Grand Dance Performance Set to the Music of Ennio Morricone at TIFF.25: Notte Morricone
*Photo by Christophe Bernard
On the occasion of its 25th edition, the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF.25, June 12–21, 2026) has included in its program a unique performance — Notte Morricone — blending choreography, music, and cinema in a tribute to the legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone. Produced by Centro Coreografico Nazionale / Aterballetto (Italy) and created by Spanish choreographer Marcos Morau, Notte Morricone will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 19:00, at the National Theatre in Cluj-Napoca. Tickets are available online at https://tiff.eventbook.ro/music/bilete-tiff-2026-totte-morricone
Conceived as a total choreographic experience, Notte Morricone brings together 16 dancers in a production that translates the musical universe of one of the most influential composers in film history onto the stage. Ennio Morricone’s music, reorchestrated and adapted under the musical direction of Maurizio Billi, serves as the starting point for a visual journey into memory, imagination, and collective emotion. The performance envisions a night in the life of a creator — a space of inspiration where music takes shape and memories and films re-emerge as stage apparitions. “Notte Morricone is my gift, a tribute to the beauty he offered the world,” says choreographer Marcos Morau. “It is not about explaining his music, but about composing a new melody that runs parallel to its presence in our lives.” For Morau, Morricone’s music forms part of the emotional memory of several generations: “For many of us, his melodies were not only the music of films, but the soundtrack of our childhood.”
Widely regarded as one of the most influential composers in the history of cinema, Ennio Morricone (1928–2020) created more than 500 film and television scores, shaping some of the most memorable soundscapes in cinematic history. His music for Sergio Leone’s westerns — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, and A Fistful of Dollars — became iconic, as did his scores for Cinema Paradiso, The Mission, The Untouchables, Malèna, and Once Upon a Time in America. Awarded two Academy Awards — an Honorary Oscar (2007) and the Oscar for Best Original Score for The Hateful Eight (2016) — Morricone left behind a body of work that continues to influence both cinema and contemporary music.
Marcos Morau is among the most acclaimed European choreographers of his generation. Decorated by the French Ministry of Culture as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters and named “Best Choreographer of the Year” by the German magazine Tanz, he creates stage universes in which dance, theatre, film, and visual arts intersect. He is the founder of the company La Veronal and has collaborated with major institutions such as Nederlands Dans Theater, Lyon Opera Ballet, and the Royal Danish Ballet.
Centro Coreografico Nazionale / Aterballetto is the first institution officially designated as Italy’s National Choreographic Centre. Founded in 1977 and later becoming Fondazione Nazionale della Danza, the company is based in Reggio Emilia and brings together 16 permanent dancers who work with leading contemporary choreographers. Its activity combines the production of performances, artistic research, and projects dedicated to the international development of dance culture.
With the support of: Fundatia Art Production, Macerata Opera Festival, Fondazione Teatro di Roma, Fondazione I Teatri di Reggio Emilia, Centro Servizi Culturali Santa Chiara Trento, Centro Teatrale Bresciano, Ravenna Festival | Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini
Partners: De’Longhi, Cluj-Napoca National Theater, Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca
Further details about the TIFF.25 program will be announced soon. Festival passes are available online at https://tiff.ro/abonamente
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The Transilvania International Film Festival is organized by the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Film and the Transilvania Film Festival Association.
