25 Years Later at Transilvania IFF.25: Ten Landmark Films That Defined the Turn of the Millennium

25 Years Later (După 25 de ani), one of the special programs of the anniversary edition Transilvania IFF.25 (June 12–21, 2026, Cluj-Napoca), looks back to the year 2001, bringing together titles that defined the turn of the millennium in cinema: absolute masterpieces awarded at Cannes, Berlin, or the Oscars; cult films that cinephiles return to time and again and that continue to win over new audiences; phenomenal box-office hits; and essential debuts that would go on to shape not only new directions in contemporary cinema, but also launch the careers of remarkable filmmakers.

“Transilvania IFF.25 isn’t just about nostalgia, as is often the case with anniversary editions, but also about a wager with time. It’s the perfect moment to bring back to Transilvania IFF audiences ten heavyweights celebrating their own silver jubilee today—many of them having had legendary, shock-inducing screenings (as was the case with The Piano Teacher) at the festival’s very first edition. Ten outstanding works released in 2001, at a time when cinema had more nerve and fewer filters. Ten magnetic, daring, cryptic, innovative, cynical, and viscerally provocative titles—films that few might still dare to make today, and which remain just as fresh in their radicalism and originality even a quarter century after their premieres.” (Mihai Chirilov, Transilvania IFF Artistic Director)

Among the highlights of the program are Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch, 2001, USA), the hypnotic and sophisticated masterpiece that earned Lynch the Best Director award at Cannes; Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, dir. Hayao Miyazaki, 2001, Japan), the legendary animated film awarded the Golden Bear in Berlin and the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature; and Mike Nichols’s devastating TV film Wit (2001, USA), an Emmy winner, selected in the Berlinale competition and widely acclaimed for British actress Emma Thompson’s extraordinary performance (Best Actress Award at the Valladolid Film Festival). They are joined by one of the most beloved European films of recent decades, Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001, France)—winner of the César Award and the European Film Award for Best Film and Best Director, and a massive global box-office hit.