Total running time: 95 min.

[ONLINE SCREENING]

Grandpa Is Sleeping

Bunicu doarme / Dziadek śpi
2025, 13 min.

not distributed in Poland

Awards and selections: PIAFF – Paris International Animation Film Festival; PÖFF Shorts; Toon Dook International Animation Festival – Grand Prize; Transilvania International Film Festival – SIGNIS Award; Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film
Director: Matei Branea
Country: Romania, Bulgaria

Six-year-old Alma cannot come to terms with her grandfather’s endless sleep, so she takes him on one last adventure together.

Matei Branea’s animation tells a tender and imaginative story about a child’s experience of loss. Through the perspective of six-year-old Alma, death is stripped of pathos and seen as something incomprehensible that a child tries to make sense of through play and fantasy. The film combines emotional simplicity with subtle humour, creating a touching story about saying goodbye, love and growing up.

In the media:

«An emotional film that approaches the disappearance of a loved one with great tenderness, humanity and a touch of humour.»
— Răzvan Rocaș, LiterNet, read the full review

«The film avoids literalness, building its emotional impact through the contrast between childhood innocence and the irreversibility of loss.»
— Mara Iulia, LiterNet, read the full review

Matei Branea

Romanian illustrator, comic book artist and animation director. His work also includes web series and music videos. He combines a distinctive drawing style with intelligent humour and an interest in social issues. Grandpa Is Sleeping received, among others, the SIGNIS Award at the Transilvania International Film Festival and the Grand Prize at the Toon Dook International Animation Festival. In 2026, the film was nominated for the Gopo Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Tags: animation, death, childhood, grief, growing up

Conexiune instabilă

Słabe połączenie
2025, 19 min.

not distributed in Poland

Awards and selections: TIFF 2025 – Zilele Filmului Românesc
Director: Răzvan Dinu
Country: Romania

A shepherd living in isolation in the remote hills of Romania strikes up what seems to be a romantic relationship with a mysterious young woman on TikTok. But he soon discovers that he has fallen victim to an elaborate emotional scam.

Răzvan Dinu

Romanian director and filmmaker. Unstable Connection was selected for the Zilele Filmului Românesc programme at TIFF 2025.

Tags: loneliness, internet, deception, relationships, contemporary life

Love Is in the Air

Dragostea e în aer / Miłość unosi się w powietrzu
2025, 18 min.

not distributed in Poland

Awards and selections: TIFF 2025 – Zilele Filmului Românesc; TIFF 2025 – Romanian Short Film Competition
Director: Claudiu Mitcu
Cast: Ana Covalciuc, Alex Călin, Diana Cavallioti, Rodica Negrea, Nelu Serghei
Country: Romania

A romantic anniversary getaway to a hotel in Bucharest goes badly for Laura and Marius, forcing them to return home early. There, they discover that romance is still alive. Unfortunately, not for them.

Claudiu Mitcu

Romanian director and film producer. “Love Is in the Air” marks his return to a comedic tone, with the screenplay written by Mihai Radu. The film premiered at the Transilvania International Film Festival in 2025 and was selected for the Romanian Short Film Competition.

Tags: comedy, relationships, love, crisis, couples

The Madman

Nebunul / Szaleniec
2025, 45 min.

not distributed in Poland

Awards and selections: Gopo Awards 2026 – Best Short Film
Director: Igor Cobileanski
Cast: Bogdan Farcaș, Gabriel Costin, Daniel Busuioc, Ionuț Cornilă, Sergiu Costache
Country: Romania

Romania, 1992. Sava is committed to a psychiatric hospital. When the building is returned to a monastery, the patients are transferred to other institutions. Sava, however, escapes – only to return, because he needs a little more time to complete his ambitious project: a flying saucer.

Igor Cobileanski

Moldovan director, screenwriter and filmmaker. He studied film and television directing at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest. He works across feature films, documentaries and television series, and is the creator of “Afacerea Est, La limita de jos a cerului” and the series “Hackerville” (2018). In 2026, he received the Gopo Award for Best Short Film for “The Madman”.

Tags: psychiatry, absurdity, 1990s, Romania, loneliness

The “Romanian Paragraph” section is organised in cooperation with the Romanian Cultural Institute.