October welcomes us with beloved festivals, highly anticipated Romanian premieres, and must-see international films. Here are our recommendations:

Freedom / Libertate (dir. Tudor Giurgiu) – October 6th

In the midst of the protests taking place in December 1989 in the city of Sibiu, Police Captain Viorel is captured by the army and accused of being a terrorist. The film is inspired by the lesser-known events that happened during the Revolution in Sibiu, where hundreds of people were accused of terrorism without evidence and held in inhumane conditions for over a month.

In her Films in Frame review, film critic Silvia Dumitrache describes it as “a film about restoring the truth, an invitation to demystify the past, to shake off the dangerous amnesia that might lead to repeating mistakes.”

Freedom comes out in cinemas on October 6.

The Exorcist: Believer (dir. David Gordon Green) – October 6th

An upcoming horror that fans of the genre won’t want to miss out on is the sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise. This time, the protagonists, Angela and Katherine, mysteriously disappear into the forest and reappear just as mysteriously after a few days. But something has changed about them.

Their parents, desperate to find a solution, seek help from the only person alive who’s witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil, the main character from the original film released in 1973, the mother of the first girl possessed by demonic entities in the series.

The Exorcist: Believer premieres on October 6.

The Crime Is Mine / Mon crime (dir. François Ozon) – October 6th

In 1930s Paris, Madeleine Verdier, an aspiring but not particularly talented actress, feels at the end of her rope. By her side is her friend and roommate, Pauline, an equally unsuccessful lawyer.

Things take an unexpected turn when a famous French producer is shot and Madeleine becomes the prime suspect. With Pauline’s help, she gets acquitted of murder for self-defense. But the story is only just beginning, as Madeleine may not actually be guilty at all, and the truth may be much more disturbing.

The film hits theaters on October 6.

Reality (dir. Tina Satter) – October 6th

The film is based on the case of Reality Winner, a US Air Force veteran and former NSA translator, accused of leaking classified information pertaining to Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential election to the press.

Satter’s debut film gives Sydney Sweeney the chance to shine in her first leading role. Those who know her from Euphoria or White Lotus will be delighted to see her performance here, as Sweeney is truly the asset of the film.

Reality can be seen in cinemas from October 6.

Killers of the Flower Moon (dir. Martin Scorsese) – October 20th

Also based on a real case is Martin Scorsese’s newest film. Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major F.B.I. investigation led by J. Edgar Hoover.

“Only one word can fully capture the factual essence of these men’s actions – and that is genocide. The natives are ethnically cleansed in Fairfax, one by one, either through neglect or through outright murder,” says film critic Flavia Dima, in her review for Films in Frame.

Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, and Jesse Plemons, Killers of the Flower Moon hits theaters on October 20.

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World / Nu aștepta prea mult de la sfârșitul lumii (dir. Radu Jude) – October 27th

Radu Jude’s latest film revolves around Angela, an overworked and underpaid production assistant. She drives around Bucharest, conducting interviews to choose the protagonist for a workplace safety video commissioned by a multinational company, argues in traffic, and generally tries to survive this never-ending day.

“The film’s main topic is exploitation. The exploitation that lies at the heart of outsourcing production to countries with cheap labor and precarious systems for protecting workers, be it during work, or through other safety nets. The similar exploitation of white-collar workers in agencies and corporations, who craft (media) products meant for export. The self-exploitation that results from pushing yourself to work excessive hours and from finding yourself unable to say no,” says film critic Flavia Dima, in her review for Films in Frame.

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World stars Ilinca Manolache, Ovidiu Pîrşan, Dorina Lazăr, László Miske, Katia Pascariu, and Şerban Pavlu, and features supporting performances by German actors Nina Hoss and Uwe Boll.

The film opens in theaters on October 27.

Another Lottery Ticket / Încă două lozuri (dir. Paul Negoescu) – October 27th

Sile gets out of jail and along with Pompiliu and Dinel, comes up with a new idea to get rich: mining cryptocurrency. Things actually work out for them, but not surprisingly, the USB stick with their digital fortune soon gets lost, so the three of them must find it as quickly as possible.

The action takes place in the same fictional town as in Two Lottery Tickets, a place made up of several locations from different cities in Romania (Bucharest, Ploiești, Giurgiu, etc.), which means that some of the spaces had to be rebuilt for this sequel that comes out six years after the original film.

The hilarious premise and light comedy make Another Lottery Ticket the perfect choice for a family hangout at the cinema. The film hits theaters on October 27.

