There's less than 3 months left until the start of the most important and awaited cultural event in Cluj Napoca, the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF). This year, during May 28 – June 6, the festival-going public will be spoiled with amazing productions, tempting events, a rather imposing number of high-profile guests, incendiary parties and even more surprises.
Because the TIFF schedule, from one edition to another, was varied as well as satisfying for the general public, in love with quality cinema, the festival's artistic director, Mihai Chirilov, has unveiled some of the titles that will make this year's TIFF unforgettable.
Opening the festival will be Fatih Akin's most recent film, Soul Kitchen, a luscious comedy awarded at the Venice Film Festival in 2009 with the Jury's Special Prize. The film tells the story of a restaurant owner by the name of Zinos, whose adventures and problems will entertain the audience for nearly 100 minutes. The opening screening will be held for the first time in Unirii Square in Cluj Napoca.
Winner of 2 Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress, and the recipient of 65 other trophies, including the Grand Prize at the Sundance Festival, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels, is evidently one of the most expected films at the TIFF. An emotional and stirring drama detailing the life of Claireece Precious Jones, an illiterate teen with numerous problems that tries to radically change her life, even after all the doors have closed shut for her.
Another highlight of this edition is the controversial Videocracy, directed by Erik Gandini, included in the documentary program presented by the festival's long standing partner, HBO Romania. Using the same successful approach as last year with the screening of Il Divo, this year Videocracy will be the title that will be the base for a debate on the subject of Film and Politics, involving a number of festival guests, politicians, film industry professionals and the people of Cluj. The documentary, a Swedish production, depicts in an original and engaging manner the impact that some media channels dominated by Silvio Berlusconi have had on the people of Italy in the last 3 decades.
The list of films coming to the TIFF 2010 goes on with hit titles such as: Submarino, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, screened in competition at the Berlin Film Festival 2010, the drama Hadewijch, from the controversial French director Bruno Dumont, Io sono l'amore, a tragic and overwhelming love story directed by Luca Guadagnino, starring Tilda Swinton, How I Ended This Summer, directed by Aleksei Popogrebsky, spoiled with two Silver Bears at the Berlin Film Festival, for Best Actor and for Outstanding Artistic Achievement, Mother, directed by Joon-ho Bong from Korea, present at one of the previous editions of TIFF with the film The Host, and Revolucion, a collection of short films dealing with the Mexican revolution 100 years ago as it is seen today by 10 young filmmakers. This Mexican production enlists the talents of actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, and directors Fernando Eimbcke (Lake Tahoe at TIFF 2008) and Amat Escalante, among others. Last but not least, the public will have a change to see J'ai tue ma mere, the acclaimed first film of a young director of only 19 years, Xavier Dolan. The film won 19 trophies, 3 of which at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
The film lovers from Cluj will be able to enjoy all these production and many more in the by now regular cinemas of the festival, Republica, Arta and Victoria. Other venues that will also screen films for the movie-hungry public will be Cinema City, Unirii Square, Echinox, Taverna, The National Theatre and Cluj's most recent exhibition space, The Paint Brush Factory. Also making a comeback this year are the Drive-In screenings at the Iulius Mall parking lot during May 28-30, popular with the movie-goers in the previous editions.
TIFF continues the Program for Musical and Cinematographic Education that debuted at TIFF 2009. The organizers carry on their wish to close the gap between cinema and the young and very young generations of movie-goers. A series of films targeted for specific age groups, selected by professionals in the field, will be screened as part of this program. Discussions and ample debates between students and teachers will use these films as a spring board. Both teachers and the young spectators will be supplied with work materials, descriptions of each film that also detail the production's subject and its thematic approach.
This year, TIFF is hosting a Conference on Regional Funds that exist in Europe. This debate aims to serve as a starting point for creating Romania's first regional film fund. Built in the likeness of such already proven models as the Balkan Film Fund, City of Belgrade Film Fund, Vienna Film Fund, Flanders Audiovisual Fund, this film fund will maintain and finance culture, jobs and companies that constitute the local film industry.
These are only a few of the events and projects that TIFF will host during its 9th edition, taking place May 28 – June 6.
