TIFF Education: films, workshops, and super fun for children

Starting this year, the TIFF Education section integrates all initiatives within Transilvania International Film Festival focused on film education, children, teachers and families. A wide selection of films, acting workshops and animation workshops, weekend activities, inflatable cinema and a selection of Disney short films complete the program taking place, for the first time, in Cluj-Napoca and Florești, between 9 - 18 of June. Full schedule is available on tiff.ro/education.

A new experience for the little ones this year is the inflatable cinema in the Mini-Cini Programme in Iulius Park. Children aged 3-12 will be able to enjoy a film programme of up to 45 minutes featuring Romanian and international short films during every day of the festival, Monday to Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. The programme includes productions such as the first Romanian CGI animated series Legendarium, the Finnish animated series Turilas & Jäärä (also known as Nico & Patou), the animated shorts of the famous Romanian director Ion Popescu – Gopo and a new LEGO series.  Tickets can be purchased online or directly at the cinema entrance - tiff.eventbook.ro.

EducaTIFF 2023 films and workshops

This year's selection of EducaTIFF films includes 12 titles. All EducaTIFF screenings are followed by discussions, including some with special guests, to encourage curiosity and critical thinking among young viewers.

The programme includes three films selected at this year's Berlinale: Totem (d. Lila Avilés), winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize, Delegation (d. Asaf Saban) and Dancing Queen (d. Aurora Gossé), from the Generations programme. Young Plato (d. Neasa Ní Chainaín, Declan McGrath), a critically acclaimed production, is an Irish film that follows a school principal's attempts to improve the lives of a run-down urban community. Another story about the difficulties of education is First Rule (d. Massimiliano D'Epiro), which will be screened in the presence of the cast. The selection also includes Juniors (d. Hugo Thomas), about two young video game addicts who, in order to raise money from online donations for a new video console, concoct a disease; The Hullabaloos! (d. Reetta Huhtanen), where the dog of twin children is mistaken for the president's dog; or Belle and Sebastian (d. Pierre Core), about a 10-year-old boy determined to help a sheepdog. This year’s list also includes a Romanian film, David (d. Radu Muntean), about the summer camp organised by Tibi Ușeriu, which led to the family trail route “David's Road”, and a Romanian co-production with Germany, The Three Investigators (d. Tim Dünscheder), about the adventures of young detectives in Transylvania. In terms of animation, Rosa and the Stone Troll (d. Karla Holmbäck) will delight the little ones, and the celebratory compilation 100 Years of Disney Animation - a Shorts Celebration will be a delight for all ages.

EducaTIFF workshops will be held for the first time in Cluj-Napoca and Floresti. Children and young people will have the opportunity to learn from professionals about film journalism or creative writing, to take part in animation and acting workshops, stop motion with LEGO or art therapy. Details about each workshop and registration can be found at tiff.ro/educatie.

The festival's initiative to bring film education to schools is followed by Reshape education, two days of meetings (15 and 16 of June) focused on debates on topics such as successful models in film education, social action in film, platforms and films for young people. Special guests include Laufey Gudjonsdottir (director of Icelandic Film Center for 20 years) who will talk about the Icelandic model of film education, or Sergio Marques (manager of Cinema Insuflavel, Play Film Festival Lisbon selector) who will talk about curating films for young people. This essential step in the development and sharing of information between experts is organized by the Cinema Class, an online programme for high school teachers and students, which introduces film as a study tool in the classroom.

Fun in Florești: TIFF for families

During the two weekends of the festival, 10 and 11 of June and 17 and 18 of June, the Poligon Park in Floresti becomes once again a centre for fun and learning for families, as last year over 10,000 participants attended events here. The organisers have prepared a host of activities from morning to evening.

Children are welcome to learn about safety with representatives of the Cluj Police Department, discover what it means to be an aviator under the guidance of a team from the “General Emanoil Ionescu” Air Base or learn how to react in emergency situations with rescuers from the Cluj Emergency Situations Department.

The programme also includes environmental education, botanical tours and workshops on food waste, theatre and music workshops, storytelling, fun sports sessions, personal development and wellbeing workshops.

Children will learn what a healthy lifestyle means, they can meet therapy dogs, discover a mobile library and a mini-exhibition with LEGO(R) building blocks, learn crafts and what it means to be a little courier, and enjoy a world of surprises. The programme, which is extremely interesting, can be consulted on tiff.ro/educatie.

TIFF Education is supported by: Audi / Regina Maria / Tenaris / Groupama / DHL / Emerson / Lego / Carturesti  / LIDL

CNC / Primaria Floresti / Centrul Cultural Clujean / UBB / Sapientia / Inspectoratul Școlar Județean Cluj / Creative Europe MEDIA / Scandinavian Films / AMB Finlanda / AMB Norvegia / AMB Suedia / AMB Israel UNESCO City of Film

TV5 / TV5 plus / Revista Gen / Școala 9 / Cinema Gonflabil - Cinema Insuflable

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Transilvania International Film Festival is organized by the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Cinema and the Association Transilvania Film Festival.