Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema 2025

Wednesday, December 3 - Thursday, December 4, 2025

Initiated and co-presented by the Insula 42 Association (former FilmETC), in partnership with leading American film organizations, Making Waves: New Romanian Cinema is the foremost U.S. festival dedicated to showcasing the best of Romania’s vibrant contemporary filmmaking.

Since its launch in 2006, the festival has brought to American audiences the most original voices in Romanian cinema, earning praise from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Variety, and others for its bold, thought-provoking selection and distinctive cultural spirit. Under the leadership of cultural personality and entrepreneur Corina Șuteu (president of the festival) and artistic director Mihai Chirilov (also artistic director of Transilvania International Film Festival), Making Waves has become a fixture on New York’s cultural map and a trusted platform for discovery, dialogue, and cinematic excellence.

In 2025, the festival’s line-up expands again beyond Romania, featuring a curated selection of films from neighbouring Central and Eastern European countries along the Danube — offering fresh perspectives from one of Europe’s most dynamic regions.

Making Waves is a fully independent festival of Romanian contemporary cinema and culture, made possible through the support of numerous institutional funders and individual donors, including a large number of Romanian artists who believe that audiences at home and abroad deserve unfettered access to the best of Romanian contemporary culture.

https://makingwaves.filmetc.org/

Series Films

Current and Upcoming Films