Mars return to Bucharest as part of the Seasons World Tour, promoting the band's recent album It's the End of the World, But It's a Beautiful Day. More here.

In the country:

Timișoara Architecture Biennial

Until October 27

The 2024 Beta Biennial’s main exhibition is cover me softly and is “an exploration of covers across disciplines, mediums, and geographies.” Workshops, film screenings and music are also part of the program, which is available here.

UnWorlding

October 24 - March 1

This exhibition by artistic duo Anca Benera and Arnold Estefán, the Romanian artists based in Vienna, is open at the Art Encounters Foundation in Timișoara. More here.

Timișoara International Literature Festival

October 23 - October 25 

Close to 30 guests will gather in Timișoara  for the festival’s numerous events, part of a program tackling this year the theme of literature and its new allies. Semezdin Mehmedinović, Mathias Énard, and Narine Abgarian are among the writers the public can meet at the event. More on the program here.

Astra Film Festival

Until October 27

The 31st edition of the festival taking place in Sibiu brings a selection of the top documentaries of the past year, Romanian and international productions, competing in several sections. More on the program and the associated events here.

The Iași International Festival of Literature and Translation – FILIT

October 23 - October 27

Nobel Prize for Literature winner Abdulrazak Gurnah, Irish novelist, poet and playwright Colm Tóibín, Spanish author Clara Usón, Israeli writer Zeruya Shalev, and French novelist and essayist Pascal Bruckner are among the guests of this year’s festival, the largest in the country dedicated to literature. The program is available here.

Ploiești Jazz Festival

October 24 - October 27

The Paul Constantinescu Philharmonic in Ploiești hosts the 19th edition of the event lining up a mix of local and international names. More details are available here.

(Photo: Les Films de Cannes a Bucarest Google Photos)

editor@romania-insider.com