IFC Center, Roxy Cinema & DCTV's Firehouse Cinema
Calling all film lovers! Making Waves, the oldest showcase of Romanian cinema in the US, returns to New York from December 3-7.
Taking place across three prestigious Manhattan venues (IFC Center, Roxy Cinema New York, and DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema), the 19th edition of the Romanian film festival in New York boasts an exciting and diverse selection of nine films, showcasing the best of contemporary Romanian filmmaking and expands again beyond Romania, featuring a curated selection of films from neighboring Central and Eastern European countries along the Danube – offering fresh perspectives from one of Europe’s most dynamic regions.
Dive headfirst into Traffic, Romania’s official entry for the Oscars 2026, featuring acclaimed French-Romanian actress Anamaria Vartolomei. (Re)discover the larger-than-life journey of Romanian legendary tennis player Ilie Năstase with Nasty, directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu and Tudor D. Popescu. Travel back in time with The New Year that Never Came by director Bogdan Mureșanu, taking you straight to December 1989.
This year’s edition brings together powerful voices from across Eastern Europe, with stories that challenge, move, and inspire.
From Moldova, Ion Borș’s Carbon takes us on a darkly humorous road trip through the chaos of the early ’90s war zone, where two unlikely companions search for meaning amid absurdity. Dmytro Moiseiev’s Grey Bees (Ukraine) also brings us a compelling duo in the spirit of classic buddy films – a deeply humane tale of friendship and survival set against the quiet devastation of war.
The latest film of Academy Award-winner Danis Tanović, My Late Summer (Croatia) captures the delicate, wistful atmosphere of love and loss at the edge of a fading season.
Directorial duo Horia Cucuta and George ve Gänæaard bring us Dismissed, with a fresh, investigative take on a corporate cover-up of an AI gone wrong, in which one journalist digs into a toxic workplace—and the believer who became a threat to the system.
In the tought-provoking documentary Bright Future, Andra MacMasters revisits the idealism of 1989 with the clarity of hindsight, and brings to life the last generation of the Cold War, using rare footage from the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in Pyongyang.
Another electrifying documentary is KIX, by Hungarian directors Dávid Mikulán and Bálint Révész – a raw, decade-long portrait of a boy growing up on the margins of Budapest.
The festival at a glance
SCREENING VENUES
DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, 87 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10013 (The cinema’s entrance is around the corner on White Street between Lafayette and Centre Streets)
IFC Center, 323 6th avenue, New York, NY 10014
Roxy Cinema New York, 2 Avenue of the Americas, Cellar Level, New York, NY 10013
TICKETS
Tickets are on sale on the webpage of each partner venue.
DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema: $16 General, $8 DCTV Members and group sales (10+)
IFC Center: $18 adult/$15 senior/$12 IFC Center members
Roxy Cinema New York: $18 General
Festival passes are not available, but festival supporters enjoy a series of complimentary tickets. Check details on how you can donate (100% tax deductible) and our benefits.
PARTNERS
The 19th Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema festival is presented by Insula 42, formerly Film ETC, in partnership with IFC Center, Roxy Cinema New York, and DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema. With the support of the Trust for Mutual Understanding, Romanian National Film Center, UCIN, and numerous individual donors.
We are deeply grateful to our donors, whose generosity make this festival possible. Thank you for being part of our journey!
