ARCS Project

Romanian Film Festival Seattle - 12th Edition
2025-11-07 19:00 - 2025-11-09 20:00 UTC | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
https://arcsproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/RFF25-trailer-small.mp4
Tickets and passes on sale now!The Romanian Film Festival in Seattle returns for its 12th edition November 7-9 at SIFF Cinema Uptown, an important cultural setting and promoter of European film. The Cultural Association Control N (based in Romania) is joining ARCS for a second year as co-organizer of the film festival, working as a bridge between Romanian filmmakers and the American public.
This year’s theme, Unifying Stories, illustrates the breadth of our shared human experiences touching on ideas of ambition, ethical dilemmas, and displacement, alongside funny struggles spiced with the proverbial dark Romanian humor. The festival will continue to showcase the best of the newest film productions across genres from Romania and the Republic of Moldova, promoting outstanding directors and actors, both established and up-and-coming. Our special guests this year are directors Tudor Giurgiu and Natalia Shaufert, and cinematographer Boróka Biró.
Launched in 2014 in order to promote Romanian film to diverse American audience, including the Romanian diaspora in Washington State, the festival has grown over the past 11 years, becoming one of the most important events of its kind on the west coast, a platform for facilitating access to the most recent internationally awarded Romanian films and for Romanian filmmakers, directors, actors and producers, attending the festival.
The festival is organized with the support of 4Culture.
In the meantime, please support our fundraising efforts. The longevity of this festival is a testament that its success relies on your support. Your donations will help us pay for rental fees, event insurance, publicity, distribution rights, as well as for lodging and travel expenses for our guests.
We welcome sponsors! Check out our sponsor package here.
Check out volunteer opportunities here.
Festival Official Partners and Co-organizers:

Festival Institutional Partner:
Supporting Sponsors:

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FilmsTickets and Passes

Fundraising Campaign
Thank you for your generosity! Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover costs associated with programming, publicity, technical support and film distribution rights. We will keep the fundraising campaign open on our website and Facebook.
Raised$18,570Goal$20,000

How much would you like to donate?(Required)

$25 Many ThanksWe will integrate a special thank you credit on our website.

$50 Festival FriendSpecial thank you credit on our website!

$100 Festival SupporterSpecial thank you credit on our website and free access to two films showing at the festival.

$250 Festival BenefactorSpecial thank you credit on our website and free access to four films showing at the festival.

$500 Festival AmbassadorSpecial thank you credit on our website and free access to eight films showing at the festival, thank you credit after the each film screening and special thank you credit on our website (with your company logo, if applicable).

$1,000 Supporting SponsorWe are offering up to three full festival passes, credit before the screenings, special thank you credit on our website with your logo and link to your website.

$5,000 Festival Official Partner and Co-OrganizerWe are offering up to five full festival passes, credit before the screenings, special thank you credit as a festival official partner and co-organizer on our website with your logo and link to your website.
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American Romanian Cultural Society1931 E Lynn StSeattle, WA 98112

TrailerThe Moromete Family 3: Father and Sonby Stere Gulea
7:00pm, November 7Q&A with producer Tudor Giurgiu
2024, Drama, 112 min(Romania)

The year 1954 puts Niculae Moromete to the test: the tumultuous love affair with a married woman, the crisis of political conscience and the loss of confidence in the literary...
The year 1954 puts Niculae Moromete to the test: the tumultuous love affair with a married woman, the crisis of political conscience and the loss of confidence in the literary guild overwhelm him. The providential appearance in his life of a young poet offers him a way out of his professional and personal dilemmas, inspiring him to publish the novel The Moromete Family.
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TrailerThe Spruce Forest (US Premiere)by Tudor Giurgiu
12:00pm, November 8Q&A with director Tudor Giurgiu
2025, Hybrid documentary, 75min(Romania)

This gripping hybrid documentary, the latest film by renowned director Tudor Giurgiu, recreates the struggles faced by a Romanian community in Bassarabia while under Soviet occupation during World War II....
This gripping hybrid documentary, the latest film by renowned director Tudor Giurgiu, recreates the struggles faced by a Romanian community in Bassarabia while under Soviet occupation during World War II. A dramatic separation of a young couple becomes the least of their problems when the wife and two little girls are deported to Siberia, and the young husband escapes to Romania crushed by the guilt of losing the loved ones. Yet, the unfathomable happens and the two meet later in life. It is through the mastery of the actors who perform the theatrical reenactment that the story is revived and becomes a comment on our own times.
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TrailerHigh School Thievesby Tudor Petremarin
2:10pm, November 8
2024, Comedy drama, 110 min(Romania)

In order to fulfill their dreams, four teenagers decide to make money by selling the SAT prompts online.Sofi wants to raise money to pay for her college in Switzerland, Alex...
In order to fulfill their dreams, four teenagers decide to make money by selling the SAT prompts online.Sofi wants to raise money to pay for her college in Switzerland, Alex dreams to build his own recording studio, Amalia seek to impress her senator father, and Tomiță looks for an adventure.Everything is going well until they are all forced to face the reality around them and the consequences of their actions.
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TrailerInk Washby Sarra Tsorakidis
4:25pm, November 8
2024, Drama, 90 min(Romania, Greece, Denmark)

Seeking shelter in her work from the pain of a breakup, Lena, a painter turning 40, is commissioned to decorate a brutalist hotel nestled in the depths of a Romanian...
Seeking shelter in her work from the pain of a breakup, Lena, a painter turning 40, is commissioned to decorate a brutalist hotel nestled in the depths of a Romanian forest. There, where the Danube ends its course in seemingly miraculous springs, Lena’s moral views are confronted with an overwhelmingly corrupted community. The beautiful cinematography records the subtle interaction between landscape, human sensibility, and art.
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TrailerThe Dreamby Cătălin Saizescu
6:20pm, November 8
2023, Comedy drama, 136 min(Romania)

Alex, a downcast actor facing both romantic and professional failure, starts an unusual creative project: staging Pyramus and Thisbe (from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream) inside a prison. What begins as...
Alex, a downcast actor facing both romantic and professional failure, starts an unusual creative project: staging Pyramus and Thisbe (from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream) inside a prison. What begins as an artistic experiment evolves into a transformative experience for the inmates, culminating in an unexpected moment where art, hope, and escape collide in front of a live audience.
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TrailerTWST: Things We Said Todayby Andrei Ujică
11:25am, November 9
2024, Hybrid documentary, 85 min(Romania, France)

By famous documentarist Andrei Ujică, TWST takes as its starting point the arrival of the Beatles in New York for their August 1965 concert at Shea Stadium, and as its...
By famous documentarist Andrei Ujică, TWST takes as its starting point the arrival of the Beatles in New York for their August 1965 concert at Shea Stadium, and as its title a Beatles song that already anticipates a time when the present moment will have become a haunting past, neither retrievable nor forgettable. But the frame of reference steadily broadens. Adjacent realities of 1965 are juxtaposed—the New York World’s Fair, the Watts riots filtering through from the East Coast on television. It becomes a cinematic poem of that generation embedded in its own history.
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TrailerComatogenby Igor Cobileanski
1:00pm, November 9
2024, Drama, 110 min(Romania, Moldova)

