Autumn Previews – the newest Romanian films at Cinema Muzeul Țăranului
After an impressive journey through international festivals, where they have been awarded and warmly acclaimed, the newest Romanian productions will be screened at Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, ahead of their official cinema release. Gathered under the Autumn Previews section — the festival’s only competitive programme — these films will compete for the Audience Award, offered through the generosity of Dacin Sara.
Radu Jude’s new film, Dracula, is an experimental and satirical reinterpretation of the vampire myth. The film follows the story of a theatre director who attempts to stage a play about Dracula, but his project turns into a reflection on history, propaganda and national identity. Blending styles that range from grotesque to avant-garde, the film includes AI-generated animations, explicit scenes and visually striking sequences. Radu Jude describes his approach as an attempt to offer “a bit of everything for everyone”: commercial film and essay, vampire movie and comedy, political film and satire, erotic film and action film.
Sorella di Clausura, directed by Ivana Mladenović, tells the story of Stela, an educated woman living in a rural area who dreams of meeting Boban, a famous Serbian musician. When she is promised an encounter, she moves to Bucharest, only to end up working as a maid. The long-awaited meeting with her idol proves to be a disappointment. The film combines reality and fiction, playfully mocks romantic melodrama and portrays life in marginalised communities, as well as the illusion of success. Katia Pascariu received the Independent Critics’ Award for Best Actress at Locarno, while Ivana Mladenović won the Best Director Award at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
In Don’t Let Me Die, directed by Andrei Epure, Maria is haunted by the mysterious death of her neighbour, rumoured to have “spoken to the trees.” As time passes, Maria becomes increasingly entangled in the life left behind: she adopts Isabela’s dogs, meets her son and has an unexpected encounter with a woodcutter afraid to fall asleep. The film oscillates between grief and revelation, exploring loneliness, memory and the traces people leave behind, even through absence. Don’t Let Me Die premiered this year at the Locarno Film Festival.
Interior Zero, directed by Eugen Jebeleanu, is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Lavinia Braniște. Cristina, a 35-year-old secretary, lives in an oppressive Bucharest and struggles to understand what it means to be the functional adult society expects her to be, while also trying to remain a good daughter to the single mother who raised her. Cristina is also the protagonist of a novel that a film director is adapting. As actors begin to inhabit her story, their lives and social circumstances start to blur with the fiction they are supposed to portray. The film had its world premiere at the Vilnius International Film Festival and was selected for Smart7, a programme dedicated to emerging filmmakers from seven European countries.
Still Nia, directed by Paula Oneț, centres on Ștefania, who, after 15 years of amnesia caused by a childhood medical error, tries to rediscover her identity at 33 and to reconnect with her estranged body and her inner child. Dance becomes a new language in her path toward healing old wounds and rebuilding her relationship with her mother. Presented as a work-in-progress at One World Romania, Still Nia was also selected for the Sarajevo Film Festival 2024.
Comatogen, directed by Igor Cobileanski, tells the story of Alina, a nurse played by Daniela Nane, who finds herself in a desperate situation: she must quickly raise money to pay off her son’s debt or he risks imprisonment. Faced with this challenge, she encounters an unexpected moral dilemma. The film explores difficult decisions and their profound consequences on those involved. Comatogen was screened in the Romanian Days section at the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025.
This year, the Autumn Previews selection is completed by two programmes of Romanian short films, out of competition. Some of these titles were previously presented at Cannes, in the Semaine de la Critique and Cinéfondation sections. Festival audiences will be able to discover: Mama! directed by Teodor Ioniță, officially selected at the Premiers Plans Festival, Triassic Cuddle, by Iulia Turicianu, screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival, Marinică, My Boy, by Mihnea Toma, shown at DocLisboa; Alișveriș, by Vasile Tondincă, screened in Semaine de la Critique at Cannes; Our Sea, by Alle Dicu; and We Lived Slowly in Times of Peace, directed by Kristina Jacot. Another shorts programme includes Erogenesis, also presented at Cannes (Semaine de la Critique) and winner of the Best National Film Award at BIEFF Weaving Anni Albers by Alessandro del Vigna, Milk and Cookies by Andrei Tache Codreanu (screened at Cinéfondation, Cannes), Kobza by Laura Pop, Brushes and Packaging by Adrian Latu and Du-mă la apă by Teona Galgoțiu. After each screening block, audiences will have the opportunity to meet the filmmakers for discussions.
This year, the Autumn Previews mark a special event centred around the screening of the medium-length film Index, directed by Radu Muntean. In an eerily beautiful forest, an ornithologist (played by Adrian Văncică) discovers a wild creature (played by Alexandru Bumbariuc) through an infrared surveillance camera. Written and directed by Radu Muntean and premiered worldwide this August at the Locarno Film Festival, Index blends an unusual sense of humour with a cinematic expressiveness that balances realism and innovation through its narrative, filming and colour techniques and, above all, its ability to surprise. Radu Muntean will be present with the film’s team for an extensive Q&A with the audience, moderated by Roxana Călinescu and Andrei Tănăsescu, as part of the Let’s talk about… film event, organised in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Autumn Previews is a section supported by Groupama Asigurări.
It is curated by Andrei Tănăsescu, who will also moderate the post-screening Q&As.
Dracula and Don’t Let Me Die are distributed by Independența Film.
The full program for Autumn Previews will be available on filmeledefestival.ro, and tickets will soon be on sale on eventbook.ro.
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest is a film festival founded in 2010 by Cristian Mungiu, with the support of Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate of the Cannes Film Festival. It is organised by Asociația Cinemascop and Voodoo Films.
