The third edition of Romania’s only nature documentary and photography festival, LYNX Festival, kicks off tomorrow, June 4, in Brașov. The event features twelve nature documentaries, most of which are national premieres, alongside three masterclasses with internationally known guests, five photography exhibitions, four workshops for children, and many public talks with environmental experts and NGO representatives.
Dan Dinu, the festival’s artistic director, said, “With every film and photograph shown, we want people to realize that we have only one home — this planet. We cannot separate ourselves from nature because we evolved alongside it. Everything we rely on — air, water, food — comes from nature. It’s time to become more caring and better informed about how our world works. At LYNX Festival, we focus on conservation through education.”
The festival’s Opening Gala will be held on Wednesday, June 4, at 6:00 PM at the Reduta Cultural Center. It will be followed by the screening of Europe – One Continent, Five Worlds (dir. Christian Baumeister), Germany’s most ambitious film about Europe’s biodiversity. After the film, biologist Călin Hodor, with over 20 years of experience, will lead a discussion on the importance of nature conservation in Europe.
Friday’s Premiere
One of the festival’s most awaited films, Ocean (dir. Colin Butfield, Toby Nowlan & Keith Scholey), narrated by Sir David Attenborough, will screen on Friday, June 6, at 6:00 PM at Cinema City AFI. This screening comes ahead of its official National Geographic release.
Saturday’s Program
The day begins at 11:30 AM with The Real Jungle Book (dir. Jeremy Hogarth), which brings Rudyard Kipling’s characters to life. Dan Dinu will host a Q&A session afterward, sharing behind-the-scenes stories. At 2:00 PM, Wild Secrets (dir. Axel Gebauer) will showcase wildlife footage recorded by 150 motion-triggered cameras over four years. Remus Munteanu will discuss the technical challenges involved.
At 4:00 PM, the Safari in Kenya photo exhibition opens, followed by a masterclass with Kenyan expedition guide Elijah Wambugu and Dan Dinu. Film screenings resume at 6:00 PM with A Call From the Wild (dir. Asgeir Helgestad), featuring distributor Anne Olzman, who will talk about documentary storytelling. The day ends with Lions of the Skeleton Coast (dir. Will and Lianne Steenkamp), followed by a Q&A with lion behavior expert Elijah Wambugu.
Sunday’s Schedule
On June 8, Arctic: Our Frozen Planet (dir. Rachel Scott), narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, will be shown at Cinema City AFI starting at 11:30 AM. Afterward, attendees can meet Gavin Thurston, a wildlife cameraman with over 30 years of experience, including work on BBC’s Frozen Planet.
At 2:00 PM, back at the Reduta Cultural Center, the film My Sweden – A Changing Wilderness (dir. Zoltán Török) will be screened, followed by a talk with Florin Hălăștăuan, a Romanian rewilding officer with experience as a ranger in Scandinavia.
At 4:00 PM, Gavin Thurston will lead a masterclass titled Journeys in the Wild. The festival’s Closing Gala begins at 6:00 PM with the Milvus International Photo Contest awards and the Audience Award for Best Film. Attendees will have a chance to meet the filmmakers. The winning film will be screened again the next evening at 8:00 PM.