Trying to get money to cover a debt for her son, who is in danger of going to prison, Alina, a nurse, faces an unexpected ethical problem. In a city...
Trying to get money to cover a debt for her son, who is in danger of going to prison, Alina, a nurse, faces an unexpected ethical problem. In a city of social disparities, the rich have neither time nor empathy for the poor, while the poor cannot afford resisting financial temptations. Will Alina give in and abandon her faith and morality?
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TrailerMoldovan Talesby Vlad Bolgarin, Evgheni Dudceac, Adriana Vasilcov, Ioana Vatamanu-Mărgineanu, Natalia Shaufert
3:30pm, November 9Q&A with director Natalia Shaufert
2024, Comedy, 104 min (Moldova)

A diverse and hilarious cast of characters in contemporary Moldova encounters surprising opportunities and obstacles through a series of unexpected adventures, all capturing the essence of humor, struggles, and spirit...
A diverse and hilarious cast of characters in contemporary Moldova encounters surprising opportunities and obstacles through a series of unexpected adventures, all capturing the essence of humor, struggles, and spirit of both rural and urban life.
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TrailerThe New Year That Never Cameby Bogdan Mureșanu
6:00pm, November 9Q&A with cinematographer Boróka Biró
2024, Comedy drama, 138 min(Romania, Serbia)

Six people find themselves in the eye of the storm without realizing it, as Ceaușescu's regime is on its last legs. A TV director has to find a way to...
Six people find themselves in the eye of the storm without realizing it, as Ceaușescu's regime is on its last legs. A TV director has to find a way to save his New Year’s show after the key actress defects. The solution lies with a distressed theatre actress who can’t reach her ex-boyfriend in Timișoara. Meanwhile the director’s son, a student, plans to flee to Yugoslavia by swimming across the Danube. Watching the son is an officer of the Securitate secret police, who struggles to move his mother from her soon-to-be-demolished house to a new apartment she cannot stand. The move is being executed by a factory worker, who panics after his son writes a letter to Santa Claus revealing that his father wants Ceaușescu dead. All these lives, under constant and invisible surveillance by the Securitate, converge in Bodgan Mureșanu’s tragicomedy.
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Guests
Tudor GiurgiuMember of the European Film Academy, Tudor Giurgiu is the founder and President of the Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), the most prestigious film-related event in Romania. His directorial debut feature Love Sick was selected in Panorama section of 2006 Berlinale and awarded in several int’l festivals. His short Superman, Spiderman or Batman (2011) won Best European Short at the 2012 edition of European Film Academy Awards. Tudor’s 2nd feature, Of Snails and Men, was awarded in Warsaw IFF and Valladolid IFF. Why Me?, an unsettling legal thriller based on a real case of corruption in present-day Romania, premiered in 2015 Berlinale Panorama. His most recent films are Libertate / Freedom (2023), a story inspired by real events that happened during the Romanian Revolution and Nasty (2024), a documentary about the Romanian tennis legend Ilie Năstase co-directed alongside Cristian Pascariu and Tudor D. Popescu, which premiered as a Special Screening at Festival de Cannes in 2024.
Natalia ShaufertNatalia Shaufert is a Moldovan-American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. She is a graduate alumnus of the Dramatic Writing Department at New York University 2025. She writes slightly distorted real-life stories that emphasize, hyperbolize and satirize societal dilemmas and tragic, man-made fates. Nataliaholds a film degree and an MFA in Directing animation from Academy of Arts in Moldova. She has been internationally awarded for her films Ana, Mother Nature, You and Me, and Resentment.
Boróka BiróBoróka Biró is a Bucharest-based emerging cinematographer and alumna of the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” (MA). She is a Berlinale Talents 2021 and Sarajevo Talents 2017 alumna. She began her career in the camera department during her studies, quickly advancing from focus puller to camera operator, contributing to acclaimed productions such as Sieranevada (dir. Cristi Puiu), Touch Me Not (dir. Adina Pintilie), and Wednesday (dir. Tim Burton, Netflix). Her feature debut as a cinematographer, It Takes Two to Fence (dir. Andrei Gheorghe), premiered at Mons International Film Festival and earned her the Young Hope Award at the Gopo Gala for cinematography. Most recently, she lensed Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year That Never Came, which had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won Best Film in the Orizzonti section, the FIPRESCI Award, and the Bisato d’Oro Award for Best Screenplay. For her work, Boróka received the Premio Autrici Under 40 “Valentina Pedicini” Special Mention for cinematography.
Moderators
Artur ErhanArtur is a Seattle-based screenwriter, film and music-videos director. Artur graduated from the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts of Moldova, with a degree in Cinematic Arts. He is a former "TIFF Transilvania Pitch Stop Screenplay" winner (KAZIMIR - 2025), "Final Draft Big Break" finalist (NIGHT LIGHT - 2025), and "Write A Screenplay For..." (CIULEANDRA - 2023). He is currently working on a number of projects with filmmakers from Romania, Moldova, and the United States. His latest film "HOTARUL / (THE WALL)" that he wrote and produced, is set to be released in February 2026.

Ileana Marin, Ph.D.Ileana Marin teaches interdisciplinary courses at the University of Washington in Seattle and at the Center of Excellence in Image Studies at the University of Bucharest. Her long-standing academic career on both sides of the ocean has given her the opportunity to establish contacts between Romanian and American scholars, artists, and institutions. She, thus, initiated the first UW Exploration Seminar to Romania, and to Eastern Europe, and opened the fund for Romanian Studies, hoping that Romanian language will be taught regularly in Seattle. With a BA in Romanian and a PhD. in Comparative Literature from the University of Bucharest (2000), and one in Textual Studies from the UW (2011), Ileana is a strong believer in the power of education and bilingualism. In ARCS, she advocates the expansion of the Romanian language programs in the US and for disseminating the most recent Romanian cultural achievements. On her agenda as president, Ileana Marin has two major tasks: board development and recruitment to ensure the successful implementation of ARCS mission through meaningful programs.
Otilia Baraboi, Ph.D.Before coming to Seattle in 2000 from Romania, Otilia worked as a literary journalist and published short-fiction, translations and articles. She holds university degrees in French and English literatures from Romania, Switzerland, and the US. She has a Ph.D. on the politics of translation from the University of Washington, where she taught French language and literature for 17 years, and where she is currently co-teaching a course on Romanian literature and film. In 2013, she co-founded ARCS and was President of the Board for five years before becoming ARCS’ first Executive Director. For Otilia, ARCS has been a wonderful opportunity to remain connected with the vibrant culture of her birthplace, while contributing to the artistic and cultural vitality of the Pacific Northwest. As part of her work, Otilia has been managing the Romanian Film Festival in Seattle and ARCS community-based school for Romanian heritage students, as well as more than 300 cultural and educational events over the past 9 years. Her priorities are to create sustainable, community-building programs and partnerships, as well as develop ARCS' brand identity in accordance with its mission and values. Most of all, Otilia hopes that her work will have a direct, long-lasting impact on the ways in which future generations will define, celebrate and pass on their heritage. Otilia is also the President of the Ethnic Heritage Council of the Pacific Northwest and a board member of Romanian United Fund.

