Team Prieteni was the most affluent Twitch community in Romania. Founded by Silviu Faiar, Alex Zlavog, and Really Rux, Team Prieteni evolved into a genuine community of Twitch streamers. Some of the members focused on social or political topics, such as @jocsivorbe and @nichitaliga. During its active years, they constantly dominated the Romanian Twitch charts.

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F-SIDES Cineclub presents films created by women andnon-binary individuals, supports gender equality and film education forteenagers in areas of the country that need more cultural activities, andinitiates dialogues on feminist themes through cinema.

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Music producer, based in Bucharest. Alex aka Sybro started the iconic duo: Alex și Tugay & Tugay și Alex. He has been crushing it solo and together with his crew, experimenting different music genres form electronic to trap.

Representing the Bucharest underground kulture, with a devoted fan base, you can sense his deep connection to music by listening to "Fata mea când te văd așa cochetă", "Stop" or "Seara asta".

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An event platform that aims to support and promote women in the music industry. They provide accessible means for anyone who wants to work in this field but never had the courage or the chance to do it. Within this event platform, they produce diverse multidisciplinary projects, including interviews featuring female artists and DJs, as well as hosting their podcast Outlook.

After x image is the first visual culturefestival in Romania, exploring how we produce, consume, and distribute images. The festival takes a360-degree approach, bringing together a wide spectrum of professionals—fromartists, designers, and journalists to film critics, philosophers, andtheorists. Their collective focus on 'The Real' explores the construction ofour realities amidst a world saturated with images. This innovative culturalventure, designed by the Room 2046 Association and supported by Bucharest CityHall through ARCUB, creates a dynamic platform for insightful discussions andexploration at the intersection of visual culture and contemporary society.

Identity.Education is the first non-governmental organization in Timisoara to promote the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community through education. Their vision is based on the inclusion and recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community as an integral and active part of a healthy and diverse city community. Their mission is to represent, promote and support the LGBTQIA+ community from western Romania through art, culture, education and community work. They want to become a formal representation of the community and keep organizing cultural events and artistic activities that bring the LGBTQIA+ community closer to Timisoara’s citizens.

Norbert Fodor graduated Cinematography at the Faculty of Theatre and Film in Cluj-Napoca. Over the past five years, he has worked as a creative video director, crafting compelling commercial films for various clients, such as Red Bull, Medlife, OTP, Regina Maria, Ursus, Samsung, Banca Transilvania, and Telekom. Recently he’s been exploring the dynamic world of visual storytelling and started working on TV series such as 'Subteran,' the first Romanian Original Netflix series.

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The artist-run space of Irina Dumitrașcu Măgurean, a Cluj-based visual artist. The studio promotes emerging visual artists, with a particular focus on photography, installation art, and new media.

It is a space with an intimate atmosphere where creativity and depth intersect.

Visual artist mixing media, drawing and installations as mediums of expression. Lea brings her imagery to life by looking at melancholy, cruelty, or bitterness through the lens of pop culture.

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Teenage magazine, created as an alternative to mainstream media, focusing on the urban landscape.

The editorial team consists of high school students. It all started with an open call on Facebook which brought together 6 unknown quirky people.

Two editions after it all started, 30 people from different cities collaborate in order to change the world.

The result is a highly intimate and accurate depiction of the teenage universe, with its adventures, failures and ways of interaction.

Film festival showcasing shorts made by teenagers. Super came to life as a safe space where teenagers can introduce their work and meet other film

aficionados. The festival also covers a medium of artistic expression rarely approached by traditional Romanian high schools aiming to inspire and stimulate teenagers in their cinematography endeavour.

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Independent-specialised publishing house based in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, founded by Alex Ciorogar. The editorial team focuses on: contemporary poetry, fiction, philosophy, and literary theory. The works published so far focus on: fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Open to any form of experimentation and innovation, casual yet luxurious, not too mainstream or too underground, the team hopes their books will shape the cultural life of our society by engaging in international conversations.

