Cluj, Romania 2003

Abstract

TRANSYLVANIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CLUJ, ROMANIA 2003 Last year, the 1st Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) in Cluj (aka Cluj Napoca, to cite its Roman origin), situated in the northwestern corner of Romania near the Hungarian border, was greeted with enthusiasm by both public and visitors. The large home crowd, composed mostly of students from several universities and cultural institutions, had only one complaint: the festival, scheduled during the first week of June, happened to take place smack in the middle of school exams. Couldn't a better date on the calendar be found? As for the run of guests and tourists, they bothered Tudor Giurgiu, festival founder and director, almost daily with the same nagging question: "Where's Dracula's Castle, and how do I get there?" There were no complaints, however, in regard to the entries booked by critic Mihai Cherilov. Altogether, 45 films were programmed in two venues, with a...