SupportersPrivate donors Supporting sponsor · $1,000 and more

Cosmin and Elena Catrinescu

Tracy Sharpe and Roxana Arama

Mihai and Gabriela Aluaș

Alexandrina Măicăneanu and Radu Simionescu

Festival ambassador · $500 and more

Otilia & Tudor Baraboi

Mary Sherhart

Cătălin and Raluca Olteanu

Betty and Jeff Gossett

Vasi Rusu

Nick Voicu

Irina and Ola Mork

Ana and Radu Băcioiu

Adrian Potra

Luana and Marian Stănescu

Gabriela and Teodora Ghizilă

Festival benefactor · $250 and more

Dana Cozmei

Ileana Marin

Anca and Catalin Zaharia

Marius Bunescu

Andrei Zlati

Ramona and Marian Pungan

Roxana Teodorescu

Claudiu and Dana Raileanu

Anonymous

Andrei Marinescu

Gabriel and Raluca Hera

Festival supporter · $100 and more

Michele Anciaux Aoki

Rebecca Carpenter

Ionela Popescu

Carmen Rautu

Helene Kaplan

Smaranda Lieuallen

Elena Boris

Cristian and Ana Maria Ilac

Horatiu Dicher

Zachariah Wolfe

Elena Apreutesei

In honor of Ana Bacioiu

Elizabeta Iliescu

Festival friend · $50 and more

Linda Morris

Lena Stavig

In honor Ana Bacioiu

Cristina Sega

Special Thanks · $25 and more

Florin Teodorescu

Happy Hour
2025-10-27 19:00 | Pizzeria La Rocca, 8404 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103
Happy Hour at Pizzeria La Rocca
We're kicking off the countdown to the Romanian Film Festival Seattle at Pizzeria La Rocca! Join us for a laid-back evening of drinks and film talk.Share your most anticipated films, chat themes and get ready for an exciting new edition of the film festival.
📌October 27 at 7pm Pizzeria La Rocca8404 Greenwood Ave NSeattle, WA 98103 RSVP Here

Exploring Our Parents' Childhood
2025-10-26 09:00 - 10:30 | Online
ARCS is thrilled to partner with the National Museum of Romanian Literature in Iași for a new series of virtual events. This first event will be part virtual tour, part book discussion of the anthology Lucruri mărunte. Copilăria în comunism (Small things. The childhood during communism) This 2023 FILIT editorial project brought together 22 Romanian authors to share a story about one of the objects on display at the Museum of the Childhood during Communism. We invite children in the Romanian diaspora who are interested in learning more about what a typical childhood looked like in communist Romania. If you're interested in reading some of the text, please let us know. However, it is Not a requirement for attending the event! *The virtual tour will be mostly in Romanian, while the discussion will be bilingual. Romanian proficiency is not required! We will accommodate any questions in English during the discussion portion. All are welcome! Please register below and join us for a thoughtful conversation about the recent past and the joy of reading. Participants will receive a zoom link the day before the event.

