This year, we aimed to further grow the Romanian film festival, presenting a diverse and compelling 9th edition and also launching new initiatives that advance our mission of promoting Romanian contemporary filmmaking in the US.

MAKING WAVES 2014 continued, from December 4-8, the leading partnership with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, bringing a surprising lineup of new releases and classics, compelling special programs, hot debates, and talented artists from Romania to the heart of New York City. A selection of the festival program traveled to the Jacob Burns Film Center in Westchester County from December 5-10.

The festival also continued its critical address of the relationship between arts and politics in Romania and Eastern Europe, through its special program “Creative Freedom through Cinema,” and focused this year’s screenings and panel conversations on the topic of human rights.

The 2014 line-up included, among many other films, Vlad Petri’s Where are You Bucharest?, a poignant documentary about the 2012 street protests; Andrei Gruzsniczki’s Quod Erat Demonstrandum, a feature about treason, compromise and human resilience facing the Securitate’s insidious controlling practices; and The Japanese Dog, Tudor Cristian Jurgiu’s delicately observed tale about family and globalization.

The screenings were complemented by special events and galas, conversations with award-winning filmmakers and actors, meetings, and industry events, continuing the tradition of the festival as both a joyful celebration of Romanian cinema, and an important platform for encounters between Romanian and American film professionals.

In 2014 we planned to launch a series of new initiatives that would expand the festival’s impact for both American audiences and the Romanian film community. These included the development of a VOD platform, which would make titles featured in past editions of the festival available in the US for online viewing, bringing previously unavailable films to American audiences.

This year we also aimed to consolidate our dedicated community of supporters by launching THE FESTIVAL CLUB.