"Black Tie Film" - Instances of Cultural Diplomacy

BlackTieFilm is the first edition of an unique initiative in the CIVIS Alliance, exploring cultural diversity and aiming at developing professional skills in the promotion of Slavic cinema in Europe.

The project adopts a variety of interdisciplinary and innovative teaching and learning methods to ensure an engaging and impactful experience for participants: discussions/ meetings with speakers (cultural representatives of Slavic ethnic groups, representatives from various Slavic cultural institutions, cultural representatives on behalf of cultural departments of embassies, government and non-government representatives, labour market representatives) involved in promoting Slavic films to present their views and procedures/ documents/ know-how related to promoting Slavic film in festivals/ cultural events, visits to places of interest.

Faculty members shall provide a series of lectures/ workshops/ discussions/ meetings with guest speakers from government departments, non-governmental organisations, local, regional, or national representatives, decision or policy makers, labour market representatives and civil society to present their views on relevant issues.

Seminars and workshops shall relate to instances of inclusion/ exclusion in the Slavic film projected nowadays in various European film festivals, parallels with literature, cultural/ historical/ anthropological implicatures (e.g. the immigrant, migration, totalitarian regimes and human rights in Central and Eastern Europe, early Slavic culture, Old Believerism, Central European culture, cultural pluralism), as well as to subtitles translation.

Furthermore, discussions and meetings with speakers (cultural representatives of Slavic ethnic groups, representatives from various Slavic cultural institutions, cultural representatives on behalf of cultural departments of embassies, government and non-government representatives, labour market representatives) involved in promoting Slavic films to present their views, as well as procedures and documents, and provide know-how related to promoting Slavic film in festivals/ cultural events, visits to places of interest.

Other planned events/ social programme:

• film projections at the European Film Festival
• official openings and interventions delivered by officials, representatives of the diplomatic corps as well as of various cultural organisations, NGOs, and industry representatives
• visit at one of the local communities of Old Believers in Romania and get acquainted with this very specific culture; the Old Believers Church could show the students the specific way of being over time.

• Slavic films as a means of cultural diplomacy:
  
• rendering cultural content;
• intercultural communication;
• film translation, film adaptation:
• Slavic cultures and heritage;
• Slavic cinema in the European Film Festival.

• Promote Slavic cinematic heritage through cultural events, media campaigns, and training workshops, using platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to promote films and events;
  
• Acknowledge cultural inclusion that highlights the thematic diversity of Slavic cinema and its relevance in the context of European cultural heritage;
• Discuss Slavic film and relate it to the European cultural context.

The physical mobility section of the BIP will take place between 11-15 May 2026, in Bucharest, Romania.

Day I

• 10:00- 11:00 - opening of the physical component 
• 11:00-14:00 – A taste of the Slavic film (cultural activity involving all participating Slavic languages) 
• 14:00-16:00 - public speech in support of cultural exchange (workshop – Teodora Boboc, Lidija Colevic, Axinia Crasovschi, Dușița Ristin, Andreea Radu-Bejenaru, Iulia Timofte, Ramona Zăvoianu-Petrovici)
• 17:00 – visit to the European Film Festival in Bucharest 

 Day II  

• whole day activity – field trips to local communities speaking Slavic languages

 Day III 

• 10:00-12:00 - Translation and cultural adaptation of Slavic Films: a linguistic approach (Tatiana Borisova)
• 12:00-14:00 - “Dvoeverie” (Dual Faith) in Soviet Cinematography (Elena Sartori)
• 14:00-16:00 - War and Carnival. Kusturica’s Underground 30 years after (Ruxandra Lambru; Șerban Pavelescu PhD, senior researcher, Romanian MoD, Institute for Political Studies of Defence and Military History, Military History Department)
• 16:00-18:00 – Surviving in Ukraine – film about war (Aliona Bivolaru)
• 18:00 – visit to the European Film Festival in Bucharest 

Day IV

• 10:00-12:00 – animation for children Behind the Iron Curtain 1945-1989 (Monika Wozniak)
• 12:00-14:00 – Russian cinema as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy (Iulia Timofte)
• 16:00 – visit to the European Film Festival in Bucharest

Day V

• 9:00-11:00- Film adaptations of the personality of the Nobel Prize winner and diplomat Ivo Andrić (Anca Bercaru, Lidija Colevic)
• 11:00-13:00 - Poetry’s journeys through the art of translation and its role in approaching the contemporary Romanian and Serbian poetry; reflections upon the art film „Vožnja“ / „Călătoria” / “The travelling“ (2019), by Adam Puslojić (Dușița Ristin)
• 13:00-16:00 - The Historical Dynamics of Romanian Heritage. The Example of National Museum of the Romanian Peasant from its founding to the present - directions and programs (Maria Mateoniu Micu, Dușița Ristin)

The course will run online between 4-7 May 2026. 