Eastern Europe in Translation
2025-10-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Private: Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98103
Join us October 15th for a book signing and discussion with Romanian-American translator and poet Monica Cure.She will present her most recent translation of "Too Great a Sky" a novel by Liliana Corobca, as well as the anthology "Cigarettes Until Tomorrow", with her poetry translation of Adela Greceanu.A limited number of books will be available for sale.📌October 15 at 6pm Good Shepherd Center4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Room 221Seattle, WA 98103 RSVP Here
Too Great a Sky, written by Liliana Corobca, translated by Monica Cure, and published by Seven Stories Press, recounts the deportation of Romanians from Bucovina by the Soviets during World War II. It is an exercise in historical memory which demonstrates how to maintain humanity in impossible conditions. The story centers on Ana Baljinschi as she recounts her life to her great grand-daughter. Ana was eleven when the Soviet soldiers sent...
Too Great a Sky, written by Liliana Corobca, translated by Monica Cure, and published by Seven Stories Press, recounts the deportation of Romanians from Bucovina by the Soviets during World War II. It is an exercise in historical memory which demonstrates how to maintain humanity in impossible conditions. The story centers on Ana Baljinschi as she recounts her life to her great grand-daughter. Ana was eleven when the Soviet soldiers sent her and her mother from Bucovina, Romania, to Kazakhstan. She recounts surviving the three week long journey via train. The trip is a harsh, humiliating one, but in spite of the closeness of death, life persists in the boxcar in the form of story-telling, riddles, ritual, and even humor. This survival continues in the harsh steppe of Kazakhstan through faith, love, and generosity, and returns to her what she lost at the end of the novel. Her story, told with unflinching candor, is a chronicle of a life lived during a time of great political and national change, a story of an existence defined and curtailed by lines drawn on a map.
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Too Great a Sky, scris de Liliana Corobca, tradus de Monica Cure și publicat de Seven Stories Press, povestește deportarea românilor din Bucovina de către sovietici în timpul celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial. Este un exercițiu de memorie istorică care arată cum se poate păstra umanitatea în condiții imposibile. Povestea o are în centru pe Ana Baljinschi, care își povestește viața strănepoatei sale. Ana avea unsprezece ani când soldații sovietici...
Too Great a Sky, scris de Liliana Corobca, tradus de Monica Cure și publicat de Seven Stories Press, povestește deportarea românilor din Bucovina de către sovietici în timpul celui de-al Doilea Război Mondial. Este un exercițiu de memorie istorică care arată cum se poate păstra umanitatea în condiții imposibile. Povestea o are în centru pe Ana Baljinschi, care își povestește viața strănepoatei sale. Ana avea unsprezece ani când soldații sovietici au trimis-o pe ea și pe mama ei din Bucovina, România, în Kazahstan. Ea povestește cum a supraviețuit călătoriei de trei săptămâni cu trenul. Drumul a fost dur și umilitor, dar, în ciuda apropierii morții, viața persistă în vagonul de marfă sub forma poveștilor, ghicitorilor, ritualurilor și chiar a umorului. Această supraviețuire continuă în stepa aspră a Kazahstanului prin credință, iubire și generozitate, aducând-o la sfârșitul romanului înapoi la ceea ce a pierdut. Povestea ei, spusă cu o sinceritate necruțătoare, este o cronică a unei vieți trăite într-o perioadă de mari schimbări politice și naționale, o poveste despre o existență definită și limitată de liniile trasate pe hartă.
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The anthology of Romanian poetry Cigarettes Until Tomorrow was published by Two Line Press as part of their biannual Calico Series, which offers the voices of previously inaccessible, highly innovative writers from around the world today. The anthology features translations of poetry by eight contemporary Romanian poets, each by a different translator. With black humor and in cutting, contemporary language, the poets assemble a series of profound moments from their...
The anthology of Romanian poetry Cigarettes Until Tomorrow was published by Two Line Press as part of their biannual Calico Series, which offers the voices of previously inaccessible, highly innovative writers from around the world today. The anthology features translations of poetry by eight contemporary Romanian poets, each by a different translator. With black humor and in cutting, contemporary language, the poets assemble a series of profound moments from their daily lives and explore themes of language, technology, and memory. Adela Greceanu’s poems, translated by Monica Cure, come from the collection Words Are Also a Province. The lyrical poems have a prose-like quality and are spoken or viewed through the subjectivity of Adila, the poet’s alter-ego, focusing on the marginalized, in life as well as language.
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Antologia de poezie română Cigarettes Until Tomorrow a fost publicată de Two Lines Press ca parte a seriei lor bienale Calico Series, care prezintă vocile unor autori extrem de inovatori, anterior inaccesibili, din întreaga lume. Antologia include traduceri ale poeziei a opt poeți contemporani români, fiecare realizată de un translator diferit. Cu umor negru și un limbaj tăios, contemporan, poeții alcătuiesc o serie de momente profunde din viața lor cotidiană...
Antologia de poezie română Cigarettes Until Tomorrow a fost publicată de Two Lines Press ca parte a seriei lor bienale Calico Series, care prezintă vocile unor autori extrem de inovatori, anterior inaccesibili, din întreaga lume. Antologia include traduceri ale poeziei a opt poeți contemporani români, fiecare realizată de un translator diferit. Cu umor negru și un limbaj tăios, contemporan, poeții alcătuiesc o serie de momente profunde din viața lor cotidiană și explorează teme precum limbajul, tehnologia și memoria. Poeziile Adelei Greceanu, traduse de Monica Cure, fac parte din volumul Și cuvintele sînt o provincie. Poeziile lirice au o calitate aproape prozastică și sunt exprimate sau privite prin prisma subiectivității Adelei, alter-ego-ul poetei, concentrându-se asupra celor marginalizați, atât în viață, cât și în limbaj.
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Monica Cure is a Romanian-American poet, translator, and dialogue specialist. She is a two-time Fulbright grantee and has a doctorate in comparative literature from the University of Southern California. Her poems have appeared internationally in journals such as Poetry Northwest, Poet Lore, and Graywolf Lab. Her poetry translations likewise have been published internationally in Kenyon Review, Modern Poetry in Translation, Asymptote, and elsewhere. She won the 2023 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize...
Monica Cure is a Romanian-American poet, translator, and dialogue specialist. She is a two-time Fulbright grantee and has a doctorate in comparative literature from the University of Southern California. Her poems have appeared internationally in journals such as Poetry Northwest, Poet Lore, and Graywolf Lab. Her poetry translations likewise have been published internationally in Kenyon Review, Modern Poetry in Translation, Asymptote, and elsewhere. She won the 2023 Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize for her translation of Liliana Corobca’s novel The Censor’s Notebook (Seven Stories Press). Her most recent translations are the novel Too Great a Sky by Liliana Corobca (Seven Stories Press, shortlisted for the 2025 EBRD Literature Prize) and translations of poems by Adela Greceanu in the anthology of Romanian poetry Cigarettes Until Tomorrow (Two Lines Press). She has been based in Bucharest for the last six years.
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Monica Cure este o poetă şi traducătoare româno-americană, specialistă în dialog colectiv. Şi-a făcut doctoratul în literatură comparată la University of Southern California, în Los Angeles, şi i s-a acordat în două rânduri bursa Fulbright. Poeziile ei au fost publicate în reviste precum „Poetry Northwest”, „Poet Lore” şi „Graywolf Lab” iar traducerile ei în engleză din poeți români au apărut in reviste precum „Kenyon Review”, „Modern Poetry in Translation”, şi „Asymptote”....
Monica Cure este o poetă şi traducătoare româno-americană, specialistă în dialog colectiv. Şi-a făcut doctoratul în literatură comparată la University of Southern California, în Los Angeles, şi i s-a acordat în două rânduri bursa Fulbright. Poeziile ei au fost publicate în reviste precum „Poetry Northwest”, „Poet Lore” şi „Graywolf Lab” iar traducerile ei în engleză din poeți români au apărut in reviste precum „Kenyon Review”, „Modern Poetry in Translation”, şi „Asymptote”. A câștigat Premiul de Traducere Oxford-Weidenfeld 2023 pentru traducerea romanului The Censor’s Notebook de Liliana Corobca (Seven Stories Press). Cele mai recente traduceri ale ei includ romanul Too Great a Sky de Liliana Corobca (Seven Stories Press, selectat pe lista scurtă a Premiului de Literatură EBRD 2025) și traduceri de poezii de Adela Greceanu în antologia de poezie română Cigarettes Until Tomorrow (Two Lines Press). E stabilită de şase ani în Bucureşti.
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Paris Chansons
2025-06-28 17:30 - 22:00 | The Tripple Door, 216 Union St, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States
The Paris Chansons band will be on tour at the Triple Door in Seattle! Featuring favorites from Charles Aznavour, Joe Dassin, Edith Piaf, Macias, Adamo, Patricia Kaas, Vanessa Paradis, Celine Dion, Dalida to Zaz PLUS some of the most beloved Italian & Eastern European Balkan classics! 6pm - Saturday, June 28th You can see video clips and buy your tickets HERE. Take 10% off with our special discount code: Francaise Paris Chansons is an exciting French band with an international twist based in Los Angeles! They are known for their original renditions of French favorites from Aznavour, Dassin, Piaf, Macias, Adamo, Dalida, all the way to contemporary artists like Zaz. Their exhilarating performances are punctuated with gypsy jazz standards as well as classics in Russian, Italian, and other languages. Three multilingual singers bring an unparalleled diversity to their shows. Julia Kantor, originally from the Ukraine, lived and studied in France where she discovered in French music a soul connection that still imbues every performance. She entrances from the stage with a sultry voice and dynamic presence. Together with her husband, Jacob, a Russian-born singer/songwriter, they launched Paris Chansons. Max Cohen grew up in Morocco steeped in French music, particularly the songs of Enrico Macias. Max’s rich velvety tone delivers beautifully nuanced renditions of his favorites, complete with a signature North African lilt. Superb musicianship anchors the ensemble, effortlessly moving from jazzy improvisation to slow-burning balladry to blistering gypsy fervor. All seasoned pros, the musicians are Jeff Lams on piano, Adam Cohen on upright bass, Endre Balogh on violin, Sinclair Lott on drums and Jacob Kantor on guitar. Paris Chansons takes you an a journey without leaving your seat (except, of course, to dance!), a spectacular celebration of French and international music that brings the world that much closer.

Romanian American National Heritage Award - 9th Edition
2025-06-16 00:00 - 2025-08-26 00:00
Romanian American National Heritage Awards 2025, 9th edition

The Romanian American National Heritage Award is an annual competition for high school students with Romanian heritage or background. Applicants of non-Romanian descent may qualify, as long as their work and experience relate to Romania or the Romanian community in the US.
The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the cohesion of the Romanian community and the preservation of its heritage, language, culture and traditions.
The jury involved base their decision on the national and international impact of the volunteering activity described, the candidate's academic achievements and leadership potential and tracked record, as well as their future vision for the benefit of the Romanian community, locally and beyond.
Granted by the American Romanian Cultural Society, Romanian United Foundation, FORA, and RoAm Pro. With the endorsement of the Embassy of Romania to the United States. More information about the award ceremony in September will be provided soon.
See the list of last year's winners here.

Recognition and Awards
All eligible participants will receive the official recognition of the Romanian Embassy in the United States.
In the past years the award has helped the recipients distinguish themselves in their admission process to top colleges and institutions, such as Dartmouth College, Wesleyan University, Pitzer College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Whitman College, Purdue University, UW Honors, Harvard, Cornell University and many others.
Timeline
June 16 - Submission of Applications OpensAugust 25 - Submission of Applications ClosesThe award ceremony will be in September at a date to be announced soon.
Apply HERE
Eligibility: Academic standing: Minimum unweighted High School GPA of 3.0 – or equivalent, running average for the last school year.Community and Teamwork Impact: Both individuals and teams can participate in the competition. Participation in teams is encouraged. See details in the application form.
​​Age and residence: Students must be enrolled in an educational institution in the USA and entering 8th-12th grade as of September of the competition year.
Other criteria: Applicants must have Romanian heritage or their project/experience must relate to the Romanian diaspora.There are no Romanian or US citizenship requirements. There are no fees required, this competition is entirely free to participate in, except for travel, accommodations, and any participatory or entry tickets. Your donations are highly encouraged to sustain the awards.

