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
| Category | Early Bird (October 10 to December 31, 2025) | Regular (January 1 to February 1, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| International features | EUR 30.00 | EUR 50.00 |
| Romanian films | Free | Free |
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.
Key Sections
Competitive programs:
- Official Competition - international features competing for the Transilvania Trophy (EUR 10,000)
- What's Up, Doc? - documentary films in competition
- Romanian Days - the most comprehensive annual showcase of new Romanian cinema, with separate shorts and features competitions
Non-competitive programs:
- Full Moon - genre and genre-adjacent programming
- Supernova - international cinema outside competition
- No Limit - boundary-pushing and formally adventurous work
Awards / Accreditation
- 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
Past Winners
Recent Transilvania Trophy winners:
- 2025 (24th edition): To a Land Unknown (dir. Mahdi Fleifel, UK/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia). Won the Transilvania Trophy and EUR 10,000. The film premiered at Cannes Directors' Fortnight (winning the SACD Prize) and was distributed by Watermelon Pictures in the US (2025). It also won the Best Film award at Marrakech Film Festival.
- 2024 (23rd edition): Girls Will Be Girls (dir. Shuchi Talati, India). Won the Transilvania Trophy and EUR 10,000. The film won two major awards at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by Modern Films in the UK and Ireland. It had a US theatrical release through Vitrine Filmes in August 2024.
- 2022 (21st edition): Utama (dir. Alejandro Loayza Grisi, Bolivia/Uruguay/France). Won the Transilvania Trophy and the Audience Award. The film premiered at Sundance (winning the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema: Dramatic) and was Bolivia's Oscar entry. Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet.
- 2020 (19th edition): Babyteeth (dir. Shannon Murphy, Australia). Won the Transilvania Trophy and the Audience Award. The film premiered at Venice and was distributed by IFC Films in the US, earning critical acclaim for lead actress Eliza Scanlen.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
- Utama (dir. Alejandro Loayza Grisi, 2022) - won the Transilvania Trophy and Audience Award. Previously won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Was Bolivia's official Oscar submission. Distributed internationally by Alpha Violet, with theatrical releases in multiple territories.
- Babyteeth (dir. Shannon Murphy, 2020) - won the Transilvania Trophy and Audience Award. Premiered at Venice 2019. Distributed by IFC Films (US), Altitude Films (UK), and Bad Unicorn (Romania). The film received 9 AACTA Award nominations in Australia.
- MONOS (dir. Alejandro Landes, 2019) - won the Transilvania Trophy. Premiered at Sundance 2019. Distributed by Neon and Amazon Studios in the US. Selected as Colombia's Oscar entry.
- The New Year That Never Came (dir. Bogdan Mureshanu, 2025) - won Best Feature in the Romanian Days competition (EUR 2,000 plus EUR 10,000 in post-production services from Cinelab Romania) and the Vodafone Hearts' Audience Award (EUR 2,500). The film is the most celebrated Romanian title of the past year.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
TIFF's Official Competition favors international features with strong directorial vision and festival-circuit appeal. The festival's outdoor screenings in Unirii Square create a public, audience-facing atmosphere, so films with emotional accessibility tend to perform well with both the jury and the audience. Romanian Days is the festival's most distinctive section and the primary reason international critics and distributors attend. If your film has a Romanian co-producer or connection, submitting to Romanian Days provides the clearest pathway to industry attention.
The festival uses Eventival rather than FilmFreeway, so filmmakers need to create an Eventival account and submit through the TIFF portal. Screening rights-holders (producers or distributors) must fill in the submission form directly. Online screener links with passwords must be inserted into the form. The festival does not provide screening fees for competitive sections, so budget accordingly. Films completed after May 1, 2025, with a world premiere status are eligible for the Official Competition.
Industry Reputation Notes
TIFF is regarded as the leading film festival in Southeastern Europe and the primary gateway to Romanian cinema for international industry professionals. Compared to Thessaloniki (a peer FIAPF Competitive Specialised festival), TIFF has a stronger domestic industry focus through Romanian Days and a more public-facing festival atmosphere due to its outdoor screenings. Compared to Sarajevo, TIFF has a broader international competition scope but a less developed co-production market. The festival is particularly well-regarded by critics covering Eastern European cinema and by distributors seeking Romanian and regional titles. Sales agents attend primarily for Romanian Days rather than the international competition. The Transilvania Pitch Stop and the festival's industry program have grown in recent years, but TIFF remains better known for audience engagement than for deal-making.
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.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
TIFF is the primary domestic showcase for Romanian cinema, and Romanian films that screen here often travel to major international festivals. Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007) screened at TIFF before winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes. More recently, Mungiu won his second Palme d'Or at Cannes 2026 for Fjord, starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve.
The festival's Official Competition has helped launch first and second features from directors across Southeastern Europe and beyond. Films that win the Transilvania Trophy often receive international distribution and festival circuit invitations. The 2025 edition attracted 125,000 attendees, indicating strong audience engagement that distributors value.
TIFF is not a premiere festival for most international films. World premieres in the Official Competition are eligible, but many competition titles arrive from Rotterdam, Berlin, or Cannes. The festival's value is in regional exposure and connecting filmmakers with Southeast European industry professionals.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
TIFF uses Eventival, not FilmFreeway. Submit through the Eventival platform at vp.eventival.com/tiff/2026. Screening rights-holders (producers or distributors) must complete the submission form. Include online screener links with usernames and passwords directly in the form.
Romanian filmmakers have free submission. International filmmakers pay EUR 30 (Early Bird) or EUR 50 (Regular). The festival does not provide screening fees for competitive sections. Each selected film is screened at least twice, in traditional theaters and unconventional venues.
The Official Competition prioritizes first and second features from emerging directors. If your film is a debut or sophomore effort completed after May 1, 2025, it is eligible. The What's Up, Doc? section accepts documentary features. The Full Moon section accepts genre and genre-adjacent work.
Industry Reputation Notes
The industry treats TIFF as the most important film festival in Romania and a leading festival in Southeastern Europe. Its FIAPF Competitive Specialised accreditation places it among a small group of recognized competitive festivals. The 2026 edition attracted 130,000 attendees and over 100 sold-out events.
Compared to the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, TIFF has a more public-facing atmosphere. Thessaloniki focuses on industry and co-production markets, while TIFF prioritizes outdoor screenings and audience engagement. The Unirii Square open-air screenings create a festival atmosphere that differs from theater-based events.
TIFF is not a major acquisition festival. International sales agents attend to scout Romanian and regional cinema, not to acquire films for distribution. The festival's industry value is in connecting Southeast European filmmakers with international programmers and critics who attend specifically for Romanian Days.
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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.