Five Nights at Freddy’s (dir. Emma Tammi) – October 27th

Another must-see horror is Five Nights at Freddy’s, based on the popular video game franchise of the same name. Mike Schmidt, a  security guard, accepts a second-rate job: to work as a night guard at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a once-successful but now abandoned family pizza restaurant.

Once night falls, it’s just him and the disabled – or are they? – animatronic mascots. As fans of the game (who have spent their nights using the security cameras and other tools at hand trying to survive) well know, they come alive at night and are not at all friendly.

It remains to be seen if Mike will survive and if he will discover what lurks behind the living robots. The mystery can be unraveled starting with October 27 in cinemas.

Animest.18 (October 6-15)

Animest International Animation Film Festival returns between October 6-15 in Bucharest with a wide selection of animated films, parties, and masterclasses. The theme of the 18th edition is Join the Dance!, meant to celebrate this art through a dedicated thematic section and a special meeting with French dancer and animator Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo, who will hold a masterclass on October 11 at CNDB, the National Center for Dance in Bucharest.

Curated by festival director and selector Mihai Mitrică alongside French journalist and film historian Alexis Hunot, the Join the Dance! section comprises five thematic programs, which feature award-winning films such as Tango (dir. Zbigniew Rybczynski, the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1983), The Burden (dir. Niki Lindroth von Bahr, the Annecy Crystal in 2017), and Pas de deux (dir. Norman McLaren, the Oscar-nominated all-time best short film about dance).

The festival is dedicated to audiences of all ages and includes animation nights for adults, such as Trippy Animation Night, Creepy Animation Night, Animusic Night, or Erotica – The Night of Erotic Animation, as well as animation workshops and special activities for children.

For more information and the complete program, visit the Animest website.

Astra Film Festival (October 15-22)

Between October 15-22, the Great Square in Sibiu becomes the epicenter of the cinema of the future. For its 30th anniversary edition, Astra Film Festival will feature two dome cinemas and an immersive installation Infinity Mirror Room, seeking to combine art with technology and offer new perspectives on consuming documentary film.

The special program, AFF New Media, is dedicated to audiences of all ages, giving them the opportunity to experience the spectacular world of digital cinema through techniques such as Concept Art and Augmented Reality.

In addition to the 360-degree cross-media projections, there will also be classic film screenings, showcasing works that bring to the fore authentic perspectives on the contemporary world. The program is divided into five main sections: Central and Eastern European Competition, New Voices Voices in Documentary Film Competition, Romania Competition, DocSchool Competition, and Online AFF.

For more details, check out the AFF website.

Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest et Timișoara (October 20-29 / October 19-22)

The 14th edition of Les Films de Cannes presents in national premiere the films that won the Palme d’Or and the Golden Bear at this year’s Cannes Festival and Berlinale. The event will take place in Bucharest, between October 20-29, and in Timișoara, between October 19-22, as well as in other cities across the country such as Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Arad.

Timișoara hosts a special edition, Gender Equality in Cinema, dedicated to the contribution of female filmmakers and the issue of gender representation in the film industry, as part of the Timișoara – European Capital of Culture 2023 program. The audience will have the chance to meet with special guests, who will talk about their work and share their experiences.

Among the films announced in the LFDC14 program are Anatomy of a Fall (dir. Justine Triet), On the Adamant (dir. Nicolas Philibert), About Dry Glasses (dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan), and Perfect Days (dir. Wim Wenders).

More details and the complete schedule can be found on the Les Films de Cannes website.

BONUS: CSweek Documentary Film Night – October 4th

Film and architecture enthusiasts are invited on Wednesday, October 4, at 6:00 PM, to Goethe Institut in Bucharest for a special evening of screenings focusing on architecture and design. Among the titles presented are He Flew Ahead – Karl Schwanzen (dir. Max Gruber), about the life and work of the famous Austrian architect, who designed the iconic “BMW Four-Cylinder”, the central headquarters of BMW in Munich; 2038 Here is How (dir. Christoph Roth), a fictional documentary, a message from the future, stating that in a quarter of a century, we will have mastered the major crises of the planet; UADFashionFilm, with the support of the Fashion Design Department, Class of 2023, University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca.

The program is part of CSWeek, an international platform and biennial national event created to bring together special creative, artistic, design, and local sustainability practices under the same “roof”, showcasing the impact of sustainability in our society and how we can all contribute to a better future.

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.