Filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov will be present at this year’s edition of Films de Cannes à Bucarest, the organizers of the festival announced.
The director, known for films that challenge authority and explore the complex tensions between individual desire and societal constraints, will meet local audiences at the festival, which will screen two of his films in its Focus section.
The Disappearance of Josef Mengele, starring August Diehl, follows the life of the controversial SS doctor from Auschwitz after he escapes from Europe at the end of World War II. Mengele takes refuge in South America and attempts to build a new identity, living in hiding for years. The film follows both his efforts to evade the authorities and his relationship with his family, particularly his son. It is told largely from Mengele’s perspective, without turning the character into a romanticized figure.
Tchaikovsky’s Wife focuses on Antonina Miliukova, the young woman who marries Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky for love, only for their marriage to quickly turn into a devastating obsession. Serebrennikov reconstructs their relationship in 19th-century Russia, placing particular emphasis on Antonina’s obsession and the psychological toll of the relationship. The film was included in the Official Competition at Cannes in 2022.
India Hair Mobra Films
The Bucharest public will also be able to meet French actress India Hair, known for her versatile roles in film, television, and theatre. In 2021, she was nominated for a César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in Poissonsexe. The audience will be able to see her in Marvellous Mornings and Parallel Tales, and attend discussions with the actress following selected screenings.
Marvellous Mornings, the directorial debut of Avril Besson, unfolds partly as a road movie set to disco music. Charlie sets out to deliver a box of vinyl records to a mysterious dancer. The journey brings back memories of his mother’s dance steps and introduces him to Marina, a charming waitress who dreams of a life beyond the small-town pizzeria where she works.
Parallel Tales, directed by Asghar Farhadi, centers on Sylvie, a celebrated writer in search of inspiration who is fascinated by the lives of her neighbours across the street. When she hires a mysterious man named Adam as her assistant, her life begins to unravel.
More films screening at 2026 edition
The festival announced an additional series of films that will be screened at its upcoming edition.
Club Kid, the directorial debut of Jordan Firstman, premiered at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section, where it received a seven-minute standing ovation. The film follows the life of a party promoter from New York’s club scene whose world is turned upside down by the arrival of his 10-year-old son, whom he never knew existed. The cast includes Jordan Firstman, Cara Delevingne, and Diego Calva.
Amarga Navidad, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, tells the story of Elsa, a commercial director who, following her mother’s death, throws herself into work to cope with her grief. Meanwhile, screenwriter and director Raúl Durán is writing a screenplay inspired by Elsa’s life, creating a metacinematic game in which fiction and reality intertwine.
In El ser querido, Rodrigo Sorogoyen brings to the fore the confrontation between Esteban Martínez (Javier Bardem), a celebrated director haunted by a violent past, and his daughter Emilia (Vicky Luengo), whom he has not seen in more than a decade. Their reunion on a film set rekindles old resentments and brings buried wounds and unfulfilled expectations to the surface.
Paper Tiger, directed by James Gray, is a crime drama about two brothers who see an opportunity to make money in 1980s Queens, only to become entangled in a deal with the Russian mafia. The situation quickly spirals out of control, putting their family in danger and testing the brothers’ bond to its limits. The cast includes Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller.
Histoires de la nuit, directed by Léa Mysius, follows Nora, Thomas, and their daughter Ida, who live on an isolated farm with only one neighbor, an Italian painter. As everyone prepares to throw Nora a surprise birthday party, three men appear near the house and eventually invite themselves to the celebration. Their presence brings long-hidden secrets to light.
L’Inconnue, directed by Arthur Harari, is the story of a solitary photographer who meets a mysterious woman and spends the night with her. The next morning, he wakes up in her body and discovers that another woman has taken over his own. The two set out to find an explanation and try to discover whether anyone else has experienced the same phenomenon.
Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest takes place between October 23 and November 1.
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