ESTE FILM Festival 2027, 11th edition

The 11th edition of ESTE FILM Festival will take place in Sibiu between 1 and 6 June 2027, bringing together cinema, education, professional development, and interdisciplinary artistic experiences. Rooted in its mission to promote European and Romanian cinema, develop audiences, and create meaningful opportunities for dialogue and cultural exchange, the festival will present a diverse program of 80 events, including film competitions, retrospectives, workshops, screenings for children, industry activities, and encounters with filmmakers.

A defining feature of the 2027 edition is its strong artistic vision, highlighted by an auteur retrospective dedicated to renowned filmmaker Andrei Ujică and a special focus on Georgian cinema, a cinematography rarely accessible within the Romanian cultural landscape. Through these curated programmes, the festival offers audiences unique perspectives on contemporary and historical filmmaking while fostering intercultural understanding and cinematic discovery.

The festival experience will be further enriched through interdisciplinary formats connecting film with literature, gastronomy, and visual arts. Events such as "Beyond the Frame", "From Novel to Screen", and a contemporary art exhibition will create new contexts for artistic dialogue and audience engagement, expanding cinema's impact beyond the screening room.

Audience development remains central to the festival's mission. The CinExplorez section and the educational programme will include workshops for teenagers, screenings for children, creative activities, and exhibitions designed to cultivate film literacy, critical thinking, and long-term cultural participation among younger generations.

The festival will also host two short film competitions, a National Competition and an International Student Competition, awarding a total of €5,000 in prizes and providing a platform for emerging filmmakers from Romania and across Europe.

A strategic pillar of the 2027 edition is the consolidation of the LINE-UP Academy, now in its fifth edition and evolving into a long-term international professional development program for festival managers and cultural professionals. Moving beyond networking and knowledge exchange, LINE-UP becomes a structured, two-year training initiative focused on capacity-building, project development, and international collaboration. The first stage, hosted in Sibiu during the festival, will bring together 16 participants and four international mentors for an intensive three-day program, laying the foundations for collaborations that will continue through partner festivals, online sessions, and a final project selection phase in 2028.

By combining access to culture, the promotion of Romanian and European artistic creation, audience development, interdisciplinarity, education, and international professional training, the 2027 edition of ESTE FILM Festival generates an impact that extends far beyond the festival week itself. It strengthens the local cultural ecosystem, creates opportunities for emerging professionals and artists, and reinforces connections between the Romanian cultural sector and European networks, supporting the sustainable development of a vibrant, internationally connected cultural community.