Complete Retrospective of Corneliu Porumboiu’s work at Transilvania IFF.25

The Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF, June 12–21, 2026) celebrates one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary European cinema: Corneliu Porumboiu. Twenty years after his feature debut, TIFF.25 presents a complete retrospective of his work—from 12:08 East of Bucharest to La Gomera. A two-time winner of the Transilvania Trophy, Porumboiu will receive the TIFF.25 Special Award and give a masterclass.

A defining figure of the Romanian New Wave, Porumboiu has built a singular cinema—precise, ironic, and quietly radical—where language becomes action and meaning is constantly up for debate. As Variety put it, he is “an ingenious and witty filmmaker with a taste for conceptual games,” and one of the most distinctive auteurs working in Europe today.

His relationship with TIFF runs deep. 12:08 East of Bucharest opened the festival in 2006 and won the Transilvania Trophy. In 2009, Police, Adjective brought him a second trophy. He has returned to TIFF many times since—as jury member, collaborator, and a constant presence in Romanian Days, where his films have been repeatedly awarded. In 2008, Porumboiu was part of the festival jury and directed one of the seven James Bond spots for that edition. In 2009, he won his second Transilvania Trophy for Police, Adjective and in 2011, dressed in football gear, the director appeared on the poster of the 10th edition of TIFF, whose spot was in turn inspired by 12:08 East of Bucharest. 

“I’m interested in how language shapes reality. In my films, words are not just tools of communication—they are part of the action itself.” (Corneliu Porumboiu)