​Eligibility for national participantsThe top 5 winners of the regional competitions advance to the national competition.
Evaluation criteria
The following criteria will be used in the evaluation process (not all criteria are required, but they will strengthen your application):
1) Community work and leadershipThe number of volunteering hours and their visible outcome and results will be a strong factor in the evaluation. Where applicable and possible, volunteering and community work in Romania (e.g. groundbreaking projects with children, youth and seniors from underprivileged social backgrounds, or religious and ethnic minorities) will receive the jury's highest consideration. Please highlight this aspect in your application. Please provide a detailed description of your working experience, highlighting the ways in which your activity and leadership initiatives impacted the targeted community, strengthening its civic spirit and sense of unity.
2) Essay Please submit a short motivationalessay that will describe how your community work influenced your own personal growth and brought awarness to your bicultural and bilingual identity in the US. We strongly encourage applicants to model their essay from their college application essays, following a similar structure and attention to detail. The essay shall have no less than 200 words and no more than 650 words.
Optional EssaySubmit an essay under 400 words on any of these following topics: 1.a challenge that has taught you to be resilient, or 2. where do you see yourself in 10 years from now, or 3. any topic of your choice. Like with the main essay, we strongly encourage applicants to model the college application essays, following a similar structure and attention to detail.
3) Recommendations from local community leadersYour essay and recommendations (up to 2) will play an important role in the evaluation process. A formal letter is not required, a name and contact info (email and/or phone number) will be sufficient. The contest organizers will reach out to confirm the recommendations.
Romanian Heritage ConnectionApplicants of any cultural background may qualify, as long as they are able to prove their interest, work experience and connection to Romania. Examples of such proof:

Passing an officially recognized Romanian language test – where available
An essay in Romanian
Volunteer work in Romania

Beginning Romanian 1 (Adults) - Summer Course
2025-05-26 17:00 - 2025-08-01 17:00 | Online
Overview
This class is designed for students with no prior knowledge about Romanian Language, but who have been exposed to Romanian culture and are interested to learn its language. It is an introductory Romanian Language course, where students will learn the simple present tense, greetings, numbers, dates, time, and other simple grammar. As a result, students will be able to participate in a 2-way conversation and will know the basics of writing and delivering speeches. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly.
Scheduling
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with students to find the best times and days that work for you. Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.
Payment
Tuition for this course includes 15 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).

Scholarships
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org prior to registration if you would like to be considered.

The New Year That Never Came - Romanian Film at SIFF
2025-05-18 18:15 - 2025-05-19 18:00 | AMC Pacific Place
Romanian Film at SIFFARCS is a proud supporter of The New Year That Never Came, an official selection of the 51st Seattle International Film Festival and a debut feature by director Bogdan Mureșanu. About the film: Six lives intertwine in the days leading up to the 1989 Romanian revolution in this darkly funny ensemble film about living under Communist rule. Winner of the 2024 Venice Film Festival’s Horizons Award and the Palm Springs New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize. Playing May 18th and May 19th at AMC Pacific Place. Get your tickets here. Enjoy $3 off with our special discount code, ARCS51. Click here for redemption instructions. Awards: Venice International Film Festival 2024 (Best Film: Horizons, FIPRESCI Prize), Palm Springs International Film Festival 2025 (New Voices New Visions Prize) See you at the movies!

GiveBIG for Education
2025-04-22 08:00 - 2025-05-07 23:30
ARCS is proud to participate again in the GiveBIG campaign, which supports WA-based non-profit organizations. This year we are raising funds to give more students the opportunity to learn about the Romanian culture and language. With your support we would like to offer more scholarships to students. Our teaching methods are based on the core principles of Heritage Language Education that nourish bilingualism and address holisitically the bi-cultural identity of our students through project-based activities, play, authentic sources, critical thinking, and meaningful interactions with their families and communities. Our students gain pride and confidence as heritage language speakers and learners of Romanian, while developing a global understanding of the world. We also offer language classes for non-heritage speakers, especially adults. Many of our high school students end up receiving the Global Seal of Biliteracy for their linguistic competency! Our comprehensive course catalog, together with our skilled instructors, provide students with the necessary tools to reach their goals. GiveBIG takes place May 6-7, with early giving starting on April 22! Please mark your calendars and help us spread the gift of language!

Romanian Heroes: Part 3
2025-04-07 - 2025-06-13 | Online
Overview
This class aims to help students explore and fully embrace their Romanian identity. They will learn about human relations and emotions through the study of Romanian legedary characters, illustrous historic figures, as well as contemporary stars. We will use fun engaging methodologies to enrich their daily vocabulary, strengthen communication skills, improve pronunciation and reading competence through short texts, poems, songs, proverbs, riddles, and games. The students will intearact with real Romanian role models that they will discover throughout the semester. Basic knowledge of Romanian required; groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly.
Scheduling

Time: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you. Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.

Payment
Tuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).
Scholarships
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org prior to registration if you would like to be considered.

Beginning Romanian 1: Part 3
2025-04-07 - 2025-06-13 | Online
Overview
This class is tailored for students of Romanian origin nationwide who do not understand, nor speak the language, but who have been exposed to Romanian culture and are curious to find out more about their heritage. They will learn basic conversational skills in Romanian and will develop their pronunciation, vocabulary, writing and reading knowledge.They will gain confidence and will be able to connect with their Romanian family in meaningful ways. No knowledge of Romanian required. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly.
Scheduling
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you. Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.
Payment
Tuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).

Scholarships
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org prior to registration if you would like to be considered.

International Children's Friendship Festival 2025
2025-04-05 11:00 - 2025-04-06 18:00 | Seattle Center – Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA, 98109, United States
ARCS is excited to participate again at this year’s International Children’s Friendship Festival! We will share a table with members from the local Moldovan community to promote Romania and Moldova, so please come stop by!
International Children’s Friendship Festival is an event that is run by children and features performances by children. Various nationalities are represented through music, folk dancing and art. The children celebrate their international friendship through experiencing the rich tapestry of the world’s cultures.
The event is free and open to the public.
We are looking for children and teenagers of Romanian or Moldovan descent who are passionate to share their heritage!
We have several volunteering options: from helping us plan to creating website content/brochures to leading activities and greeting visitors. We welcome all ages, but would love to see more kids. Let us know ASAP if you have any interest in volunteering by filling this form or contacting: youth@arcsproject.org. If you cannot volunteer this time, just swing by to see us!
April 5-6, 11-6pm
Fisher Pavilion, Seattle Center
305 Harrison St
Seattle, WA 98109
The event is well-established and recognized in the Northwest as a volunteer-run festival with a loyal crowd and an increasing number of new children every year. The festival is annually recognized by proclamations of several elected officials in Washington State.
Learn more about the festival from the organizers here.

