The Transylvania International Film Festival, the most important cinematic event in Romania, kicks off on Friday, June 14, with a sold-out Opening Gala expected to draw over 3,500 spectators. This marks the beginning of 11 days filled with hundreds of screenings, cine-concerts, exhibitions, concerts, discussions, and special events. Cluj is expected to welcome over 1,000 guests – actors, directors, producers, and other industry professionals – for an edition that will exceed 100,000 spectators.

The festival starts strong with a weekend packed with events. On Saturday, June 15, at 7:00 PM, the film “Confidence” (Confidenza), the latest by Italian filmmaker Daniele Luchetti, will be screened at the Student Culture House. Luchetti, a special guest at TIFF.23, will be honored in the 3×3 section and will receive the Special Award for his contribution to world cinema.

On Sunday, June 16, at 5:00 PM, fans can meet actress Jojo T. Gibbs from “Dogman,” the revenge and redemption thriller by Luc Besson, presented at the festival’s official opening. This is just the first free event hosted by the TIFF Lounge, part of a very generous series scheduled for the next 10 days.

“Weekend at the Castle” this year means two unique evenings. On Saturday, at Bánffy Castle in Bonțida, the special screening of “Metropolis” (dir. Fritz Lang), a masterpiece of expressionist cinema, will kick off the series of cine-concerts at TIFF.23. The original music was composed by Italians from Edison Studio, who will also provide the musical accompaniment. The following evening, the same venue will host a screening not for the faint-hearted: “In the Realm of the Senses” (dir. Nagisa Oshima), a 1976 erotic film censored at the time of its release and still controversial today.

On Friday, June 14, the first exhibitions will open at the Art Museum: “Fragments,” featuring photographs and interviews by artist and activist Ruth Borgfjord, highlighting the intimate world of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary people; “Seeking Sincerity,” a portrait exhibition by photographer Vlad Braga aiming to capture moments of vulnerability in his subjects; and “Changing Environments. Together,” part of the Neo Art Connect Science Year. Complementing the exhibition, the public can also see “The Heart of the Festival,” an installation made from recycled elements, placed in University Square.

The Art Museum will also host concerts almost every night of the festival, featuring artists from diverse genres. Performing on Saturday and Sunday will be Dimitri’s Bats and Kadjavsi.

Japanese cinema and culture are the focus of TIFF.23. Throughout the weekend, there will be workshops on origami, ikebana, and manga in Unirii Square, with free access upon registration. Must-see in cinemas: classic masterpieces such as “Sansho the Bailiff” (dir. Kenji Mizoguchi), “The Ballad of Narayama” (dir. Shohei Imamura), and “Tokyo Story” (dir. Yasujiro Ozu), three films by contemporary master Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, as well as some of the most exciting recent Japanese productions.

Additionally, TIFF.23 will organize screenings every evening of the festival in Florești, with top films and cine-concerts scheduled outdoors in Polygon Park.

The Special Guests at TIFF.23

Jojo T. Gibbs, one of the most promising emerging actresses, is a special guest at the 23rd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival (June 14-24, 2024, Cluj-Napoca). She will also attend the festival’s Opening Gala, where the latest film directed by Luc Besson, Dogman, will be screened.

An actress and comedian, Jojo T. Gibbs first gained attention in Twenties, a partially autobiographical comedy series about a young queer woman of color and her straight friends. She then starred in significant films such as Past Lives (dir. Celine Song, nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, 2023), Dogman, where she plays the prison psychiatrist of the protagonist who survived a traumatic childhood through his love for dogs, and most recently in Alex Garland’s dystopian thriller Civil War.

Considered one of the most important contemporary Italian filmmakers, Daniele Luchetti is one of the directors honored at TIFF.23 in the 3×3 section. He will be present at the screening of his film Confidenza on Saturday, June 15, at 19:00 at the Student Culture House, where he will receive the Special Award for Contribution to World Cinema. Daniele Luchetti will be present at TIFF with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest.

The entire festival program can be discovered on tiff.ro or in the official TIFF Official App, available on Google Play and Apple Store.