A Romanian Film Celebration of Dynamism, Creativity and Diversity
I am excited to see the Romanian Film Festival (RFF) of Washington, D.C. grow year after year. Now in its fifth edition, and with a brand-new name - “New Romanian Perspectives” -, our Festival undoubtedly is one of the largest events of its kind in North America.
I am pleased that the Embassy of Romania to the United States, together with the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York and with the help of our generous sponsors, can bring the newest and most appreciated Romanian movies here, in the American Capital.
With six films, including Romania's submission for the 2025 Oscar awards in the Best International Feature category, THREE KILOMETRES TO THE END OF THE WORLD, directed by Emanuel Pârvu, our Festival reaffirms its value as the most important Romanian cultural cinematographic event in the United States. RFF 2024 showcases the creative diversity of a cinema that has become a force on the international arthouse circuit.
The Festival offers the unique opportunity to see and enjoy the best Romanian films of the past year. It is also the perfect occasion to celebrate the Romania – USA Partnership, whose cultural dimension, as this event demonstrates, remains full of dynamism, creativity, and diversity.
At the same time, the Festival provides a wonderful platform to mark the 20th anniversary of Romania's accession to NATO, a step that underlined our country's steadfast commitment to peace, stability and the common values shared by the transatlantic family of nations.
Ambassador Andrei Muraru
The Network of Romanian Film Festivals in America
Romanian film is ever more present in North America, not by chance, but by design. The Romanian Film Festival in Washington, the principal showcase of Romanian cinematic creativity in the United States, sits at the center of a growing network of impactful events dedicated to Romanian film, taking place every year in the Bay Area, Seattle, the Twin Cities, Phoenix, and New York City. Together with the productions selected at the major American festivals, the films presented in these festivals offer a pretty clear image of the vibrancy and diversity of our cinema, which, year after year, can still amaze and seduce. We are proud to join forces with the Romanian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and many partners at home and in the United States to ensure that these projects enjoy the resources and success they deserve.
Film is a magic, spectacular ingredient in Romania’s cultural diplomacy formula, here in the United States and everywhere. That is why we will continue to support, through programming, management and financing, the exhibition of Romanian productions in all corners of America. The stories our films tell remain powerful and universal; the themes they embrace, only apparently local, are meaningful to all viewers, despite their personal experiences and backgrounds; the messages they carry can resonate on both sides of the Atlantic. The screenings you are attending are therefore journeys of discovery and self-discovery. They are part of a dialogue about what is urgent and important, here and now. Welcome and thank you for joining the conversation!
Dorian Branea
Director, Romanian Cultural Institute in New York
Where Romanian Films Go
Paraphrasing our opening title, we may ask ourselves: Where do Romanian films go after they are premiered at the most prestigious international film festivals? One possible answer is: They come to the Romanian Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
Indeed, the current edition’s closing title, the powerful drama Three Kilometers to the End of the World, Emanuel Pârvu’s third feature film (following Mikado, which we screened here two years ago), was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and, subsequently, designated as Romania’s candidate for the 97th Oscars. TWST/Things We Said Today, the hybrid film that Andrei Ujică started working on, as a “Beatles Dream Project”, in 2012, had its world premiere at the 81st Venice Film Festival. Holy Week, Andrei Cohn’s loose adaptation of a novella by the renowned Romanian writer I.L. Caragiale, was presented during the 74th Berlin Film Festival.
This year’s program also includes two coming-of-age road movies (Ana-Maria Comănescu’s Horia and Marian Crișan’s period piece Warboy) and the aforementioned opening film, the bold and charming Where Elephants Go, by Gabi Virginia Șarga and Cătălin Rotaru. Enjoy our screenings!
Mihai Fulger
Festival Curator