Romanian Spring Traditions
2025-03-02 14:00 - 16:00 | Bellevue Library, 1111 110th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Join us for a spring celebration of “Mărțișor” and March 8!
The name “Mărțișor” is a diminutive of March (Martie in Romanian). Romanians, and other peoples from the Balkans, like to give to their loved ones, neighbors and coworkers, a special gift, a tiny good luck token called “mărțișor”.
It is believed that the person who wears the red and white string would enjoy a prosperous and healthy year. Read more HERE
The wearing of “mărțișoare” also coincides with March 8, International Women’s Day or the traditional Mother’s Day in Romania.
We invite children of Romanian heritage for a free creative workshop where they can learn about spring traditions and how to make their own “mărțișoare” and honor their moms in their own special way.
Please fill out the registration form for each child. Register HERE
We are waiting for you:
March 2, 2-4pm
Bellevue Library
1111 110th Ave NE
Bellevue, WA 98004

Intermediate Romanian (Adults)
2025-02-24 - 2025-06-13 | Online
Overview

During this class students develop their speaking skills, increase their vocabulary, and practice their writing. They will also improve their oral language skills through conversation, everyday situations, and how to give presentations, role play, and participate in debates. They will learn techniques for writing, speaking, and comprehension. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly.
Scheduling
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with students to find the best times and days that work for you. Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.
Payment
Tuition for this course includes 15 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).

Scholarships
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org prior to registration if you would like to be considered.

Beginning Romanian 2 (Adults)
2025-02-24 - 2025-06-13 | Online
Overview

This class is a continuation of Beginning Romanian 1 for adults, where students will enhance their writing and conversation skills. Students learn to use future and perfect tenses, comparatives, superlatives and some idiomatic expressions. They will improve their listening and reading comprehension, as well as their knowledge about Romanian culture and its heritage.

This course is suitable for anyone wanting to improve their Romanian language skills. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly. Next course – Intermediate Romanian.

Scheduling
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with students to find the best times and days that work for you. Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.
Payment
Tuition for this course includes 15 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).

Scholarships
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org prior to registration if you would like to be considered.

Beginning Romanian 1 (Adults)
2025-02-24 - 2025-06-13 | Online

Beginning Romanian 1
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online

Romanian Heroes 2
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online

Beginning Romanian 1
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online

Improve Your Writing, Reading and Speaking Skills: Part 3
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online
Overview
In this course, students will read intriguing texts on the world’s inexplicable mysteries such as pyramids, ghost apparitions, huge marine monsters, heroes with superpowers, UFOs, and many others. Since each text is accompanied by a recording and a dossier of activities, students will have the opportunity to further practice writing and speaking in Romanian while trying to offer explanations to the mysteries they have read about. For this class, students will keep a vocabulary journal and will write their own short texts or blog entries. Whenever possible, we will meet specialists in world history and science to interview them and work on more formal conversation skills. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly.

Schedule
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you.
The times indicated in the schedule are only orientative.
Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.

Payment
Tuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org if you would like to be considered.

Romanian History I: Part 3
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online
Overview
Romanian History: Part I, (3 quarters): This class is designed for students who want to learn about Romanian history, including major personalities who steered the destiny of Romanians and their neighbors. Continuing the exploration of cultural identity and heritage through history, students will enlarge their vocabulary and expand their reading, listening, and writing skills. Conceived as a three-quarter class, we will go over crucial events starting with the Roman-Dacian wars, the formation of the Romanian provinces, and pursuing iconic leaders from Mircea the Elder, Vlad the Impaler, and Stephan to Alexandru Ioan Cuza and Carol I. The students will be engaged in attractive projects that will help them discover who their ancestors were and how they earned their place in European history.

Novice to Intermediate knowledge of Romanian is required. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly sessions

This is the third of three quarters for Romanian History Part: I.

Scheduling
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you.
The times indicated in the schedule are only orientative.
Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.

Payment
Tuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).
New students must register for placement test.
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org if you would like to be considered.

Be ready for the Global Seal of Biliteracy, Part 1
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online
Unique in the US, the program “Be ready for the Global Seal of Biliteracy” helps students nationwide to earn high school credits for their heritage language (Romanian) by taking the ALTA Exam and to pass the STAMP test for English, necessary for receiving the Certificate of Global Seal of Biliteracy. Juniors and Seniors in High School who scored highly in an English AP class or have passed the English part of ACT or SAT do not need to take the STAMP test. Nonetheless, they need to provide the results so that an ARCS representative submits them alongside their ALTA test results to the Global Seal in order to request their certificates that will increase their chances of getting into highly-ranked universities in the US. Students can add their Global Seal to their Common App when they apply to universities. In order to receive this national honor, we will work on improving Romanian writing and conversation skills by combining reading comprehension and grammar with interactive communicative methods. Groups of 4-5 students / 90 min, weekly. This class is offered to students whose level of Romanian is intermediate high.
This is Part 1 of 2 quarters.

The $700 fee for both classes includes:
– $132 representing the fee for the ALTA exam
– $40 representing the fee for the STAMP test
– $75 representing the Global Seal of Biliteracy processing fees
– 30 hours of preparation for acquiring the Global Seal of Biliteracy
– 15 hours of feedback on the written exercises

Scheduling
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you. Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.
Payment
Tuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (90 minutes each).
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org if you would like to be considered.

Romanian History I: Part 2
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online
OverviewRomanian History: Part I, (3 quarters): This class is designed for students who want to learn about Romanian history, including major personalities who steered the destiny of Romanians and their neighbors. Continuing the exploration of cultural identity and heritage through history, students will enlarge their vocabulary and expand their reading, listening, and writing skills. Conceived as a three-quarter class, we will go over crucial events starting with the Roman-Dacian wars, the formation of the Romanian provinces, and pursuing iconic leaders from Mircea the Elder, Vlad the Impaler, and Stephan to Alexandru Ioan Cuza and Carol I. The students will be engaged in attractive projects that will help them discover who their ancestors were and how they earned their place in European history. Novice to Intermediate knowledge of Romanian is required. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly sessions This is the first of three quarters for Romanian History Part: I. SchedulingTime: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you.The times indicated in the schedule are only orientative.Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability. PaymentTuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).New students must register for placement test.We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org if you would like to be considered.

Improve Your Writing, Reading and Speaking Skills, Part 2
2025-01-20 - 2025-04-04 | Online
Overview
In this course, students will read intriguing texts on the world’s inexplicable mysteries such as pyramids, ghost apparitions, huge marine monsters, heroes with superpowers, UFOs, and many others. Since each text is accompanied by a recording and a dossier of activities, students will have the opportunity to further practice writing and speaking in Romanian while trying to offer explanations to the mysteries they have read about. For this class, students will keep a vocabulary journal and will write their own short texts or blog entries. Whenever possible, we will meet specialists in world history and science to interview them and work on more formal conversation skills. Groups of 4-5 students / 60 min, weekly.

Schedule
Time: To Be Determined – We will work with parents and students to find the best times and days that work for you.
The times indicated in the schedule are only orientative.
Please fill out the registration form to let us know your availability.

Payment
Tuition for this course includes 10 classes on Zoom (60 minutes each).
New students must register for placement test.
We offer scholarships to families in need. Please email us at contact@arcsproject.org if you would like to be considered.