Day I (04.05.2026)

• 9:00-10:00 CET - online opening & presentation of the Blended Intensive Programme (detailed programme offer, contents, objectives, evaluation)
• 10:00-13:00 CET - A display of cultural diplomacy: cultural content rendered through mass-media (workshop – Andreea Radu-Bejenaru, Anca Bercaru, Aliona Bivolaru, Axinia Crasovschi, Maria Lațchici, Ruxandra Lambru, Iulia Timofte, Ramona Zăvoianu-Petrovici)
• 13:00-15:00 CET- Intercultural communication: preserving ethnic identity in a globalized world. The case of Old Believers (Axinia Crasovschi, Iulia Timofte)

Day II (05.05.2026)  

• 09:00 - 11:00 CET - Translator’s choice - adapting or adopting linguocultural values? Chingiz Aitmatov’s works and screenings (Teodora Boboc)
• 11:00-13:00 CET - Promotion and perception of Slavic films in Greece (Tatiana Borisova)
• 13:00 - 15:00 CET - Film adaptations of M. Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" in Slavic Countries (Elena Sartori)

Day III (06.05.2026)  

• 09:00 - 11:00 CET - The documentary film The Republic of Dubrovnik and cultural diplomacy (Maria Lațchici) (seminar)
• 11:00 - 13:00 CET - Old Slavic manuscripts from the national Romanian libraries and archives - considerations upon the documentary film ”Having a look through the archives” (2023) (Dușița Ristin)
• 13:00 - 15:00 CET - Documenting exclusion to promote inclusion – the pathway through the lens of a camera and beyond (Andreea Radu-Bejenaru, Ramona Zăvoianu-Petrovici)

Day IV (07.05.2026)  

09:00 - 11:00 CET - Polish films in Italy: how to translate "exotic" dialogue for the Italian audiences (Monika Wozniak)

11:00 - 13:00 CET – The Polish film (CinePolska) as a means of cultural diplomacy (Marina Ilie)

As part of the assessment for this BIP, participating students will complete a project-based assignment aligned with the interdisciplinary nature of the programme. Each student will select one specific class or lecture from the programme timetable— either from the online (04–07 May 2026) or physical (11–15 May 2026) component — as the central focus of their project.

However, they must also integrate references to at least two or three other sessions to demonstrate a broader understanding of the programme’s themes, such as cultural diplomacy, film translation, intercultural communication, or representations of inclusion/ exclusion in Slavic cinema.

The final project should reflect students’ analytical and creative abilities in areas like cultural analysis, content creation, or event conceptualisation. Projects must be submitted by the specified deadline and sent via email to an email address to be specified upon course initiation for evaluation purposes.

This method of assessment supports the programme’s emphasis on student-centred learning, professional skill development, and interdisciplinary engagement. 

Motivation Letter

CV

• academic profile
• motivation

• UB: Anca Bercaru (Serbian linguistics), Aliona Bivolaru (Ukrainian linguistics), Teodora Boboc (Russian translation studies), Lidija Colevic (Serbian culture and literature), Axinia Crasovschi (Russian cultural anthropology), Ruxandra Lambru (Slavic linguistics, Slavonic paleography), Maria Latchici (Croatian culture and literature); Ilie Marina (Polish culture), Andreea Radu-Bejenaru (Bulgarian linguistics), Dușița Ristin (cultural anthropology, Old Church Slavonic), Iulia Timofte (Russian translation studies, audiovisual translation), Ramona Zăvoianu-Petrovici (Slovak culture and literature)
  
• NKUA: Borisova Tatiana (Slavic studies), Elena Sartori (Slavic studies)
• SUR: Monika Wozniak (Polish language and literature)