Transylvania Mountain Festival 2025 – Celebrating Free Spirit and Mountain Culture

The eighth edition of Transylvania Mountain Festival, the international mountain culture festival in Cluj, brought back to participants’ hearts the joy of rediscovering what “free spirit” means through mountain stories and world exploration. As every year, the theme of the edition sets the narrative tone for the films, exhibitions, and activities of the festival, which take place both indoors and outdoors.

Thus, for six days, between November 18 and 23, 2025, Cluj became the capital of mountain culture in Romania, bringing into the spotlight mountain activities, the finalists of the four official competitions with participants from 24 countries, meaning 17 mountain films in national and European premiere, 10 international photographers exhibiting their work, 5 reference projects in mountain and environmental education in Romania, mountain sports athletes with exceptional results, and 24 high-profile guests.

This year, festival participants were able to enjoy practical activities such as climbing, bouldering, running, and hiking, as well as specific mountain discussions on freeriding, ski mountaineering, snowboarding, sports performance, mountain running, free flying, MTB, whitewater and ocean kayaking, sailing, climbing, organizing complex expeditions, the importance of mountain firsts, the usefulness of innovative technologies and solutions, educating the younger generation to practice outdoor activities in a responsible and sustainable way, and, of course, our impact as a society on the environment.

Audience at the TMF 2025 Awards Gala at Cinema Victoria (photo: Dan Tăuțan) 

A Story Of Exploration

Transylvania Mountain Festival is one of the world’s first international festivals to bring together creative arts, education, science, and innovation with the thrill of outdoor sports, centered aroun a unifying theme: “the mountain”. Throughout its eight editions, suggestively named “expEditions”, the festival explores and brings new perspectives on the mountain environment: community, lifestyle, sports, creative expression, nature.

The 8th edition offered participants—competitors and spectators alike—a theme that reveals the spiritual topography of mountain lovers, explorers, and those who have the power to change the world: Free Spirit.

Mountain Culture in Cluj-Napoca

Cluj-Napoca boasts one of the most dynamic outdoor sports communities in Romania. Cluj-Napoca is an elite academic center, with active young people who love the outdoors. The following sports are commonly practiced around Cluj: MTB, trail running, skiing, snowboarding, climbing, mountaineering, free flying, kayaking, adventure, caving, and hiking.

The local community has an impressive number of sports associations and clubs, which together contribute to the development of mountain sports and organize various competitions and themed events.

The Transylvania Mountain Festival was born in Cluj-Napoca, against the backdrop of this active community, both in terms of sports and in terms of art and science. Because it is very easy to reach any point in the Carpathian arc from Cluj-Napoca, the mountain culture here manifests itself as a unique mix of lifestyle, values, and creative expression of the people who live in or explore the mountains. The local community is part of the larger global community of nature, science, exploration, and mountain sports enthusiasts.

Transylvania Mountain Festival 2025 Competitions and Awards

Open at the beginning of each year, the four Transylvania Mountain Festival competitions aim to identify the most relevant films, photographs, innovative solutions, and exceptional projects for the current year. The winners of the competitions receive the Transylvania Mountain Festival trophy for film, photography, innovation, and excellence.

The TMF film, photography, and innovation competitions are international, while the excellence projects competition focuses on honoring the outstanding achievements of the Romanian community. The festival’s list of winners can be found in the “Awards” section of the official website.

In 2025, the competitors were project teams, visual artists, and athletes from 24 countries around the world. This year, the lucky winners of the major trophies were:

• Tudor Lozba – trophy for mountain photography,
• “Better Up There” (France, 2025) film, directed by Mathis Dumas – trophy for mountain film,
• „Balanța Lemnului în România” (Wood Balance in Romania) app, GDF – Grupul De Dialog Forestier (Forest Dialogue Group) – the trophy for mountain innovation,
• Conservation Carpathia Foundation team – the trophy for excellence in activity.

The excellence section was expanded in 2025 to include exceptional results in sports and was marked by the awarding of three separate trophies:

• Women’s MTB category, youth: Diana Faur – 2025 UEC MTB Youth European Vice-Champion
• Women’s climbing category: Iris Olivia Munteanu – the first woman in Romania to climb an 8c route and an 8A+ route in bouldering.
• Men’s climbing category: Darius Râpă – U20 world vice-champion and 9A+ climber, who recently completed the 9A+ “Es Pontas” route, the first 9A+ for Romania

The TMF 2025 Honours were introduced this year to celebrate and highlight impactful projects carried out by and for the local community.

• The honor for Outstanding Initiative 2025 was awarded to the project “In good hands together – a hospital for Apuseni” carried out by the teams: “From the heart for Apuseni” & the Association of Cluj Doctors in Romania (AMCR);
• The honor for Creative Academic Partnership 2025 was awarded to the Faculty of Geography in Cluj-Napoca – Babeș Bolyai University, for creative collaboration, research, and innovation, in particular the Department of Human Geography and Tourism.
• The 2025 Project of the Year in the Apuseni Mountains honor was awarded to the building of the new Piatra Tâlharului Refuge, implemented by the CAR team – Romanian Alpine Club, Cluj Branch.

