Romanian Film Festival @ NWFF & online

After two years of going virtual, the Romanian Film Festival Seattle is back in actual theaters for its ninth festival. The celebration of Romanian and European cinema put on by the American Romanian Cultural Society carries with it the theme of “HomeLands,” and the lineup of films is said to “map out new meanings into a world where people have been displaced by wars, economic crises, political instability, and natural disasters.”

On the virtual half of the festivities, there are two weeks of online screenings for those still uncertain about attending festivals (or if it’s simply not in your budget or schedule). Some of these even include online discussions and filmmaker Q&As. Virtual-only offerings include Hungarian psychological drama Spiral, Ukrainian documentary Ukrainian Sheriffs, and Romanian rehab tale Immaculate.

Meanwhile, in-person screenings and events will take place at Capitol Hill’s Northwest Film Forum. Try out the Romanian/French/Belgian co-pro The Island, an animated, Monty Python-esque, refugee-focused reshaping of Robinson Crusoe. If you’re looking to get a little darker, there’s Alina Grigore’s feature debut Blue Moon, about a young woman struggling to survive a distinctly dysfunctional family. Or if you want something a little in-between, there’s Things Worth Weeping For, a tragicomedy about a woman’s quarter-life crisis that kicks into high gear when she happens upon an old relative’s dead body.