Starting with October 12th and until the 21st, Cluj city will vibrate on the audience’s laughter present at Comedy Cluj Festival.

Comedy Cluj is a festival keen on making us laugh and the 9^th edition comes with a fresh perspective. If until now the festival focused only on films, starting this year there will also be stand-up shows, theatre performances, improv, and special events.

Since 2017 Comedy Cluj Festival has been organized by Creative Ways Association and Lagom Agency, and the director of the festival is Vlad Glica (TEDxEroilor curator). Bogdan Beșliu is the artistic director and the film selection includes both international films within the contemporary repertoire, as well as classic Romanian productions whose typical Romanian humor will make the audience smile with a doubt, such as:

Anything for Soccer – In a small provincial town, everything goes great, except for sports activities. All inhabitants live a great drama since the local team is on the verge of relegation. A few ardent supporters are ready to do anything for football, even if that means some not very honest maneuvers. But most people do not agree with this lack of fair-play attitude which leads to a tense “game” off the field.

Operation Monster – A group of five work colleagues leaves for an expedition in the Danube Delta, without letting their wives know anything about it. Going fishing and hunting, the characters end up in the funniest and most ridiculous situations. Contrary to the habits of that time, Corneluș, the youngest of them all, catches the Monster which makes the high point of their adventure.

Alo, aterizează străbunica! –  A great-grandmother of a respectable age, but with a sharp mind, helps her nephew avoiding an almost inevitable divorce. Romeo (Sebastian Papaiani), an economist, and Juliet (Adela Marculescu), a telephone operator, are going through a marital crisis that can easily end up with a break.

Păcală – On Romanian plains, in a poor house, a child with a free and playful spirit is brought into the world. Early growing up, he discovers the world with both its good and bad parts, with its beautiful people, as well as its fools and scoundrels.

Another section of the Comedy Cluj Festival that shouldn’t be missed out is Romanian Comedy Shorts which includes short films such as Willkommen, We’re Pregnant, Taxi De Niro, The Beats, On a date, Struguraș Motel.

The 9^th edition also brings creative writing workshops focused on humor writing techniques coordinated by Călin Petrat (Times New Roman), as well as Internet Culture contests and workshops on media education and comics.

Stand-Up guests include British comedians Mike Shephard (writer and comedian for BBC Radio 4) and David Whitney, and also Ceva Marunt Team, Mircea Bravo, Radu Isac & Sașa and others.

Part of the Stand-Up programme is also the Comedy Open Mic contest, where several amateur comedians are invited to entertain the audience as they know best for a set amount of time. People’s laughter represents the main jury. The contest consists of two elimination stages and a final where three winners will be selected.

The theatre section of the festival includes six moving, dynamic and, of course, entertaining performances.

The Comedy Cluj Festival will be held between October 12^th-21^st in Cluj-Napoca and is organized by Creative Ways Association and Lagom Agency.

It will take place at Florin Piersic Cinema, Victoria Cinema, Dacia Cinema and Urania Palace.

More information about purchasing tickets can be found here and you can get the latest news on the festival by visiting its website or Facebook Page.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.