A special TIFF event will be the Romanian premiere of the impressive Cathedrals of Culture 3D, a 3D documentary about iconic buildings from all over the world, directed, among others, by the late Michael Glawogger, deceased on April 23. The other five authors are Wim Wenders, Robert Redford, Michael Madsen, Margreth Olin and Karim Ainouz. Each of them directed one fragment, choosing the building that inspires him the most, from the Pompidou Centre and the National Library of Russia, to the Halden prison or the Salk Institute monastery in California. Cathedrals of Culture 3D premiered internationally in Berlin and the Cluj screening will be attended by the producer Erwin M. Schmidt and the acclaimed Brazilian director Karim Ainouz (Madame Sata, The Silver Cliff).
TIFF viewers will be reintroduced to some of the most beloved big screen heroes of the communist era. "Trilogia Ardelenilor" – now with brand new 35mm copies, presented last fall at Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema in New York, will be screened in Cluj as a unique marathon. The Prophet, the Gold and the Transylvanians (Dan Pita, 1979), The Artist, the Dollars and the Transylvanians (Mircea Veroiu, 1981) and The Baby, the Oil and the Transylvanians (Dan Pita, 1982) have been seen, prior to 1989, by over 17 million Romanians.
Movie lovers will watch, alongside football fans, the classic Fever Pitch (David Evans, 1997), a Nick Hornby adaptation, with Colin Firth in the role of a football fan whose life is inextricably linked to that of his favorite team, Arsenal. The film will be screened as a special gala in honor of the British producer Nik Powell, the Director of the National Film and Television School in the UK, who will be attending TIFF as a member of the jury.
Another special gala screening, this time in honor of TIFF guest and jury member Michael Kutza, the director of the Chicago International Film Festival, is provided by Strictly Ballroom (Baz Luhrmann, 1992), winner of the Silver Hugo trophy for Best Film Debut in Chicago. The special gala will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the prestigious American festival founded by Michael Kutza.
It's an election year in Romania - thus, Viva la Liberta! (Roberto Ando) will be followed by debates about politics in today's Romania, attended by politicians, analysts and journalists. Contemplative and absurd, this comedy starring Tony Servillo in a double role – the leader of an opposition party who disappears without a trace and his twin brother, taken out of a mental hospital in order to replace him – is a satire of Italia's contemporary politics, which can be perfectly superimposed over Romania's. Viva la liberta! received the David di Donatello "Best Script" and "Best Actor" Awards and ran in the Karlovy Vary competition.
Transilvania International Film Festival (May 30 – June 8, 2014) is organized by Romanian Film Promotion and The Association for Film and Urban Culture, with the support of the Romanian CNC.