Activities of Transylvania Mountain Festival 2025

Held every year in November, Transylvania Mountain Festival includes activities that promote and publicize the exploration of the mountain environment through sports, education, art, and science. The 2025 program included:

• Mountain film screenings at Cinema Victoria. With three subcategories in the competition, the shortlist of screenings included mountain short films, feature films, and documentaries. Through film, the audience can connect with the experiences of the protagonists, with landscapes from other parts of the world, with moments from real life. Films inform, raise awareness, and present new perspectives.
• Mountain photography exhibitions organized as follows:
  • An exhibition based on the theme of the edition – “Free Spirit” – at Atelier Café, where the finalists’ works were displayed, more specifically, a selection that took the audience through the heights and valleys of the Alps, the Carpathians, and the mountains of Lebanon.
  • An exhibition entitled “Glaciers,” based on the theme of the International Year of Glacier Conservation, at the Institut Francais de Roumanie in Cluj, where the works of the jury and last year’s winning photographer were exhibited.
• Mountain Talks that took place both at Cinema Victoria and during the photography exhibitions and practical workshops. The Q&A discussions started with the theme of the film and the photographs presented, but continued with forays into the practical aspects of the topics, comparisons between what is happening in other parts of the world compared to Romania, and questions addressed directly to the guest(s).
• Launch of the official trailer for the documentary “Hoinari prin munți” (Wanderers in the Mountains) with Dinu and Marlene, directed by Cosmin Dumitrache. A festive moment that also became the most emotional moment of the TMF 2025 gala, announcing the film’s release at TIFF 2026.
• Practical activities such as: climbing and bouldering workshops for adults and children, organized at Gravity – climbing hall, hiking at Scărița-Belioara organized by CAR Cluj Branch, and evening running organized with love and enthusiasm by Radu Restivan.
• Raffles for the public organized after each screening and at the end of the festival to lighten the mood and liven up the atmosphere. Many thanks to our partners for the lovely gifts they gave to participants.
• Internships and volunteering programs organized to involve students and people who want to learn more about mountain culture in Cluj. This year, the team of volunteers was organized by the French Institute in Cluj-Napoca.
• The TMF party, organized to create a fun and very informal setting for interaction between participants, supported annually by the team at Atelier Café.

Community Involvement During Transylvania Mountain Festival 2025

As an independent festival, Transylvania Mountain Festival exists and is supported by the participation of the community of nature, sports, and mountain lovers.

• On one hand, there are members of the local community—civic, cultural, sporting, academic, and business—who get involved by volunteering in the organization, by providing free support for workshops and activities, by publicizing the event, by offering prizes for the gala and raffles, and by participating in the event.
• On the other hand, there are members of the international community—civic and cultural-sports—who get involved by registering for official competitions and communicating about the event. Every year, teams of elite athletes, directors, film producers, photographers, researchers, and documentary filmmakers submit their photo and video materials in the competition.

Thank You!

Special thanks to the competitors of the Transylvania Mountain Festival who submitted exceptional materials for evaluation and viewing by the public in Cluj, Romania.

Many thanks to our guests, who brought new perspectives and information on the topics and subjects discussed: Làszlό Gebefügi, Vlad Căpușan, Daniel Bonțea, Tudor Cristea, Bianca Maria Vladislav, Liviu Ichim, Péter Grezer, Mihnea Prundeanu, Julia Roger-Veyer, Radu Restivan, Tudor Coste (Alvin), Elena Coste (Alvin), Cristina Pogăcean, Cosmin Andron, Oana Rotter, Cristina Bolog, Levy Lazok, Ionut Nechita, Marius Florea, Radu Ghineț, Mircea Ignat,  Dinu Mititeanu, Marlene Mititeanu, Adrian Barbu, Victoria Donos, Bogdan Rus, Faur Diana, Darius Andrei Râpă (remote), Iris Olivia Munteanu și Bogdan Bob Rădulescu.

Special thanks to the team of volunteers and organizers who made this event possible: Laura C., Andreea-Carina, Ana, Eduard, Fairouz, Naomi, Noémi, Cătălin Grigoriu, Ioana Maxim, Dan Tăuțan, Alex Sava,  Anca Berlo, Poliana Petrică, Mihnea Prundeanu,  Vali Anghelescu, Chloé Thomas, Anca Bumb, Octav Dăncilă, Bereczki Norbert, Luiza Rus, Raluca Mateiu, Clementine Coedes, Mihaela și Mihai Constantinescu, Emese Kassay, Toth Richàrd, Marius Bocan, Ákos Kozma, Martha Palii, Gabriel Roșca și Diana Roșca.

Many thanks to our partners and friends!

Partners and Organizers of TMF 2025:

• Outdoor tech and innovation partner: GARMIN Romania & GARMIN Cluj  
• Academic partner: Facultatea de Geografie – UBB
• Exhibitions and screenings partners:  Institut Français de Cluj, Cinema Victoria, Atelier Cafe
• Specialized equipment:  7Trek.com
• Touristic partners: Snow Mission x Christian Tour, Revolution Kids
• Festival image and design: Black Wolf
• Printing partner: PMA Invest
• Partners: Maramont , Ski Depo & Service Cluj, Gravity – Sala de escaladă, Green Room Plant, Tiny Transylvania, Rulotika – Camper concept box
• Mountain Safety: SMURD Cluj, Salvamont-Salvaspeo, EEMGA – Eastern European Mountains Guide Association
• Specialized partner:  Clubul Alpin Român – Filiala Cluj,
• Media partner:  Cluj.com, Info Traffic,  Transilvania IT, Visit Cluj, EBS Radio, Radio Cluj, Radio Transilvania, Info Traffic – radioul de pe strada ta!
• Partner: Elf’st – marketing & investment,
• Organizer: Asociația TMF

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The TMF Association promotes knowledge and exploration of the mountain environment through sports, education, art, and science—and the Transylvania Mountain Festival is where athletes, explorers, innovators, and creatives who love nature and the mountains come together! We hope that this program will inspire the local and international community, generating new initiatives and projects that bring back the spirit of the mountains and a love of nature among us.