Romania Named First-Ever Country of Focus at American Film Market

By Elena Vasquez

Romania will be the first-ever Country of Focus at the American Film Market, with Palme d'Or–winning director Cristian Mungiu leading the national delegation to the market's Los Angeles edition running Nov. 10–15 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

The AFM, produced by the Independent Film and Television Alliance, is launching the initiative in partnership with the Creative Romanian Filmmakers umbrella group. It marks the first time the market has designated a country of focus since the program's creation.

Mungiu arrives with high stakes. His latest film, "Fjord," is Romania's official submission for best international feature film at the Oscars, with an American theatrical release through Neon. "The awards-season campaign for 'Fjord' and its American theatrical release through Neon look promising," he said in a statement.

What does Romania bring to the market?

The Romanian delegation will occupy a dedicated exhibition space at the Fairmont for meetings with international buyers and industry partners. Eleven companies are attending:

• Augmented Films
• Bullsrecords
• Idea Film
• Nomad Films Global
• Profesional Film Partners
• Quantum Media Creative
• Frame Film
• Mavish Ask
• Negrea Visuals
• Sýmbolon
• Tarnovski Marketing Consultancy

The program adds market screenings of Romanian films at the AMC Century City 15 cinema. Four titles are on the slate: Igor Cobileanski's psychological drama "Comatogen"; Andrei Dascalescu's cycling journey documentary "Gone Guy"; Ligia Ciornei's drama "Grounded," set at the outbreak of war in Ukraine; and Valeriu Andriuta's thriller "The Circle."

Who is speaking at the panel?

Mungiu will join a panel titled "Beyond the New Wave: Romania as Your Next Production Partner," set for Nov. 14 at the Fairmont. His fellow speakers: Valentin Savu, general manager of the Romanian Office for Film and Investments in Culture; Alma Bacula, head of production and partner at Bucharest-based Icon Films; and producers Iuliana Tarnovetchi, Gabriel Popescu and Ionuț Ionescu.

The panel will cover filming in Romania, partnering with local producers and accessing the country's production incentives.

What did the key figures say?

"This year, a Romanian film was awarded at every major festival," Mungiu said. "I believe Romanian films have real potential in international markets — not only at festivals, but with a wider audience."

He pointed to the country's financing infrastructure as a work in progress. "And not only is the Romanian cash rebate working again," Mungiu continued, "we have also started a conversation with the Romanian authorities about providing upfront cash-flow financing for the rebate, and we hope to see concrete results as early as 2027."

IFTA head Jackie Brenneman framed the honor as recognition of a long-standing relationship. "Romania has been part of the AFM community for many years, and we're proud to recognize its contributions to global cinema as our first-ever Country of Focus," she said.

Mihai Lupu, managing director of Creative Romanian Filmmakers, noted the group has brought Romanian producers to major markets and festivals since 2016 — a nine-year run of which AFM has always been a key stop. "Being named Country of Focus this year is a milestone for our entire industry — an invitation to buyers, sales agents and producers to discover Romanian stories, talent and locations, and to build lasting partnerships with us," he said.

The takeaway: a festival-validated national cinema is now pitching itself to buyers as a production partner, with rebate reform expected by 2027.