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The Romanian Society for Feminist Analyses (AnA) is an independent NGO and a pioneer in advancing feminist thought and research in Romania. AnA has shaped the feminist movement and led groundbreaking academic and community initiatives on gender-related issues, producing the country’s first studies on gender education and European integration. Over the years, AnA has published a wide range of gender-sensitive materials, including books and research reports, and currently edits an open-access international journal. The name AnA holds symbolic significance, drawing from the legend of Ana in Meșterul Manole and the dichotomy of A/non-A - representing a critique of binary thinking. This duality highlights AnA's commitment to questioning traditional frameworks and advancing a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of feminism.

A Facebook group and Instagram page created by Alexandru Mitici, capturing the quirky,everyday life of Romanian apartment buildings and neighborhoods. Featuring images of handwritten notes, odd decorations, and hidden gems, the content is made up of photos submitted by people from all over the country. With a mix of absurdity and humor, the page showcases how individuals personalize public spaces with personal items and transform shared areas into something uniquely their own. This community-driven project transforms building interiors into a collective gallery, redefining these spaces through public curation and participation.

Music artist and co-founder of Seventhirtyone, a unisex clothing brand started off in Bucharest. Big on vintage apparel himself, Tugay reimagines iconic elements in a deeply personal manner in his vibrant collections.

He is also the co-founder of the duo Alex și Tugay & Tugay și Alex. Notable music collaborations include Azteca, Băieți Cuminți, Nane, Ian and Lino Golden. He is also one of the hosts of the Rush Hour Show alongside Alex Bittman and Beni.

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Luca Istodor is a queer activist living in Bucharest. He graduated from Harvard College as a gender studies major and is currently finishing his anthropology master’s, with a dissertation on queer parties and drug use. Luca co-organizes art200, the LGBTQ+ culture festival, he founded the Super teenage arts festival and currently works for Accept Association. He has written articles on queer issues and identity, mental health and other social & cultural topics for Romanian and international publications such as VICE, Iscoada, Scena9, CUTRA or HuffPost. His first book, A Space of Our Own (Un Spațiu doar al Nostru), was published in 2020. It is an anthology featuring 20 queer love stories from different periods in (recent) Romanian history.

With a history of over 10 years of cosplaying, one of Lyra's most prized costumes is Strawberry Hatsune Miku from Vocaloid, that brought her both the ticket to the finals of Extreme Cosplay Gathering 2024 in Paris, as well as the prize for Best costume during the finals of Europa Cosplay Cup 2023 in Toulouse. Work on a costume takes her between one to three months, depending on the complexity. Cosplaying one of her favorite characters, Skye from Valorant, brought her the title of Romanian representative for the finals of Europa Cosplay Cup 2023. She is also commissioned by other cosplayers and companies from around the world sincer her skills are a testimony of her craft.

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Maria/maribittersea is a multidisciplinary artist navigating the complex terrains of digital culture, where spirituality, technology, and critical theory collide. As the creative director of END, she operates at the intersection of art, music, and radical cultural intervention, challenging the passive consumption of contemporary media.

Emerging from a landscape where internet spirituality represents a bold exploration of meaning, her work interrogates the fragmented realities of our post-digital existence. Guided by END's core philosophy of creating violent art that confronts the commodification of culture, she channels a vision that demands attention—breaking through the noise of algorithmic optimization to forge new narratives of collective imagination and resistance.

The designer behind Barning, a Romanian brand that stands out with its revolutionary take on fashion, embracing minimalism, non-binary designs, and a futuristic aesthetic. Barni, an androgynous model and the creative mind behind the brand, challenges traditional gender categorizations in fashion. Their fascination with the visual realm extends beyond fashion, having interests in architecture and beauty. Barning's ethos embodies a fresh perspective, promoting inclusivity and pushing boundaries within the fashion landscape.

Illustrator and graphic designer based in Bucharest.

Her works take many forms: static or animatic, digital or analog, to flat or 3D. Among the stylistic particularities, one can mention her preference for vibrant, saturated colors, fluid lines, and organic shapes.

