The Young Francophone Jury at Transilvania IFF.25

Returning for another edition at Transilvania IFF.25, the Young Francophone Jury continues the tradition of one of the festival’s long-standing projects. This year, six young people from Romania and France, studying in Cluj in fields such as film, theatre, philosophy, foreign languages and international cooperation, will watch six French-language productions from France, Canada, Belgium and Luxembourg in order to decide the winner of the TV5MONDE and French Institute Award. The prize consists of acquiring theatrical distribution rights for the winning film in Romania.

This year as well, the Young Francophone Jury will be mentored by Corina Șuteu, cultural consultant and former Minister of Culture.

The selection process for the six jury members was coordinated by the French Institute in Romania.

The films competing for the award are:

• Le roi soleil (dir. Vincent Maël Cardona, France)
• The Stranger (dir. François Ozon, France)
• Kika (dir. Alexe Poukine, Belgium)
• Follies (dir. Eric K. Boulianne, Canada)
• Spices and Lies (dir. Amine Adjina, France)
• The Piano Accident (dir. Quentin Dupieux, France)
• Species (dir. Marion Le Corroller, France)
• Diary of a Chambermaid (dir. Radu Jude, France–Romania)

The Young Francophone Jury at Transilvania IFF 2025 is one of the projects that TV5MONDE and the French Institute in Romania continue to develop together in support of young audiences and Francophonie. The award is presented at the festival for the thirteenth consecutive year.

Below is an introduction to this year’s six members of the Young Francophone Jury.

Răzvan Vrânceanu is a programmer, passionate cinephile and avid reader with a longstanding interest in philosophy and the arts. He is 25 years old, studied computer science at Babeș-Bolyai University and currently works as a programmer in Cluj-Napoca. For him, literature and cinema are ways of experiencing other people’s lives in order to better understand his own. He is particularly drawn to films capable of transforming seemingly ordinary moments into intimate, sincere and unique experiences and sees art as a way of giving meaning to the world around him.

Sara Wasicsek is 20 years old and studies political science and psychology at the University of Mannheim, Germany. In 2025, she was part of the student jury at the Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival, where she had the opportunity to engage directly with directors, actors and film industry professionals. She has also been involved in several Romanian film initiatives, including Ceau, Cinema!, Cinema Timiș and the F-Sides film club. She is particularly interested in the details that often go unnoticed at first glance: the way costumes shape characters or the psychological mechanisms behind directorial choices.

Julie Menut is 24 years old and currently in her fifth year at the Faculty of Dental Medicine. Originally from France, she moved to Cluj in 2021 to pursue her studies. Passionate about travelling, surfing, swimming, jazz and cinema, she considers film an important influence both personally and professionally, including in shaping her interest in the medical field. She appreciates both visually striking films and those that leave a lasting impact through the complexity and humanity of their characters.

Fanny Roussel is 21 years old and studies Modern Literature and Cinema at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris. Her main interest lies at the intersection of literature and film and in the ways the two art forms influence one another both narratively and aesthetically. For her, cinema is a space of freedom and dialogue, capable of challenging certainties and opening new perspectives. Taking part in the Young Francophone Jury represents an opportunity to discover different sensitivities, influences and approaches to cinema.

Miruna Ursache recently completed her first year at Sciences Po Paris, where she studies political science and law. She is 19 years old, speaks Romanian, English and French and is currently learning Arabic, convinced that every language offers a new perspective on the world. Her passion for Francophone cinema developed alongside her interest in French history and culture and was further strengthened through film and theatre courses. Surrounded by cinephiles throughout her life, she sees participation in the jury as a natural opportunity to contribute to conversations about film. Transilvania IFF has been part of her life for five years, with every edition reinforcing her belief that cinema remains one of the most universal languages.

Noémie Humblot is 21 years old, originally from France, and currently lives in Cluj-Napoca as part of a European volunteering programme. For her, cinema represents a space for dialogue, exchange and emotions. Experiencing Transilvania IFF in the heart of the city offers her the opportunity to immerse herself in the diversity of contemporary cinema and take part in the conversations it generates.