The Romanian Film Festival returns to Madrid, from April 17 to 30

La corbata amarilla

Fotograma de La corbata amarilla.

The Showcase kicks off on April 17 with the premiere of ‘The Yellow Tie’, about the life of the great conductor Sergiu Celibidache.

The Instituto Cultural Rumano, under the auspices of the Romanian Embassy in the Kingdom of Spain, and Cineteca Madrid present the XVI edition of the Romanian Film Showcase, an already established annual event in the Madrid cultural agenda and an essential meeting point for lovers of contemporary European cinema.

The Showcase kicks off on April 17 at 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐝 with the premiere of The Yellow Tie / La corbata amarilla, starring John Malkovich and Ben Schnetzer as the great conductor Sergiu Celibidache. The screening will feature the presence of director 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐨𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢 and producer 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫. The film traces the extraordinary life of the legendary maestro, in an internationally ambitious production that combines historical dimension and artistic strength, and whose screening takes on special significance as it coincides with the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of his passing. A singular artist, Sergiu Celibidache was admired yet misunderstood. From his childhood in Romania under the strict authority of a disciplinary father, to his painful departure from home to pursue his musical vocation; from his struggle to survive in wartime Germany to his rise, fall, and subsequent resurgence in an unimaginable life and professional trajectory that spans seven decades and the four corners of the world. This is the true story of an exceptional individual with an extraordinary destiny. The battle of an artist against prejudice, commitment, convention, and commercialism. The inspiring lifelong quest of a man determined to follow his dream and to conquer the elusive acceptance of those closest to his heart.

The selection includes another 6 award-winning films, including «𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 ’𝟐𝟓» (2025), by 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐮 𝐉𝐮𝐝𝐞, Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale; «𝐒𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐝𝐢 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐚» (2025), by 𝐈𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜́, recognized in Sarajevo, Locarno, and Gijón; «𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐭», by 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐮𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐚̆ 𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐚̈𝐧æ𝐚𝐚𝐫𝐝, Best Romanian Film at TIFF 2024, focused on artificial intelligence; «𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭̦𝐢𝐢 𝟑», by 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐆𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐚, a reference of Romanian cinema and a key figure in adapting the work of Marin Preda; and «𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞», by 𝐈𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞, a contemporary debut satire. Additionally, the Family Cinema section presents «𝐄𝐥 𝐆𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐧𝐢𝐧̃𝐨𝐬 𝟐» (2024), also by 𝐈𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞, an innovative documentary that imagines a society created by Romanian children and integrates technologies typical of video game development.