First- and second-time directors are set to compete for top honours at the 24th edition of the Transilvania International Film Festival, taking place in Cluj-Napoca from June 13 to 22, 2025. Twelve films from around the world will vie for the coveted Transilvania Trophy and other accolades in the Official Competition, while ten works will compete for the top prize in the What's Up, Doc? section.
In its fourth year as a competitive section, What’s Up Doc? pushes the boundaries of the documentary form with ten films—ranging from traditional to hybrid to even fiction.
“We started from the idea of distance—physical, emotional, social, ethical. We searched for perfectly incompatible pairings, explored in diverse ways, with outcomes that remain valid no matter where you stand.” — Crăița Nanu, What’s Up, Doc? Curator
Mistress Dispeller (dir. Elizabeth Lo) – The most awarded entry, offering a jaw-dropping look into a real Chinese business helping women get rid of their husbands’ mistresses.
Letters from Wolf Street (dir. Arjun Talwar) – A poetic Indian documentary about finding home in a Warsaw neighborhood.
Endless Cookie (dir. Seth & Peter Scriver) – An animated ode to love, chance, and heritage within a Canadian indigenous family.
Loss Adjustment (dir. Miguel Calderón) – A Mexican docu-fiction blending art and insurance fraud in surreal harmony.
Invention (dir. Courtney Stephens) – A 16mm stylized fiction debut reframing archive footage, about a father’s legacy and a bizarre healing device.
The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortes (dir. Antón Álvarez) – A joyful dive into musical roots and maternal love, crowned by a family secret.
Saturn (dir. Daniel Tornero) – A claustrophobic portrait of a family torn by dark revelations, rendered with intense cinematic force.
The Return of the Projectionist (dir. Orkhan Aghazadeh) – A fable-like tale of repairing an old film projector in rural Azerbaijan, stirring nostalgia and censorship.
ILOVERUSS (dir. Tova Mozard) – A Lynchian documentary chronicling 20 years of hope, friendship, and heartbreak for a failed Hollywood actor.
Make It Look Real (dir. Danial Shah) – A subtle look at the beauty illusion industry in Pakistan, where Photoshop replaces truth.