Romanian animated short film selected in UK’s Official Encounters Competition

21 August 2026 Happy New Year, the Romanian animated short film directed by Radu Gaciu and produced by Adriana Bumbeș through Ariadna Films, has been selected for the Official Competition of the Encounters Film Festival. The film will have its world premiere on September 23, 2026, at Watershed in Bristol. The film, set in 2009 in Romania, follows a woman who returns home on her birthday to the isolated cabin in the mountains where she spent part of her youth with her twin sister. She rediscovers a space where memory and dreams intertwine and where echoes of the past speak of the pain of separation. With a running time of 25 minutes, Happy New Year is a fantasy drama made using a mixed 2D digital animation technique. Encounters is a qualifying festival for the BAFTA, BIFA and European Film