The Seventh Day of FITS: Circostrada General Assembly Opens in Romania and the Hall of Mirrors Filled to Capacity for the Conversation Between Director Cristian Mungiu and Octavian Saiu

The seventh day of the Festival began with the Circostrada General Assembly, organised in partnership with SIPAM – the Sibiu International Performing Arts Market. This marks the first time that the Circostrada General Assembly has been hosted in Romania, with FITS having been a member of this prestigious network dedicated to street arts for many years.

The Hall of Mirrors hosted the Special Conference Art as a Reactionary Force – IBSEN 200. Hege Knarvik Sande, Jan Koslowski, Chris Simion-Mercurian, Kathrine Nedrejord and Ovio Olaru joined moderator Ionuț Sociu in a discussion marking the bicentenary of the birth of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.

The following Special Conference featured Cristian Mungiu in conversation with Octavian Saiu. The Hall of Mirrors was filled to capacity, and the discussion continued for more than an hour.

Fresh from receiving his second Palme d'Or for the film FJORD, the acclaimed filmmaker spoke about how he chooses his stories, the responsibility of artists in an increasingly polarised society, education, morality, and the challenges of making films today.

From the very beginning of the conversation, Cristian Mungiu admitted that choosing a new story is the most difficult decision in the entire filmmaking process. He explained that he never starts from an abstract theme, but from stories that help him better understand the world we live in.

"I don't start with a theme, but with stories (...) I'm interested in understanding ourselves more deeply and gaining a deeper insight into who we are."

A summary of the conversation is available on the FITS Blog.

As part of the online programme FITS Talks, writer Marius Chivu was in conversation with director Eugen Jebeleanu.

UNION PLACE, directed by Cristian Ban, a production of the "Radu Stanca" National Theatre Sibiu performed in Romanian, English and German, was presented in the Large Hall.

GRO(O)VE, a co-production by UNITER and the "I.L. Caragiale" National Theatre Bucharest, filled the Lulu Hall at Fabrica de Cultură with a performance that perfectly matched the spirit of FITS—a celebration of joy, vitality and a state of artistic grace.

Also at Fabrica de Cultură, audiences experienced RETURN TO THE STARS – SIBIU, presented as part of the 8th Chinese Season.

ISRAEL AND MOHAMED had its first performance at the "Ion Besoiu" Cultural Centre, while PHÈDRE! returned for its second performance of this year's Festival at the GONG Theatre.

The day concluded in the Grand Square with the concert STORIES FROM THE SOUL, THROUGH SONG, featuring The Cazanoi Brothers Ensemble, Ioana Ștefan and the Cantus Mundi Choirs.

Sibiu International Theatre Festival: 848 Events and 5,000 Artists from 83 Countries

The Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS), one of the world's largest and most important performing arts festivals, takes place this year from 19 to 28 June. The 33rd edition, held under the theme SOUL, features 848 events and welcomes more than 5,000 artists from 83 countries.

This year's theme—SOUL—highlights the idea that beyond technology lies the human soul, whether it belongs to the artist or the spectator.

The FITS mobile application includes the complete Festival programme, allows users to personalise their schedules and offers many additional features. The app is available free of charge on both Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.

Real-time information about FITS is available on the Festival's Facebook, Instagram and TikTok channels, as well as through the FITS newsletter at fitsibiu.substack.com.