Retrospective Oriente Vzhod / Occidente Zahod – Border In Film and History in Romania

Located near the borders of Serbia and Hungary, Timișoara in Romania has long been a meeting point of languages, cultures, and identities. With its rich multicultural heritage—Romanian, Hungarian, German, Serbian, and others—it reflects many of the themes at the heart of our retrospective Oriente Vzhod / Occidente Zahod – Border In Film and History. In a city where coexistence and diversity are deeply woven into the urban fabric, the questions of borders, memory, and identity are not just historical—they are part of everyday life.

Timișoara was one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2023, and as such, shares with Gorizia and Nova Gorica the experience of how culture – and especially film – can open spaces for dialogue, reflection, and community connection. Our host and partner in the city is Ceau Cinema, an important local initiative dedicated to independent cinema and cultural dialogue. In addition to the popular film festival, they also participated in the Cinema Timiș project, which revives the legacy of historical cinemas in the city. In recent years, we have built strong ties – Ceau Cinema was a partner organization at the Poklon viziji festival organized by Kinoatelje, while Kinoatelje collaborated as a partner at the Ceau Cinema! festival in Timișoara. We are united by a shared commitment to film culture and the belief that cinema opens space for reflection and exchange. We are therefore particularly pleased to return to Timișoara with the retrospective.

The programme presented in Timișoara from April 25 to 27 brings together a vibrant selection of films from Slovenia and Italy, past and present. It opens with Karpo Godina’s cult classic Red Boogie (1982), followed on Saturday by two postwar border tales—Hearts Without Borders (1950) by Luigi Zampa and One Fine Day (1962) by France Štiglic. Sunday offers a powerful finale with two poetic explorations of womanhood and loss: Small Body (2021) by Laura Samani and Stories from the Chestnut Woods (2019) by Gregor Božič.