European Holiday Market 2024
2024-12-14 09:30 - 14:30
Join us December 14, 9:30am-2:30pm, at the European Holiday Market for festive food, merchandise, stories, and music. Stop by our table for special gifts including books and films, as well as merchandise for the Romanian Film Festival Seattle!
Teinnovadora, importer of quality Romanian wines, will also be present, so you don't want to miss this!
Pre-order wines today! Pay and pick up at the European Holiday Market.
If you're looking for unique holiday gifts, this is the place to be!
We look forward to representing Romania alongside other European communities.Learn more here.
Saturday, December 14 | 9:30am-2:30pmChapel of the Good Shepherd Center4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

Romanian Heroes - Fall 2024
2024-12-09 08:00 - 2024-12-20 17:00 | Online

Romanian Film Festival Seattle - 11th Edition
2024-11-01 19:00 - 2024-11-03 20:00 | SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
10 Romanian and Moldovan feature films will be screened in Seattle on November 1-3, during the 11th edition of the Romanian Film Festival Seattle.
Buy a festival pass or tickets here.
The Cultural Association Control N (based in Romanian) is joining ARCS this year as co-organizer of the 11th edition of Romanian Film Festival Seattle, working as a bridge between Romanian filmmakers and the American public.
See the full press release about the festival and our new collaboration here.
Launched in 2014 in order to promote Romanian film to diverse American audience, including the Romanian diaspora in Washington State, the festival has grown over the past 10 years, becoming one of the most important events of its kind on the west coast, a platform for facilitating access to the most recent internationally awarded Romanian films and for Romanian filmmakers, directors, actors and producers, attending the festival.
The Romanian Film Festival in Seattle will take place November 1-3 at SIFF Cinema Uptown, an important cultural setting and promoter of European film.
For the past three years, alongside the screenings organized in Seattle, the festival has also had editions during the same period in Detroit, MI and Phoenix, AZ with a number of films selected, and organized by two other sister organizations, ARCS Arizona and ARCS Detroit. The three festivals share the same brand and visual identity, created by Daniel Ursache, a Romanian artist settled in Montreal, Canada. This year's festival theme is Rhythms of Life.
The festival is organized with the support of 4Culture and the National Center for Cinematography in Moldova.
We are excited to welcome special guests, Dorian Boguță, main actor and producer of Another Lottery Ticket, Ruxandra Ghițescu, screenwriter of Clara, and Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr., producer of Carbon!
In the meantime, please support our fundraising efforts. The longevity of this festival is a testament that its success relies on your support. Your donations will help us pay for rental fees, event insurance, publicity, distribution rights, as well as for lodging and travel expenses for our guests.
We welcome sponsors! Check out our sponsor package here. This project did not benefit from the support of the Romanian state.
Do you want to help out during the festival? Check out the volunteer slots and sign up today!
Festival Official Partners and Co-organizers:
Festival Institutional Partners:
Supporting Sponsors:
Festival Ambassadors:

Fundraising Campaign
Thank you for your generosity! Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover costs associated with programming, publicity, technical support and film distribution rights. We will keep the fundraising campaign open on our website and Facebook.
Raised$19,625Goal$20,000

How much would you like to donate?(Required)

$25 Many ThanksWe will integrate a special thank you credit on our website.

$50 Festival FriendSpecial thank you credit on our website!

$100 Festival SupporterSpecial thank you credit on our website and free access to two films showing at the festival.

$250 Festival BenefactorSpecial thank you credit on our website and free access to four films showing at the festival.

$500 Festival AmbassadorSpecial thank you credit on our website and free access to eight films showing at the festival, thank you credit after the each film screening and special thank you credit on our website (with your company logo, if applicable).

$1,000 Supporting SponsorWe are offering up to three full festival passes, credit before the screenings, special thank you credit on our website with your logo and link to your website.

$5,000 Festival Official Partner and Co-OrganizerWe are offering up to five full festival passes, credit before the screenings, special thank you credit as a festival official partner and co-organizer on our website with your logo and link to your website.
Total

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Checks are welcome. Please address them to:
American Romanian Cultural Society1931 E Lynn StSeattle, WA 98112

Films

Trailer

Another Lottery Ticketby Paul Negoescu
7:00pm, Nov. 1 Q&A with lead actor Dorian Boguță
2023, Comedy, 86 min(Romania)

Dinel, Sile and Pompiliu want to get rich by mining crypto but they soon manage to lose the USB stick with their digital fortune.
Dinel, Sile and Pompiliu want to get rich by mining crypto but they soon manage to lose the USB stick with their digital fortune.
Read More

Trailer

Refugeby Liviu Marghidan
11:05am, Nov. 2
2023, Drama, 83 min (Romania)

A family of four, having been affected by a divorce, undertake their annual trip to the mountains, meant to get the children and their parents closer, as they live in...
A family of four, having been affected by a divorce, undertake their annual trip to the mountains, meant to get the children and their parents closer, as they live in different countries, France and Romania. Their holiday is turned upside down when the children vanish, running away on the pathway to a mountain hut, thus creating a tense atmosphere filled with frantic searches, confrontations between the adults and a climatic ending.
Read More

Trailer

Noraby Carla-Maria Teaha
12:50pm, Nov. 2
2023, Documentary, 85 min(Romania)

Poet, novelist and translator, 91-year-old Nora Iuga is a unique character on the Romanian contemporary literature scene. This is largely due to the author’s particular mix of playfulness and charisma, which is reflected in her writing at...
Poet, novelist and translator, 91-year-old Nora Iuga is a unique character on the Romanian contemporary literature scene. This is largely due to the author’s particular mix of playfulness and charisma, which is reflected in her writing at every level. With her books being banned for eight years under the communist regime, accused of a “morbid eroticism”, the documentary follows Nora Iuga for the duration of 3 years and tries to gently discover where her eroticism comes from and how it still influences her work. In a very intimate exploration of her mind and soul, we are invited to discover the secret of always staying young and to relentlessly searching for love, towards which Nora has a very special approach.
Read More

Trailer

Holy Week (US Premiere)by Andrei Cohn
2:40pm, Nov. 2
2024, Drama, 133 min(Romania)

The Holy Week, around 1900, somewhere in Romania. The tense relationship between the Jewish innkeeper Leiba and Gheorghe, his Christian employee,reaches the point where the innkeeper decides to expel the...
The Holy Week, around 1900, somewhere in Romania. The tense relationship between the Jewish innkeeper Leiba and Gheorghe, his Christian employee,reaches the point where the innkeeper decides to expel the latter. Revengeful, Gheorghe promises Leiba that he will return on Easter Night to “settle” his accounts. This threat comes as a last straw against Leiba’s attempts to cohabit with his hostile, anti-Semitic environment. From then on, Leiba will struggle distinguishing between the real danger and the one fabricated by his anxieties, engaging onto a path of transformation leading toextreme consequences.
Read More

Trailer

Freedomby Tudor Giurgiu
5:20pm, Nov. 2
2023, Drama, 109 min (Romania, Hungary)

In the chaotic days of the December 1989 revolution that overthrew the Communist regime, the Transylvanian city of Sibiu becomes the scene of a violent assault on a Police unit...
In the chaotic days of the December 1989 revolution that overthrew the Communist regime, the Transylvanian city of Sibiu becomes the scene of a violent assault on a Police unit that quickly escalates into a bloody confrontation between soldiers, policemen, civilian protesters and representatives of the secret police. In a desperate attempt to escape the siege, Police captain Viorel is captured by the army and thrown into an empty swimming pool along withhundreds of prisoners accused of being terrorists.
Read More

Trailer

Claraby Sabin Dorohoi
7:35pm, Nov. 2Q&A with screenwriter Ruxandra Ghițescu
2023, Drama, 85 min (Romania)

Clara is a divorced Romanian mother who babysits a little girl in a German town by the Danube River. Her son, feeling abandoned, runs away from home in an attempt...
Clara is a divorced Romanian mother who babysits a little girl in a German town by the Danube River. Her son, feeling abandoned, runs away from home in an attempt to reach his mother by traveling on a small boat upriver.
Read More

