After the announcement of the Amadeus LIVE event, the cinema-concert program of the 24th edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival (June 13 – 22, 2025, Cluj-Napoca) is completed with two other titles that will bring award-winning artists, a cinema-concert for the whole family and multimedia experiences that combine cinema, art and music to the audience: Steamboat Bill, Jr. and The Peasants.
Tickets were put on sale online at https://tiff.eventbook.ro/.
Steamboat Bill, Jr. – a comedy with Buster Keaton for the whole family
Directed in 1928 by Charles Reisner, Steamboat Bill, Jr. is an exceptional example of Buster Keaton’s talent for physical comedy and stunts. The story follows William Canfield Jr. (Buster Keaton), a frail and clumsy young man who returns to his hometown to join his father’s business, a tough steamboat captain. His father, Steamboat Bill Sr., is disappointed in his son, whom he considers unfit for river work. Things get even more complicated when Bill Jr. falls in love with the daughter of his father’s rival, which sets off a series of comic conflicts. The climax of the film is one of the most famous scenes in silent film history: during a devastating hurricane, the facade of a building collapses on Keaton, and he escapes unharmed only thanks to a perfectly positioned window. This scene was shot without special effects. Steamboat Bill, Jr. is considered the inspiration for Walt Disney’s film Steamboat Willie (1928), released six months later. This production introduced the world to Mickey Mouse. The film will be accompanied live by pianist John Sweeney, who has been composing and accompanying silent films for nearly thirty years. Originally from New Zealand, Sweeney now lives in London. In the UK, he has performed live music for silent films at Riverside Studio Cinemas, the National Film Theatre, Nottingham Broadway and the Barbican Centre. Internationally, he has performed at renowned festivals, including Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, Giornate Del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy, as well as at film events in Austria, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. The cine-concert is recommended for both adults and children. Steamboat Bill, Jr. can be seen on Tuesday, June 17, at 5:00 PM, at Cinema Florin Piersic.
The Peasants – an electrifying experience
Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski is one of Poland’s most innovative musicians, known for his compositions that combine jazz with electronic music, hip-hop and traditional rhythms. His shows bring an eclectic mix of energetic music to the audience, layered over film images or animated paintings. In 2023, together with the Rebel Babel Film Orchestra, Rostkowski composed the soundtrack for the film The Peasants (dir. DK Welchman, Hugh Welchman). Based on the novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner Władysław Reymont, The Peasants is a stunning animation that transports the viewer back in time to the late 19th century, into the world of a Polish village – a place deeply connected to nature and traditions. After filming the story with actors, the directors collaborated with over 100 artists from Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Serbia to create oil paintings based on the images, which were then edited and animated. Directors DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman used the same technique for the feature film Loving Vincent (2017), nominated for the Oscar and BAFTA Awards, and the result is spectacular.
In the multimedia show The Peasants, musician Łukasz L.U.C. Rostkowski together with the Rebel Babel Film Orchestra bring to life the film’s most impressive animated paintings, performing the soundtrack live. Using a diverse range of traditional Polish instruments – drums, guitar, accordion – as well as unique regional instruments – the Płock violin, flute, bagpipes – the orchestra explores folkloric rhythms, reinventing the sound through modern arrangements and processing techniques. Choral voices are added to this soundscape. Joyful rhythms of mazurka and polka, as well as ancient Slavic music, will resonate in The Peasants, a journey through culture, history and creativity. The Peasants will be performed at the Student Culture House on Wednesday, June 18, at 7:00 PM.
The Peasants performance is supported by the Polish Institute Bucharest.