Romanian Film Festival UK 2026

A celebration of powerful stories, outstanding filmmakers and the richness of Romanian culture!

Time & Location:

2–7 December 2026:

Curzon Mayfair, 38 Curzon St, London W1J 7TY

Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 5DY

28–29 November 2026: Firstsite, Lewis Gardens, High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1JH

About the event

The Romanian Film Festival UK 2026, organised by ReelON Media Ltd and the Art Acord Cultural Association, with funding from the Department for Romanians Everywhere (DRP), is coordinated by Manuela R. Morar, Festival Director, and Alexandru Gherman, Artistic Director.

Building on a tradition of more than two decades of promoting Romanian cinema in London, the Romanian Film Festival UK returns for its second edition, presenting a diverse programme of films, ranging from the winner of the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival to a special 20th-anniversary screening of a landmark Romanian film that received the prestigious Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Taking place in Colchester (28–29 November) and London (2–7 December), the festival will showcase some of the most significant works of Romanian cinema in both cities. Six of the directors featured in this year’s programme – Florin Șerban, Paul Negoescu, Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu, Corneliu Porumboiu and Tudor Giurgiu – will attend the London screenings to introduce their films and take part in post-screening Q&A sessions with audiences. They will be joined by actress Andreea Vasile.

The London screenings will take place at Curzon Mayfair and Curzon Soho, while Firstsite Gallery in Colchester will host three special screenings ahead of the London programme.

PROGRAMME:

London Festival Programme:

Wednesday, 2 December, 6:40 PM -Opening Night

You Don't Belong Here (Original title: Nu e locul tau aici), 2026, 154 mins, Directed by Florin Serban - Tickets HERE

Winner of the Golden Leopard at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, the film follows a surgeon in a provincial town who is raising his child alone and whose life is turned upside down when he makes the disturbing discovery that his son has been leading a life entirely unknown to him.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director Florin Șerban.

Thursday, 3 December, 6:20 PM

On Our Own (Original title: De capul nostru), 2026, 94 mins, Directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu - Tickets HERE

Winner of the CICAE Art Cinema Award in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival, the film explores the emotional world of Flavia, a 14-year-old girl growing up largely on her own while her parents work in Italy. In their absence, she builds a family of her own, surrounding herself with people whose lives intersect with hers.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director Tudor Cristian Jurgiu.

Friday, 4 December, 6:20 PM

3 Days in September (Original title: 3 zile în septembrie), 2026, 75 mins, Directed by Tudor Giurgiu - Tickets HERE

A romantic comedy with darkly humorous undertones, the film was shot on the Romanian Black Sea coast in a single continuous take lasting 65 minutes. The feature had its world premiere in the Limelight section of the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director Tudor Giurgiu alongside actress Andreea Vasile.

Saturday, 5 December, 6 PM – 20th Anniversary Screening

12:08 East of Bucharest (Original title: A fost sau n-a fost?), 2006, 89 mins, Directed by Corneliu Porumboiu - Tickets HERE

Twenty years after its release, the film, winner of the Caméra d’Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, remains one of the defining works of the Romanian New Wave. A local talk show host organizes an alcoholic professor and a pensioner known for playing Santa Claus to decide whether there was ever a revolution in their town Vaslui.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director Corneliu Porumboiu.

Sunday, 6 December, 2:40 PM

Atlas of the Universe (Original title: Atlasul Universului), 2026, 85 mins, Directed by Paul Negoescu, CERT U - Tickets HERE

Sunday begins with a family matinee screening of Atlas of the Universe (85 min., 2026), directed by Paul Negoescu.

Awarded a Special Mention in the Generation Kplus section of the Berlinale, the film marks a milestone for Romanian cinema as the first Romanian children's film to receive an award at the festival. The screening will be followed by a discussion with director Paul Negoescu.

Sunday, 6 December, 5:20 PM – special screening

Reconstruction (Original title: Reconstituirea), 1968, 100 mins, Directed by Lucian Pintilie, CERT 12 - Tickets HERE

In the evening, the classics programme continues with a rare special screening of Reconstruction (100 min., 1968), the masterpiece by director Lucian Pintilie. Selected for the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 1970 Cannes Film Festival, the film was voted the greatest Romanian film of all time in a 2008 poll of Romanian film critics. A prosecutor, policemen and teacher bring the students Vuica and Nicu to a restaurant to re-enact their drunken brawl there, and have it filmed to show the effects of alcoholism.

The screening will be introduced by Corneliu Porumboiu.

Monday, 7 December, 6:00 PM – Closing Night

Transit Times , 2026, 131 mins, Directed by Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu, Unrated - Tickets HERE

The film portrays a family in Chișinău struggling to survive amid the social and political turmoil of the 1990s. The film is a co-production by Mobra Films, founded by Palme d’Or-winning director Cristian Mungiu, and had its world premiere in the CineCoPro competition at Filmfest München 2026.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with director Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu and cinematographer Javier Palicio.