Trailer

Gone Wildby Dan Curean
11:05am, Nov. 3
2012, Documentary, 88 min(Romania)

In the waterlogged lands of the Danube Delta, in Romania, some horses were abandoned, when the collective farms collapsed at the same time as the Communist regime. They survived and...
In the waterlogged lands of the Danube Delta, in Romania, some horses were abandoned, when the collective farms collapsed at the same time as the Communist regime. They survived and in time they went wild, forming a unique colony of wild horses that is increasing. Meanwhile the local people, who were similarly left to their own devices, are struggling to survive. The film explores this extraordinary paradox: an increasing herd of horses and a decreasing number of villagers - and the threat to both groups, through the eyes of Ivan, a young village boy, who over the years has developed a unique and powerful bond with the horses.
Read More

Trailer

Where Elephants Go (US Premiere)by Cătălin Rotaru and Gabi Șarga
1:00pm, Nov. 3
2024, Drama, 115 min(Romania)

Nine-year-old Leni is witty and wise for her age and quite a match for the homeless intellectual Marcel, who is a 23-year-old child. Leni's mother Magda refuses to accept the...
Nine-year-old Leni is witty and wise for her age and quite a match for the homeless intellectual Marcel, who is a 23-year-old child. Leni's mother Magda refuses to accept the failure of Leni's medical treatment and rebuffs Marcel's friendship, even as he and Leni demonstrate every step through life can be a joyous adventure.
Read More

Trailer

Nasty (US Premiere)by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, Tudor D. Popescu
3:25pm, Nov. 3
2024, Documentary, 104 min(Romania)

This ultimate film about Ilie Nastase, the legendary sportsman coming from an unknown country behind the Iron Curtain, charts his impressive achievements, his one-of-a-kind antics and uncontrolled bursts of anger....
This ultimate film about Ilie Nastase, the legendary sportsman coming from an unknown country behind the Iron Curtain, charts his impressive achievements, his one-of-a-kind antics and uncontrolled bursts of anger. Lovable, charming and generous, yet temperamental, arrogant and obscene, Mr. Nice’n’Nasty was tennis’ first global rockstar.
Read More

Trailer

Carbonby Ion Borș
5:55pm, Nov. 3Q&A with producer Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr.
2022, Dark comedy, 103 min(Moldova, Romania, Spain)

Moldova, early 90s: Dima, a tractor driver, wants to be enrolled in the military troops to take part in the local war on the Transnistrian border. Vasea, an Afghanistan war...
Moldova, early 90s: Dima, a tractor driver, wants to be enrolled in the military troops to take part in the local war on the Transnistrian border. Vasea, an Afghanistan war veteran, joins him. While on their way to the front, they find a carbonized body. Authorities ignore them without helping to identify the body. Dima and Vasea decide to bury the corpse according to the proper Christian rituals, but shortly they will go, together with the body, on an absurd journey to discover his identity.
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Guests
Dorian BoguțăActor Dorian Boguță, best known for "The Death of Mr. Lăzărescu" (2005) and "Francesca" (2009) was born in Kishinev, USSR (now Chișinău, The Republic of Moldova) on April 24, 1971. He graduated from Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University in Georgia in 1992 and started his acting career at the National Theatre in Chișinău, where he played numerous noticeable lead roles. In 1999 he moved to Bucharest and started acting in films, gaining recognition with the TV series "Lombarzilor 8" (2006) and later with "Francesca" (2009. In 2009 he made his debut in directing, with the short-film "10", marking the beginning of a series of highly successful short-films, including "From now on" (2012), "Kazimir” (2014) and “Finale” (2015). He later on made his debut in feature film with the drama “Legacy” (2019). Following his passion for acting and directing, he founded actoriedefilm.ro with fellow actors, Dragoș Bucur and Alexandru Papadopol, which encompasses both an acting school and a producing company. Their purpose is to introduce their students to an acting style that is realistic and comes naturally. In 2013, they produced box office hits like “Love Building,” “Another Love Building”, “Two Lottery Tickets” (2016) and “Another Lottery Ticket”(2023), all of which Dorian both produced and acted in.

Ruxandra GhițescuRuxandra Ghițescu is a Romanian visual artist and filmmaker. She is a graduate student of the Media Art School, in Karlsruhe, Germany. Ruxandra is currently working as a director on films, commercials and as a scriptwriter. She was selected to participate in Berlinale Talents in 2015, as well as in Sarajevo Talents and Transylvania Talents in 2014. Her debut feature Otto the Barbarian, a Romanian-Belgian coproduction, was part of L’Atelier de Cinefondation 2017, Berlinale Script Station 2016, CineLink Sarajevo 2016 - winner of the Macedonian Film Institute Prize, CineLink Work in Progress 2019 and premiered in 2020 at Sarajevo IFF.

Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr.Sergiu Cumatrenco Jr. is one of the leading producers from Moldova. He is CEO and a co-founder of the YOUBESC Creative Institute, Executive Director of the Art Consumers Association and the founder of the RAVAC International Film Festival. A member of the Moldavian Filmmakers Association and a member of the European Film Academy, he has produced and co-produced 15 film projects, among them six international co-productions. Among the most recent films created in co-production with partners from Moldova, Romania, Spain, the USA, Germany, France and Austria the following stand out: BILLION, CARBON, ANOTHER LOTTERY TICKETS, VARVARA, THUNDERS, MMXX, TRANSIT TIMES.

Supporters
Private donors

Supporting sponsor · $1,000 and more

Mihai and Gabriela Aluaș

Cosmin and Elena Catrinescu

Otilia & Tudor Baraboi

Festival ambassador · $500 and more

Mary Sherhart

Tracy Sharpe and Roxana Arama

Adrian Potra

Dana Cozmei

Luana and Marian Stanescu

Nick Voicu

Raluca and Gabriel Hera

Alexandrina Maicaneanu and Radu Simionescu

Irina & Cristi Salvan

Festival benefactor · $250 and more

Ileana Marin

Ramona and Marian Pungan

Anonymous

Roxana Teodorescu

Andrei Marinescu

In loving memory of Eugenia Lup and Rodica Gutan

Oana and Doru Nica

Vasi Rusu

Thomas Richardson

Marius Popa

Claudiu Raileanu

Maya Bacioiu teen fundraiser

Alexandru Popa

Miruna Ticrea

Tudor and Adina Trufinescu

Isabella Fu and Radu Palanca

Festival supporter · $100 and more

Helene Kaplan

Irina Mork

Anca and Catalin Zaharia

Smaranda Lieuallen

Irina VanPatten

Margareta Christian

Michele Anciaux Aoki

Cristian and Ana Maria Ilac

Alexandrina and Adrian Muntianu

Veronica Guea

Carmen Rautu

Adriana Popescu

Adrian Fanaru

Monica Poinescu

Elizabeta Iliescu

Carl Winter

Raluca Herman

Edward Blau

Ionut Tulai

Cristina Houston

Mihai and Monica Ene-Pietrosanu

Nicoleta and Andrei Zlati

Camelia and Ciprian Clinciu

Festival friend · $50 and more

Linda Morris

Daniela Stafie

Marina Lyons

In honor of Ana Bacioiu

Adriana Guiman

Casey Choi

Elena Apreutesei

Special Thanks · $25 and more

Silviana Ciurea Ilcus

Romanian heroes
2024-09-30 - 2025-01-31 | Online
