The Romanian Film Festival Reinforcing Human Ties and Building an Emotional Connection
It is a great honor to see the Romanian Film Festival (RFF) of Washington, D.C. - “New Romanian Perspectives” - reaching its sixth edition and growing into a traditional landmark event in North America.
I am glad that the Embassy of Romania to the United States, alongside the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and with generous support from our sponsors, continues the Festival’s tradition of opening to the American public the latest and most anticipated Romanian films.
This year’s edition will consist of six films, including Traffic, directed by Teodora Ana Mihai, that is Romania's submission for the 2026 Oscar awards in the Best International Feature Film category. This selection reflects both the tradition of the Festival, as the most important Romanian cinematographic cultural event in the United States, as well as the high potential, individuality and creativity of Romanian filmmaking.
The Festival will also bring a valuable contribution to strengthening the cultural dimension of the Romania - USA Partnership, by reinforcing the human ties between our two societies and building an emotional connection at the individual level.
Andrei Muraru
Ambassador of Romania to the United States of America
FRIENDSHIP IS A SCREENING ROOM
For more than two decades, Romanian cinema has captured the imagination of cinephiles in America and around the world. With its bold narratives, moral depth, and stylistic innovation,
our filmmakers continue to attract global admiration and critical acclaim. Indeed, Romanian film consistently punches above its weight, standing as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary world cinema.
Organized almost without interruption since 2017 by the Romanian Embassy in DC and the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York, the Romanian Film Festival of Washington, D.C. was conceived as a space for cultural discovery and a celebration of artistic achievement—a place where lasting cultural bridges between Romania and the United States are built and renewed. Each edition adds a new chapter to this ongoing story of artistic dialogue and mutual understanding, solidifying the Festival’s status as one of the most enduring and impactful showcases of Romanian creativity abroad and reaffirming our commitment to bringing the very best of Romanian cinema to American audiences year after year.
By presenting the most accomplished and memorable films of the past year, the Festival highlights the aesthetic vitality and range of Romanian cinematic imagination. It also underscores our belief that, even in times of upheaval and uncertainty, culture speaks powerfully across borders—affirming shared values, framing urgent conversations, and strengthening partnerships. Above all, the Festival belongs to its public: the ultimate destination of every creative effort. The screening room becomes a space of communion, where discovery, reflection, and friendship meet in the shared joy of cinema. Find your seat and let the films begin!
Dorian Branea
Director, Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
The New Cinema that Never Fails
Whether the New Year came to Romanians after 1989 with everything they had hoped for is debatable, as is our closing title. However, what is not debatable is that the new Romanian cinema that comes every year to Washington, D.C., always manages to thrill and excite, make us laugh and cry, create moments to cherish, and provide food for thought. Starting with our opening film, the tragicomic inspired-from-a-true-story Traffic (written by Cristian Mungiu and directed by Teodora Ana Mihai, both with Cannes accolades), Romania’s candidate for the 98th American Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, this year’s selection caters to all tastes. From poignant and/or entertaining documentaries on social issues (Tata) or sports legends (Nasty), to intense psychological dramas with thriller or horror undertones (Comatogen and Milk Teeth), culminating with the most internationally awarded Romanian film in recent years, Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year that Never Came, our program proves once more that Romanian cinema, as Forrest Gump would say, “is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Nevertheless, whatever you get, you will return for more.
Mihai Fulger
Festival Curator