Katana

Country: Romania/Italy, 2025 Director: Oana Meshkia Starring: Iulia Lumânare, Cristian Bota, Bogdan Farkaș, Mihai Mălăimare ⏱ Runtime: 96 minutes 🌐 Language: Romanian 💬 Subtitles: Hebrew Romanian Film Festival: Opening Film. The residents of the village of Cătana have declared that every household has someone suffering from some kind of disability, in order to avoid paying taxes. Now, when they learn that government inspectors are coming to check, everyone panics, and the results are not long in coming... The debut feature by director Oana Meshkia is an original and visually stunning piece of filmmaking, shot in the Apuseni Mountains and styled with the atmosphere of a fairy-tale village. A blend of absurd characters, a dysfunctional system, and village camaraderie! Winner of the 2026 Gopo Award (the Romanian Oscar) for Best Debut Film. 96 minutes, Romanian, Hebrew subtitles. The 2026 edition of the Romanian Film Festival in Israel brings everything currently on Romanians' minds: what happens at home and what happens beyond the country's borders, what happens within the family and what happens in society itself — a strong focus on the present without forgetting the past, all through stunning landscapes, a variety of genres, and protagonists of every age. This edition also offers, for the first time at the festival, films by four young female directors who found their own original ways of telling a story. Opening film: "Cătana" is the most colorful and visually striking of all ten films in this edition, taking place in a small village in the Apuseni Mountains where the residents find a way to outwit the authorities — until the authorities surprise them right back (inspired by a mix of Wes Anderson and Kusturica); "Only Us" is a gripping drama about the fate of children whose parents decide to work abroad for long periods, leaving the children to cope, in turn, with everything life throws at them — beautifully shot, with excellent performances from the children and teenagers in it; "Komtojen," winner of the Best Screenplay award at the Gopo Awards (the Romanian Oscars), tells the story of a single mother who will do anything to save her teenage son from going to prison, with the full story revealed through four different points of view from the four main characters; "The Heist of the Century," based on a true story with a screenplay by Cristian Mungiu, tells of friends who find themselves furious at the treatment of "foreign" workers in the Netherlands and decide to take revenge with a heist that shook all of Europe at the time; "Three Days in September" follows the fallout of a story of infidelity revealed just before a wedding, which turns into a nighttime journey full of dark humor, plenty of insight, and a continuous 78-minute shot; "Safe Place" begins as a quiet drama about a vacation of two families of friends on the Bulgarian coast, moves on to reflections on lost dreams, and takes a twist with a dramatic incident along the way; "Law School Buddies" follows a group of law students who discover the value of friendship, loyalty, and how the wheels of justice turn, through helping a friend in need. Two guests will be attending the festival, and various events will take place around the films screened. We look forward to seeing you, Iris Lakner, curator and director of the Romanian Film Festival in Israel.