Sidney Lumet Retrospective | TIFF 2023

The 22nd edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival takes us on a journey into the cinematic universe of one of the most prolific American directors of the modern period, Sidney Lumet (1924 - 2011). Between 9th – 18th June, Close-up Sidney Lumet brings six restored works by the renowned filmmaker at Cluj-Napoca. The programme is inspired by the retrospective dedicated to the director by Lumière Film Festival (Lyon, France) in 2022, a cinephile event par excellence that celebrates classic cinema by presenting restored versions of masterpieces and tributes to legendary directors.

Interested in social and moral issues, Lumet was always drawn to naturalism and realism, and his training in the golden age of television allowed him to have an energetic and direct filmmaking style. Known as "an actor's director", he was able to get impressive performances from his collaborators that include famous film stars such as Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Katharine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, 
Sean Connery, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Faye Dunaway. All these features together with his belief in the collaborative nature of cinema make Lumet „one of the finest craftsmen and warmest humanitarians among all film directors.” (Roger Ebert).

Among the films screened at TIFF 2023 you will have the chance to watch 12 Angry Men (1957), Fail Safe (1964), Serpico (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Network (1976) or Running on Empty (1988)