Between September 11 and 14, 2025, Bucharest will once again host the only international dance film festival in Eastern Europe. The Bucharest International Dance Film Festival (BIDFF), now at its 11th edition, brings together film, dance, and new media under the theme Keep Calm and Keep on Moving.
BIDFF has established itself as a unique cultural event, creating a dialogue between artists, filmmakers, and audiences while presenting cutting-edge projects at the intersection of performance and cinema. Each edition explores how memory, identity, technology, and the body can be reimagined through film and dance. The 2025 edition continues this mission by focusing on movement as a universal language of resistance and adaptation.
BIDFF 2025 Schedule
Thursday, September 11
- 11:00 – BIDFF Community: Dance on Film for the Fourth Age | Residential Center Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen
- 12:00 – BIDFF Community: Holding Hands — Dance Workshop for the Elderly with Silvia Brazzale | Residential Center Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen
- 19:00 – BIDFF Expand: Sweet Spot (From the Heart of Terror) | National Center of Dance Bucharest
- 20:30 – BIDFF Films: The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés (95’) | Cinema Elvire Popesco
- 21:00 – BIDFF Films: Bodies in Transit — International Competition I (81’) | Grădina cu Filme – Cinema & More
Friday, September 12
- 10:00 – BIDFF Expand: Framing — Screendance Masterclass with Jacopo Jenna | National Center of Dance Bucharest
- 11:00 – BIDFF Community: Dance on Film for the Fourth Age | Residential Center Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen
- 12:00 – BIDFF Community: Holding Hands — Dance Workshop for the Elderly with Silvia Brazzale | Residential Center Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen
- 15:00 – BIDFF Exchange: Dance and Film Today — TikTok Dance Screening and Open Discussion | National Center of Dance Bucharest
- 17:00 – BIDFF VR: BIDFF VR ’25 Showcase | /SAC @ Malmaison
- 18:00 – BIDFF Community: Miriam Răducanu: “The Art That Needs No Words” — Guided Tour with Andreea Novac | Meeting Point: National Theatre Bucharest
- 18:00 – BIDFF Films: Motion Signals — International Competition II (81’) | Cinema Elvire Popesco
- 20:00 – BIDFF Films: Night Stage (117’, 18+) | Cinema Elvire Popesco
- 21:00 – BIDFF Films: Identity Shakeoffs — International Competition III (84’) | Grădina cu Filme – Cinema & More
Saturday, September 13
- 11:00 – BIDFF Expand: Cinematic Spheres: Exploring the 360° VR Cinematic Frontier — Masterclass with Marius Hodea | /SAC @ Malmaison
- 11:00 – BIDFF Community: Danceable: Explorations through Spatial Dynamics — Contemporary Dance Workshop with Catrinel Catană | National Center of Dance Bucharest
- 14:00 & 16:00 – BIDFF Community: Miriam Răducanu: “The Art That Needs No Words” — Guided Tour with Andreea Novac | Meeting Point: National Theatre Bucharest
- 17:00 – BIDFF VR: BIDFF VR ’25 Showcase | /SAC @ Malmaison
- 18:00 – BIDFF Films: Against Stillness — International Competition IV (93’) | Cinema Elvire Popesco
- 20:00 – BIDFF Films: Rains Over Babel (113’) | Cinema Elvire Popesco
- 21:00 – BIDFF Films: Miriam Răducanu – Rigor and SenZ (76’) | Grădina cu Filme – Cinema & More
- 21:00 – BIDFF Community: Keep on Groovin’ — Short Dance Animations (55’) | Masca Theatre
Sunday, September 14
- 17:00 – BIDFF VR: BIDFF VR ’25 Showcase | /SAC @ Malmaison
- 19:00 – BIDFF Expand: Danse Macabre! A Choreography of Terror (55’) | National Center of Dance Bucharest
- 20:00 – BIDFF Films: Dreams (98’, 18+) | Cinema Elvire Popesco
- 21:00 – BIDFF Films: BIDFF #11 Awards Ceremony | Grădina cu Filme – Cinema & More
The festival takes place in six of Bucharest’s cultural venues: Cinema Elvire Popesco, Grădina cu Filme – Cinema & More, the National Center for Dance Bucharest (CNDB), /SAC @ Malmaison, MASCA Theatre, and the Residential Center “Amalia and Chief Rabbi Dr. Moses Rosen.” Each location contributes to the dynamic character of the festival, offering audiences the chance to experience both traditional cinema screenings and experimental formats such as VR installations, outdoor projections, or site-specific performances.
The heart of the festival is the international short film competition, which this year features 27 productions from 20 different countries. Grouped into four thematic programs, Bodies in Transit, Motion Signals, Identity Shakeoffs, and Against Stillness, the competition reflects the diversity of global voices in dance film. The jury, composed of Judith State (Romania), Kati Kallio (Finland), and Andreas Hannes (Netherlands), will decide the winners, who will be announced during the closing ceremony on September 14 at Grădina cu Filme.
Through its “Expand” and “Community” sections, BIDFF organizes workshops, masterclasses, and guided tours that open the world of dance film to all audiences. Italian choreographer Jacopo Jenna will lead a video-dance laboratory, while Romanian artist Marius Hodea will explore the possibilities of 360° VR cinema in a dedicated masterclass. Community projects include dance workshops for seniors, explorations in spatial dynamics for younger participants, and a guided tour dedicated to Miriam Răducanu, designed to bring audiences closer to the legacy of this iconic artist.
The “VR” section introduces immersive installations that combine movement and technology, presented at /SAC @ Malmaison, while the “Exchange” platform hosts debates and professional talks such as Dance and Film Today, a Europe-focused discussion about the future of this hybrid art form.
Each evening, audiences can gather at Grădina cu Filme for outdoor screenings that combine the magic of cinema with the relaxed atmosphere of late summer in Bucharest. The festival culminates on Sunday, September 14, with the Awards Ceremony, celebrating the best films of the competition in the presence of the jury and the artists.
For visitors and locals alike, BIDFF is an invitation to experience Bucharest from a different perspective. It is a journey through art, technology, and community, where dance and film merge into powerful experiences. The Bucharest International Dance Film Festival 2025 offers four days of inspiration and discovery in the heart of the city.
Tickets and passes will be available on the official website bidff.ro.
