Cluj-Napoca becomes 'a city of film' in the network of UNESCO creative cities

Cluj-Napoca has joined the network of UNESCO creative cities, with the title City of Film, along with Cannes (France) and Gdynia (Poland), becoming the first city in Romania to be a member of this international structure, agerpres reports.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday by the Transylvania Film Festival Association, there are 21 UNESCO film cities worldwide, spanning the globe, from Japan to South America, the network encouraging partnerships and the exchange of ideas.

In total, the UNESCO network of creative cities, created in 2004, comprises almost 300 cities in over 80 countries.

"Cluj receives this title in the year in which the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) celebrated its 20th anniversary, marking two decades in which it contributed massively to the transformation of the city into one of the most active in Romania, from a cultural point of view. One of the most important festivals in the region, TIFF has put Cluj on the map of the film industry, having as a common goal with the local authorities, in the long run, its transformation into a major film production centre, which will attract Romanian and foreign producers, investments in the local economy and the training of professionals at the local level," it is shown in the mentioned press release.

According to the same source, Cluj-Napoca has the potential to revive its own history, after being called "Transylvanian Hollywood" at the beginning of the 20th century, as it produced dozens of films, under the direction of Jeno Janovics, the founder of Transylvania studios. In this respect, the plans for the next years include the launch of the first regional film fund in Romania, the development of the film studio within the Regional Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries (CREIC) and the stimulation of the local film industry.

"I am glad that this title enshrines the major influence that the TIFF brand has had on the city in the past 20 years. The first major cultural event in Cluj paved the way for other big projects, influenced generations of children and young people, shaped mentalities. It has boosted tourism and the development of local businesses, highlighted places that have now become symbolic for the city, and the TIFF has had a strong impact on the city's cultural profile, leading to the emergence of new film faculties," said Tudor Giurgiu, the head of TIFF.

The Cluj - City of Film project was initiated by TIFF and realized together with Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Clujean Cultural Centre, in consultation with "Babes-Bolyai" University, through the Faculty of Theatre and Television, Sapientia University, through the Faculty of Sciences and Arts (Research Centre for Film and Media Studies), the University of Art and Design, "Gheorghe Dima" Academy of Music, the Creative Industries Cluster, the Regional Center of Excellence for Creative Industries (CREIC).

The Transylvania International Film Festival is organized by the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Film and the Transylvania Film Festival Association.