TIFF.22: Unirii Open Air programme

TIFF.22’s Unirii Open Air programme includes documentaries, wacky comedies and action films, Wes Anderson's latest extravaganza, and an evening dedicated to a classic love story. Every evening from 9.45pm, 3000 spectators are expected in Unirii Open Air.

Tickets are on sale online - https://tiff.eventbook.ro/

On Friday, June 9, Northern Comfort (Iceland / UK / Germany, 2023) will open TIFF.22. Directed by Icelandic filmmaker Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, the comedy follows a group of Londoners who try to escape their fear of flying by attending an exclusive course that catapults them into a turbulent adventure with hilarious consequences. The film will be screened in the presence of the director.

Kompromat (d. Jérôme Salle, France, 2022), a cold and cynical tour de force from which there seems to be no escape, will be screened on Saturday, June 10. A French diplomat working in Siberia is arrested for child pornography and thrown in prison. Inspired by real events, the film follows the hero's attempts to escape when his own country's government seems to have abandoned him. "Kompromat is one of those films that immediately makes you go online to find out how much truth is found in its unbelievable but very plausible story. The answer will be: quite a lot," headlines the Wall Street Journal. Kompromat is distributed in Romania by Independența Film.

The Last Night of Amore (d. Andrea di Stefano, Italy, 2023) is a sophisticated action film about a cop who has never fired a shot in his entire career, convinced to do a favor for a mob leader on his last night before retirement. "It's been a long time since I've seen such a stylish thriller" headlined Screen International after this year's Berlinale. Andrea di Stefano is known both for his acting career and his directorial debut Escobar: Paradise Lost. Last Night of Amore will be screened on Sunday, June 11 and will be distributed in Romania this summer by Bad Unicorn.

Based on true events but delivered in director Fatih Akin's impossible-to-master style, is Rheingold (Germany, 2022). "An exhilarating biopic that clearly proves that life beats film" (Screendaily), Rheingold condenses into two electrifying hours the winding journey of rapper Xatar, famous in Germany for his music, especially for the first album he wrote in prison. Xatar, whose real name is Giwar Hajabi, co-writes the script with Akin. The screening will take place on Monday, June 12. Rheingold is distributed in Romania by Transilvania Film.

Patrick and the Whale (dir. Mark Fletcher, USA, 2022) is a never-before-seen adventure in the Caribbean Sea following a sperm whale named Dolores. Famed photographer and marine explorer Patrick Dykstra sets out to do the impossible: communicate and form a friendship with this giant, highly intelligent and mysterious animal. The result is not only a powerful life lesson, but also a visual feast. Among the producers of this documentary is Alexander Nanau, the Oscar-nominated Romanian director for Colectiv. The film will be screened on Tuesday, June 13.

Considered one of the greatest films of the 20th century, Casablanca (dir. Michael Curtiz, 1942) will be screened on Wednesday, June 14, over 90 years after its release, in a splendid restored copy. Awarded three Oscars, including Best Picture, Casablanca brings Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman together in one of the most famous and beautiful love stories of all time, which normally needs no further introduction. The screening officially marks the centennial anniversary of Warner Studios, who produced this iconic masterpiece.

Another Lottery Ticket (Romania, 2023) is the sequel to the hit comedy Two Lottery Tickets, directed independently by the same Paul Negoescu seven years ago. Without revealing what the lotteries are about this time, it is certain that we will meet again not only the three actors from the first film (Dorian Boguță, Dragoș Bucur and Alexandru Papadol), but also the famous white (or black?) car. "For the 2016 promotional campaign, we made a car that we gave away as a prize in a competition, after which we understood it was sold and resold. For this film we found the owner, who was very happy to help and said the car was intact. So there are four characters here: the three of us and the car," says Dorian Boguță. The cast also includes Ilona Brezoianu and Alex Gavrilescu. Two Lottery Tickets 2 will have its world premiere on Thursday, June 15 in the presence of the entire cast.

Also in the Piața Unirii line-up is one of the most anticipated Romanian films of the year: Freedom, directed by Tudor Giurgiu (Romania-Hungary, 2023). The production is based on real events and tells a lesser-known story of the Romanian Revolution in Sibiu. In the chaos and panic of those days, a police unit becomes the target of a violent assault that degenerates into a bloody confrontation between soldiers, police men, secret police and civilians. An intense film that perfectly recreates the charged atmosphere of those days.

Mon crime (France, 2023), the latest production from revered director François Ozon, concludes a trilogy that includes 8 femmes and Potiche, and will be screened on Saturday, June 17. With a cast full of French film heavyweights (Isabelle Huppert, Fabrice Luchini, Dany Boon and André Dussollier) and set in the 1930s, the retro comedy follows an actress who gains notoriety after being acquitted of murder on the grounds of self-defence. Distributed in Romania by Independența Film, Mon crime brings to the screen "a mix of playful irony and cinephilic energy, wrapped in a light-hearted atmosphere that also leaves room for acidic wisdom. It's sure to appeal to a wide audience," headlines Cineuropa.

The programme in Unirii Square comes to a spectacular end on Sunday, June 18 with the "catch" of this edition: Asteroid City. The new film by the unclassifiable Wes Anderson lands at Transilvania IFF immediately after its premiere in the official selection at Cannes and features a stellar cast with Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman in the lead roles. Set in the 1950s in an American desert town, the action of this sci-fi romantic comedy takes place at an astronomy conference where students and their parents witness some strange events that will forever change the course of history and mankind.

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Festivalul Internațional de Film Transilvania este organizat de Asociația pentru Promovarea Filmului Românesc și Asociația Festivalul de Film Transilvania.