Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF)

Overview

The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) is Romania's largest film festival and one of the leading film events in Southeastern Europe. The 25th edition runs June 12 through 21, 2026, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania's second-largest city. TIFF has FIAPF Competitive Specialised accreditation and screens approximately 200 films over 10 days to audiences of over 100,000.

TIFF takes place primarily outdoors in Cluj's historic city center, with screenings in Unirii Square and other public spaces. A representative selection from the festival program subsequently tours to Bucharest, Sibiu, Timisoara, Oradea, and other Romanian cities during the TIFF Unlimited Caravan.

Romanian cinema has undergone a renaissance since the mid-2000s, with directors including Cristi Puiu, Cristian Mungiu, and Calin Peter Netzer winning major prizes at Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. TIFF is the primary domestic showcase for this national cinema and the main platform for connecting Romanian filmmakers with international industry professionals.

Submission Details

Submissions for the 25th edition (2026) are made through the Eventival platform at vp.eventival.com/tiff/2026. Submissions closed February 1, 2026.

Submission Fees

Eligibility

Release (world premiere) dates for films selected in the competitive programs must be after May 1, 2025. Each selected film is screened at least twice. Screenings take place in traditional movie theaters and in unconventional venues.

Competitive Sections

Filmmakers can submit films to three competitive programs:

• Official Competition: international features competing for the Transilvania Trophy.
• What's Up, Doc?: documentary films.
• Romanian Days: the most comprehensive annual showcase of new Romanian cinema, with separate shorts and features competitions.

Non-Competitive Sections

Three non-competitive programs also accept submissions:

• Full Moon: genre and genre-adjacent programming.
• Supernova: international cinema outside competition.
• No Limit: boundary-pushing and formally adventurous work.

Major Awards

• Transilvania Trophy: Best Film in the Official Competition
• Special Jury Prize
• Best Director
• Romanian Days Best Film: best Romanian film in the Romanian Days section
• Audience Award
• FIPRESCI Prize: international critics' award

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Romanian Filmmakers

TIFF is the primary domestic showcase for Romanian cinema. Romanian Days is the most distinctive section: a comprehensive annual survey of Romanian cinema that provides the clearest picture available of the state of one of Europe's most interesting national cinemas. Critics, programmers, and distributors attend specifically to discover new Romanian work. Romanian films have no submission fee.

For International Filmmakers

International filmmakers seeking Southeastern European exposure will find TIFF a receptive environment. The festival's outdoor screenings in Unirii Square create a public atmosphere that differs from the industry-focused environments of larger festivals. If your film is a world premiere completed after May 1, 2025, it is eligible for the Official Competition.

Submission Platform

TIFF uses Eventival rather than FilmFreeway. Screening rights-holders (producers or distributors) must fill in the submission form on the Eventival platform. Online screener links including usernames or passwords are inserted directly into the submission forms. Full regulations are at tiff.ro/en/regulations-tiff25.

Screening Fees

The festival does not provide screening fees for the competitive sections of Transilvania IFF (Official Competition, What's Up, Doc?, and Romanian Days).

25th Edition Highlights (2026)

The 25th edition features Ornella Muti receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at a screening of Swann in Love. Ben Wheatley and Sam Riley are scheduled to appear at a screening of Bulk. Aidan Gillen joins the Official Competition jury and will also appear at screenings of Gorky Resort and Re-creation. Anda Onesa, a defining figure of 1980s Romanian cinema, will receive the Excellence Award at the TIFF.25 Closing Gala.

Festival History

TIFF was founded in 2002 and has operated continuously since then, growing in scale and international profile as Romanian cinema gained global recognition. The festival received FIAPF Competitive Specialised accreditation, placing it among the recognized competitive specialised festivals in Europe. TIFF has been instrumental in building the domestic audience for Romanian art cinema and in connecting Romanian filmmakers with international industry partners. The 25th edition in 2026 marks a milestone for the festival and for Romanian cinema's international profile.

See Also

For understanding Southeastern European cinema, see International Film Markets. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate whether submitting to TIFF makes financial sense for your project. For distribution deal fundamentals, see Distribution Deals Explained.