She finds inspiration in nature, in spontaneous children drawings and chaotic day-to-day happenings.

She is also passionate about photography and also worked in the advertising industry. Previous commissioned work includes publications and brands such as: DoR, Școala 9, Samsung, Wacom, ING Romania, Cărturești, etc.

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Ricky horror is the name of a new musical project created by Zimbru’s vocalist, Teodora Rețegan. This marks the solo debut album, a pop-punk sound emphasized by the specificity of their low and raspy voice. The music tells the stories from the perspective of a frightened kitten and also talks freely about non-romantic love, emotions, attachment and anti-capitalism.

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A literature graduate working between Bucharest, Oradea, and Amsterdam, Ruxandra’s favourite occupation is book vlogging. Her social media username 4fara15 refers to a poem written by Virgil Mazilescu. She loves talking about books, the importance of libraries, diverse literature, and poetry. Since 2023, she is inviting her followers to discover the world through literature, reading one book from every country (197). 

Apart from her Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube videos, she also engages with her community through online book clubs and reading challenges, inviting her followers to diversify their reading lists. Her goal is to make books a water-cooler moment, something discussed in the ‘here and now’ amongst the Romanian public.

She is currently completing an internship at the European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam as part of The Europe Challenge, a program dedicated to libraries across Europe.

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Bucharest-based artist born in 1978. Since his early years, he cultivated an interest in contemplative aesthetics, a pursuit further enriched by his studies in philosophy, theology, and cultural anthropology. He earned a BA in philosophy and theology, an MA in fashion and costume strategies in 2013, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the National University of Arts in Bucharest.

Pălie works within an interdisciplinary framework, weaving together photography, collage, applied and theoretical meta-styling, video installations, curatorial projects, and bibliophilic design. His work and writings frequently explore themes such as reform, the exploration of the body, the dichotomy and interaction between the visible and the invisible, and the dominance of emotions.

A newly opened alternative creative space founded by a group of young artists. The place functions as a studio for screen-print, painting, design, photography and other artistic activities. They often organize workshops, ad-hoc photoshoots, parties and even occasional exhibitions of personal projects.

A musical ensemble that blends spontaneous thought and performance to create a unique form of communication. The name Al-Ehtifal, meaning "The Celebration" in Arabic, reflects the project's spirit of uninhibited creativity and exploration.

In a music scene often shaped by polished narratives, Al-Ehtifal Project champions raw authenticity. Through continuous experimentation and a refusal to conform to established norms, the ensemble embraces evolving soundscapes and collective learning. With a flexible lineup of musicians, the core members are based in Bucharest.

Bucovina Digital Media Days (BDMD) is a festival designed to unite artists, communicators, legal experts, and forward-thinkers in the digital space. It fosters collaboration to drive both professional growth and grassroots change. Focused on empowering those at the beginning of their journey, BDMD serves as a bridge between emerging talent and industry leaders, providing opportunities to connect, learn, and grow. Founded by Saul Pop and Loredana Bertișan-Pop - a couple dedicated to shaping a nation that meets the needs of its people through education - the festival creates a learning environment tailored to the ever-evolving demands of both the workforce and the work field. Their mission is to empower communities to become more sustainable, educated, ethical, and future-oriented, leaving a lasting impact on the digital and creative industries.

CUTRA is a queer feminist magazine. It is both a printed magazineand a permanent online platform: www.cutra.ro. The first printed issue was released inDecember 2018, and there are currently four issues available.

This project is the result of collective care and effort. It is aplatform where intersectional feminist voices find space for self-expression,where yet unwritten thoughts, expectations and new perspectives are brought tolight.

The Bucharest-based editorial team upholds antifascist,anticapitalist, and antiracist values, advocating for the empowerment of thosemost negatively impacted by the current socio-political climate. Through theirwork, the magazine aims to promote sensitivity, intimacy, solidarity, andsexual liberation as radical political acts in a world that often seeks todismiss or undermine them as weaknesses.

