What does this mean for Cluj-Napoca?
Being a part of the international UNESCO Creative Cities Network means that our city can:
- Collaborate and exchange good practices with like-minded cities and teams from across the globe.
- Put an emphasis on culture and creativity, as transversal factors in community organising, becoming the motor of social transformation and urban regeneration.
- Support the development of film and audiovisual infrastructure, talents and events.
- Provide the necessary framework for the development of a regional creative audiovisual hub, offering professional opportunities to local talents.
What makes Cluj-Napoca a City of Film?
Film Festivals
Cluj is host to Romania’s largest feature film festival, Transilvania International Film Festival. Founded in 2002, programming runs over 10 days screening more than 200 films from over 50 countries, and attracting audiences of over 130,000 each year. The city welcomes film and new media festivals year-round including Clujotronic, Hungarian Film Days, ClujShorts, as well as festivals from other regions, The French Film Festival, Astra Film Festival, and UrbanEye Film Festival.
Film Education
Cluj is building its own academic and cultural infrastructure within the film and media industry, in order to sustainably support film education and generate innovation in the near future.
The two main universities Babes Bolyai and Sapientia provide high quality film and media studies. The city has invested in Romania’s first film education programme in school, with a dedicated curriculum.
Arthouse Cinema
While Romania has one of Europe’s lowest number of screens per capita, Cluj has supported the revival of its city-centre cinemas, and now boasts the country’s strongest network of arthouse cinema theatres.
Among them, Victoria and Arta are recognised for the quality of their programming, and are part of Europe’s largest cinema network, Europa Cinemas.
Film Production
Cluj invests in films & series development. Cluj Innovation Park manages a creative infrastructure with the largest film studio for cinema and TV in Transylvania, office space, music studios, a conference centre, a CGI Lab. Culturepreneurs hub is also equipped with a CGI & VFX lab, allowing trainees to use state-of-the-art facilities. A Regional film fund is under development, the first of its kind in Romania, supporting the local film industry, providing financial & in kind support and attracting international co-productions.
Film Education
Cluj supports projects fostering film culture amongst its youngest viewers. The city supports the development of a film and media education curriculum in schools, carried out by the Transilvania Intl Film Fest, as well as the Cluj School Network, a 35-school partnership in the Cluj metropolitan area, initiated by the Cluj Cultural Centre, hosting artist residencies and training programmes for kids, parents, teachers and school managers.
Capacity Building
Cluj aims at building capacity in local human resources for the audiovisual sector and key partner sectors - tech, education, business and culture. The city supports key programmes such as Culturepreneurs, an entrepreneurial education programme for film creatives & creative industries professionals bringing together talents to develop intersectoral collaboration and Let’s Go Digital, a film production training programme for highschoolers.
Latest News
Pasolini 100 in Cluj The Italian Cultural Institute in Bucharest, in partnership with Victoria Cinema Cluj, are presenting a retrospective in homage to iconic… Read more
High school students from Cluj start studying film Transilvania International Film Fest is set to start Cinema Class in high schools in Cluj. The programme will run through… Read more
A record-breaking edition for TIFF 2022 The 21st edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival set a new record in the history of the event. The… Read more
Submissions now open for the 22nd edition of Transylvania IFF Submissions for the 22nd edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival are now open. The festival will take place in… Read more
Recent Filming
Want to find out more about Cluj-Napoca?
Discover more about Cluj-Napoca's work with fellow Cities of Film and Creative Cities on the International Collaboration pages.
Visit the Cluj-Napoca City of Film website for the latest on activity in Cluj-Napoca.