A celebration of the city, film festivals, and an event putting the river that crosses the capital in focus are on the agenda in Bucharest, while Braşov, Predeal, and Râşnov host a film festival dedicated to mountaineering culture. 

In Bucharest: 

Bucharest Days Celebration

September 21 - September 22

This year, Bucharest marks 565 years since its first documentary mention. The city’s Constituției Square will host various activities, live concerts, and a video mapping contest, iMapp Bucharest. Entrance is free. More on the program here.

Bucharest Internațional Film Festival

September 19 - September 29

The festival, which encourages emerging cinematographic trends, the discovery of talents and the promotion of young filmmakers, will run at its 20th edition its feature film competition, the Panorama section - with films awarded or nominated at the most important film festivals around the world, the History and Cinema section, one dedicated to Romanian auteurs, and retrospectives dedicated to Radu Mihăileanu and Philippe Lesage. More on the program here.

DokStation Music Documentary Festival

September 18 - September 22

The only festival in the country dedicated to music documentaries comes with a selection of 29 documentary films, most of them national premieres, with and about music legends such as The Rolling Stones, Simple Minds, José Feliciano, Neil Young, Freddie Mercury, Bruce Springsteen, ABBA, Cyndi Lauper, Mogwai , Pete Doherty, The Black Keys, Blur and many others. The screenings take place at Control Club, Apollo111, Expirat and Grădina cu Filme. Concerts with Fulu Miziki (afro-futuristic punk, Congo) and Liraz (electro-pop, Iran) are also part of the program. More here.

Bucharest Music Film Festival

Until September 22

The city’s George Enescu Square hosts this free-entry event with a program of concerts covering a range of genres, from classical and jazz to cinema music and pop fusion. More on the program here.

Dâmbovița Delivery

September 21 - September 22

The fifth edition of the event promises a weekend dedicated to transforming the banks of the Dâmbovița river into a vibrant space for recreation, art and sustainability. The event takes place in the Timpuri Noi - Mihai Bravu area, making Splaiul Unirii available to pedestrians. Entry is free and all activities are free. 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.

George Enescu International Competition

Until September 27

Six recitals and five concerts are part of the program of the event, which features four competition sections – violin, piano, cello, and composition. The public can enjoy free access to the preliminary rounds of all the instrumental sections of the competition, which will take place at the National University of Music in Bucharest between September 1 and 18, and to their semifinals, which will take place at the Romanian Athenaeum on September 8 (cello), September 14 (violin) and September 20 (piano). More here.

Cinevara

Until October 3

Rezidența9 hosts this program of film screenings that focuses this year on exploring the human body as it is presented in the cinema of the socialist period in Central and Eastern Europe. More here.

CineMasca

Until September 28

Fourteen films showcasing "theatrical and performative characteristics" are screened at the Masca Theater Amphitheater. More details here.

Open Streets

Every weekend until October 13

The city's busy streets turn pedestrian in a program of outdoor events that has reached its fourth edition this year. Further 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.

Symphony of Water

Ongoing

The water, music, and light show at the Urban Fountains in Bucharest’s Unirii Square.

Tender Days - Damir Očko

Opening September 20

This is the third exhibition of the artist at Gaep, after Pear Fate Meter (2020) and Repeat After Me (2016). Further details here.

In the country:

Julije Knifer – Meanders without bounds

Until  October 12

The works of the Croatian painter Julije Knifer can be seen at the Art Encounters Foundation exhibition venue in Timișoara. The exhibition, curated by Ami Barak, presents a comprehensive collection of artworks - paintings and drawings created throughout his lifetime. More on the show here.

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.

One World Romania Timişoara

September 19 - September 22

The documentary and human rights film festival returns for the third consecutive year to Timișoara, with films from the selection of the 17th edition, under the theme Choose! The screenings take place at Cinema Victoria. More here. 

Alpin Film Festival

September 17 - September 22

The festival, which aims to promote mountain culture in all its forms – film, literature and photography, has a program encompassing not only film screenings but also book launches, photography exhibitions and conferences with special guests. The event takes place in Braşov, Predeal, and Râşnov. More details are available here.

(Photo: courtesy of Dâmbovița Delivery organizers)

editor@romania-insider.com