Spanish cinema will be celebrated at the 20th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival running from July 23-August 1 in Cluj-Napoca (Romania) in its ‘Spain Focus’, a wide-ranging programme of special screenings, talks and masterclasses, industry initiatives and exhibitions. Within the programme is Carte blanche: San Sebastián, a strong selection of 10 recent Spanish films recently curated by the San Sebastian Festival selection committee. Included in the selection is Sentimental (The People Upstairs, Cesc Gay, 2020), Transilvania IFF’s opening night film, to show on the large open-air screen in Cluj-Napoca’s Unirii Square on July 23. 

“The San Sebastian Festival wishes to express its satisfaction at the start of this collaboration with Romania's most important film festival. The Transilvania Festival will be an exceptional showcase for current Spanish cinema through an interesting selection of films, some of which have recently been screened in different sections of our festival. This selection is a reflection of the diversity of Spanish cinema, and pays special attention to young filmmakers who will play a significant role in the future,” says the Director of the San Sebastian Festival, Jose Luis Rebordinos.

"San Sebastián is not only one of my favourites (an alluring seaside town with an enviable cuisine, an enthusiastic team, and top-notch film curation), but is also a renewable resource for our own selection of Spanish and Latin American titles at Transylvania Festival. I am grateful to the organisers for this partnership, and I invite our audience to taste the variety of dishes carefully selected from the San Sebastian film menu. I assure you that the sparkling and provoking Sentimental (The People Upstairs), which opens our anniversary edition, will be a big treat for your taste buds,” adds the Transilvania IFF Artistic Director, Mihai Chirilov.

In tune with its attention to emerging talent, the majority of the works recovered by the Romanian festival come from San Sebastian’s New Directors section. Viewers will therefore enjoy Ane (Ane Is Missing, David Pérez Sañudo, 2020), La última primavera (Last Days of Spring, Isabel Lamberti, 2020), Hil kanpaiak (Death Knell, Imanol Rayo 2020), Viaje al cuarto de una madre (Journey to a Mother’s Room, Celia Rico Clavellino, 2018) and Apuntes para una película de atracos (Notes for a Heist Film, León Siminiani, 2018).

Carte blanche: San Sebastián, organised with the support of the Spanish Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA), will also include titles screened in the Official Selection, such as the feature film La hija de un ladrón (A Thief’s Daughter, Belén Funes, 2019) and the series Antidisturbios (Riot Police, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2020), as well as two titles from the RTVE Screenings: Explota explota (My Heart Goes Boom!, Nacho Álvarez, 2020) and Sentimental (The People Upstairs, Cesc Gay, 2020), and one from Culinary Zinema, ARZAK since 1897 (Asier Altuna, 2020).

The partners of this collaboration between the Transilvania IFF and San Sebastian Festival and of the entire Spain Focus are the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Acción Cultural Española, the Etxepare Basque Institute, the Spanish Embassy in Romania, the Cervantes Institute in Bucharest and the Association of Spanish Companies in Romania (ASEMER).

The Transilvania International Film Festival is organized by the Romanian Film Promotion Association and the Transilvania Film Festival Association. The 20th edition of the festival will take place between July 23-August 1 in full compliance with the necessary public health safety measures.

About Transilvania Festival

Founded in 2002, Transilvania International Film Festival is Romania’s most important film-related event and is a member, like San Sebastian, of the International Federation of Film Producers’ Associations (FIAPF). Its goal is to promote cinematic art by presenting the most innovative and spectacular films of the moment, and its Official Competition, dedicated to first and second time directors, focuses on discovering new voices.

The Festival runs a wide variety of industry activities largely pivoting around emerging talents, develops educational programmes and presents an annual Lifetime Achievement Award received, among others, by international figures including Nicolas Cage, Alain Delon, Sophia Loren, Fanny Ardant, Wim Wenders, Catherine Deneuve and Vanessa Redgrave.