Only Us

Country: Romania/Italy, 2026 Director: Tudor Cristian Giurgiu Cast: Denisa Varga, Vlad Fortuna, Mara Diaconu Duțiță ⏱ Running time: 94 minutes 🌐 Language: Romanian 💬 Subtitles: English and Hebrew Romanian Film Festival. Flavia is a cynical, sarcastic teenager living alone in a small town in Romania after her parents left to work in Italy. She has to manage on her own with the little money they send her each month. She teams up with Luca and his sister, whose parents have also gone abroad for work, and together they try to adjust to adult life and build a tight friendship that turns them and their friends into a family of their own, with rules of their own. Boredom on one hand, and their parents' lack of purpose or horizon on the other, together with the circumstances of their lives, force them to face challenges and discover the strength within themselves. A film representing a phenomenon so common around the world, and in Romania in particular: children left behind for the sake of their parents' work abroad, and the harsh reality they face. With impressive cinematography, authentic acting and a cast that touches the heart, this coming-of-age drama becomes something special. The film screened at the Berlin and Jerusalem festivals. 94 minutes, Romanian, subtitles in English and Hebrew. The 2026 edition of the Romanian Film Festival in Israel brings everything that's on Romanians' minds today: what's happening at home and what's happening beyond the country's borders, what's happening within the family and what's happening in society itself — a strong focus on the present without forgetting the past, all set against stunning landscapes with a variety of genres and characters of every age. This edition also offers, for the first time at the festival, films by four young female directors who have each found original ways of telling a story. Opening film: 'Katana' is the most colorful and spectacular of all ten films in this edition, set in a small village in the Apuseni Mountains where the residents find a way to outsmart the authorities — until the authorities surprise them right back (inspired by Wes Anderson meets Kusturica). 'Just the Two of Us' is a gripping drama about the fate of children whose parents decide to work abroad for long periods, who in turn must deal with everything life throws at them — beautifully shot, with excellent performances from the children and teenagers in it. 'Komtogen', winner of the screenplay award at the Gopo Awards ceremony (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 points of view from the four main characters. 'The Heist of the Century', based on a true story with a screenplay written by Cristian Mungiu, tells the story of friends who find themselves furious at the way locals treat '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 betrayal exposed moments before a wedding, which turns into a nocturnal journey full of dark humor and insight, shot in a continuous 78 minutes. 'A Safe Place' begins as a quiet drama about a vacation of two families of friends on the Bulgarian coast, continues with reflections on lost dreams, and takes a twist with a dramatic incident along the way. 'The Law School Crew' follows a group of law students who discover the value of friendship and loyalty, and how the wheels of justice turn through helping a friend in need. The festival will host 2 guests, with various events taking place around the films screened. We look forward to seeing you — Iris Lechner, curator and director of the Romanian Film Festival in Israel.