TIFF for Ukraine 2022 – Special Edition of Transylvania International Film Festival

TIFF For Ukraine, a special effort dedicated to the community and Ukrainian filmmakers, is being announced by the Transylvania International Film Festival (June 17 – 26, Cluj-Napoca, Romania).

The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF; Romanian – Festivalul internațional de film Transilvania) is Romania’s first international feature film festival, held every year in Cluj-Napoca. TIFF was founded in 2002 by the Romanian Film Promotion (Association for Promovarea Filmului Românesc) and has quickly evolved to become Romania’s major film-related event.

This year’s event will feature films directed by filmmakers from adjacent countries.

One of them is Reflection (2021), directed by Valentyn Vasyanovych, which depicts the story of Serhiy, a Ukrainian surgeon kidnapped by Russian forces in the combat zone in the country’s east, where he is subjected to all of the war’s horrors. When he is finally released, he tries to resume his everyday life with his family, although this is often impossible. In 2021, the film was included in the official selection of the Venice Film Festival.

A special screening of Oleg Sentsov’s Rhino (2021) will also occur. In the 1990s, the film depicts the life of a teenage criminal who rises through the Ukrainian mafia’s ranks. He does, however, find a way to recover despite his violent past. But will he do it? Rhino has screened at several film festivals, including Venice and Warsaw.

I try to keep the two sides separate: activism and movies. Through my films, I want to express my inner world. Maybe at some point, I’ll feel ready to make a war movie, but now it’s too painful.

Oleg Sentsov told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021

According to TIFF, there will be screenings of films with Ukrainian subtitles as part of EducaTIFF, the segment dedicated to children and adolescents. Ukrainian citizens will also get free access to all movies from the festival screened in Union Square if they show their identity cards.

Special events will take place outside of the cinema: Ukrainian musicians will perform throughout TIFF2022, and one of the festival’s days will be dedicated to local foods and delicacies.

Culture has always played a key role in opening new bridges of communication, and TIFF has been reflecting the present for years as it happens. For the 21st edition of the festival, we decided to focus not only on Ukrainian filmmakers and their solid voices but also to send an invitation to thousands of Ukrainian refugees to take part in TIFF. This is our response to the absurdity that defines any war, we believe more than ever in the power of film, culture, and dialogue to bring people together.

Tudor Giurgiu, President of TIFF

Festival attendees and guests will be invited to support the Ukrainian film industry through an SMS contribution campaign. With the help of the International Coalition for Risky Filmmakers (ICFR), an organization established by the European Film Academy in conjunction with the Amsterdam International Film Festival and the Rotterdam International Film Festival. All funds raised through the campaign will be distributed to industry professionals.