BT Talks - About TIFF, with Mihai Chirilov & Cristian Hordilă

From a message on a robot to a festival that transforms a city

My name is Tudor Giurgiu and I would like us to meet because I have a proposal.

That's how the TIFF story basically begins. Not in a boardroom. Not in a flawless business plan. But in a message left on the answering machine, at a time when the idea of an international film festival in Romania seemed... unlikely.

In the new episode BT Talks, Mihai Chirilov and Cristian Hordilă tell how TIFF was built piece by piece: from enthusiasm, from improvisation, and from a lot of energy.

🎬 How to start something that doesn't exist

In 2002, Romania had fewer and fewer cinemas, limited access to films, and almost zero infrastructure for a festival of this kind.

And yet, the first edition of TIFF happened. With under 50 films, two halls, 5000 spectators, and a team willing to stay… in a tent if needed

It wasn't about perfection. It was about "somehow making it work"

🎉 25 years later

From 5000 spectators to over 100,000.
From two halls to an entire city.

TIFF is today a mix of culture, experience, and community – built step by step, by people who believed in this idea before it existed.

🎧 Watch the full BT Talks episode and discover the story behind TIFF.
Spoiler: it is much more than a film festival.