Loteria Climatică is an art project that raises awareness about the climate crisis in fun and quirky ways. It features a series of highly produced shorts that tackle the most important aspects of climate change, from the impacts of climate change in Europe, to the real culprits of the crisis, plastic recycling and many other issues. In addition, it included an exhibition on climate change. This headlined an arcade game where visitors could learn about their carbon footprint and make global policy decisions. It also included large graphics, recyclable products and an entire wall dedicated to what you as an individual can do to make a difference.

The project was created by Alex Lungu and Liviu Bărbulescu.

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Luca Florian is a visual artist born in Bucharest. In 2022 he graduated at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with the honorary title of Meisterschüler. He has participated in group exhibitions in Bucharest, Cluj, Timișoara, and Düsseldorf. Some of his works are part of the ING Global Collection.

Luca Florian's new works rely on the strange juxtaposition of subjects, extracted from a vibrant stock of images from contemporary visual culture, from everyday reality, and one's dreams, proposing a confusing game of perception in which the unfamiliar becomes familiar and vice versa. He had solo shows exhibited at CAV Gallery, Atelier 35 and Invitro Gallery.

Bogdan Balla is a film director and editor based in Bucharest, Romania. He studied Film Directing at National University of Theatre and Film Bucharest and graduated in 2020. In 2022 he completed his Master’s in Directing at the same university. His school films, Notes on Hiding, Bounds, I Had Been Sleepwalking When I Saw All Those Colors, Empire State Streaming (for which he signs the editing) have been screened at festivals like Moldova Film Festival, Alternative Film / Video, ART200, BIEFF, Les Films des Cannes à Bucarest. He directed the performance With Every Touch We Will Be Reborn after a text by Mihaela Michailov. He was part of many workshops and cinema trainings, like fARAD Documentary Development Lab, One World Romania – UNHCR Doc Lab and the 2021-2022 Political Theater Season as an assistant director. His hybrid experimental short film I Had Been Sleepwalking When I Saw All Those Colors won Best Romanian Film at the 2021 edition of Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival and Special Jury Mention at the 2022 edition of Bucharest International Dance Film Festival.

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The first Environmental Film Festival for children and young people in Brașov. Culmea sets out to create an educational platform that fosters dialogue during this climate crisis, using film as both a tool and a gateway to the world. Their aim is to shape a community and create support systems (families, friends) that enhance awareness about the climate crisis, and provide access to resources necessary for leading a responsible and sustainable life.

POC!, is the first documentary-comics magazine in Romania. Its stories reflect on both important environmental issues and some much-needed local initiatives for smaller communities. Thus, POC! wants to facilitate a framework for reflection that combines social analysis with artistic creation. Its topics challenge us to rethink social mechanisms and personal beliefs.

Lil' Paris is Burning — a vibrant celebration of queer culture, where expressiveness and competition come together in a spectacle of identity. The winners of each category claim their prize and fame on a stage that redefines the art of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Simona Delegeanu is a singer, instrumentalist, and producer who blends the raw emotion of traditional Romanian folkloric music with the rich sounds of soul and R&B. She describes her music as "what you’d get if Maria Tănase and Billie Eilish got on stage and sang together," delivering deeply expressive performances infused with ethereal vocals, atmospheric instrumentals, and a bold artistic vision. In 2024, she captivated audiences on Vocea României, further establishing herself as one of the most intriguing voices in Romania’s evolving music scene.

Ana Crăciun Lambru is a renowned theatre director and master puppeteer from Romania. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Puppetry from the I.L. Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in Bucharest. In 2016, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Puppet Arts from the University of Connecticut, supported by a Fulbright Scholarship. After returning to Romania in 2016, Ana continued her career as a freelance artist and founded Free Puppet Theatre, an independent company. Since then, she has directed over 15 puppet theatre productions in both state and independent theatres across the country. Currently, Ana focuses on developing projects aimed at helping children stay connected to their authentic selves while guiding adults to reconnect with their inner child.