Solidarity on Screen: The Polish Presidency Film Review at the Transilvania International Film Festival

Founded in 2002, the Transilvania International Film Festival is the first and largest international film festival in Romania and one of the most important film events in the region, with over 100,000 participants at each edition. The festival takes place every year in the heart of Transylvania, in Cluj-Napoca, a modern city with a rich history. Since 2021, thanks to Transilvania IFF, Cluj-Napoca is part of the UNESCO City of Film network. Open to the general public as well as industry professionals, the Transilvania International Film Festival shows over 250 films and its programme includes cine-concerts, concerts, as well as art exhibitions and meeting opportunities between filmmakers and the Romanian audiences.  

Programme: 

• “Man of Marble”, dir. Andrzej Wajda, 1976  

This remarkable film by Wajda explores how truth can be fabricated through film—and, conversely, how cinema can dismantle a carefully constructed lie. It also serves as an essential entry point for understanding the origins of NSZZ Solidarność.
Screening:  Friday 13, venue: Sapientia, 14:15

• “A Year in the Life of the Country”, dir. Tomasz Wolski, 2024  

A powerful documentary that demonstrates how historical movements can be re-examined and revived through montage, bringing clarity and renewed attention. It builds on what we see in Man of Marble and takes the viewer inside the movement that followed.
Screenings: Friday 13, venue: Cercul Militar, 15:45  and Monday 16, venue: Cinema Arta, 10:00

• “Escape from ‘Liberty’ Cinema”, dir. Wojciech Marczewski, 1990  

Moving forward in time, this film delves into the idea of solidarity through the voices of actors in an era when censorship had reached a breaking point.
Screening: Friday 13, venue: Cinema Arta, 14:30

• “Imago”, dir. Olga Chajdas, 2023 

A portrait of a generation of women torn between two regimes, struggling with self-acceptance and finding their voice. Art becomes an expression of unrest and, ultimately, a means of escape, understanding, and reconciliation.
Guest: Olga Chajdas
Screenings: Monday 16, venue: Cercul Militar, 20:45  and Thursday 19: venue: Sapientia, 12:15  

• “Letters from Wolf Street”, dir. Arjun Talwar 

A newly released documentary that just premiered at the Berlinale. Through the perspective of a young Indian director who moves to Warsaw, the film explores the challenge of making a foreign place feel like home – only to realize that true belonging comes from understanding the people around you. The story resonates on multiple levels, reinforcing the core message of this selection: that solidarity is a universal concept.
Guest: Arjun Talwar
Screenings:  Monday 16, venue: Cinema Arta, 22:00 and Wednesday 18, venue: Cinema Arta, 14:30

Partners: Transylvania International Film Festival, Polish Institute in Bukarest, Institutul Cultural Roman