Moldova launches first Film and History Festival in Mereni

The Republic of Moldova will host the inaugural edition of the Festival de Film și Istorii in Mereni, Anenii Noi, from 3 to 6 July 2026. Organized under the theme “Memory and Identity”, the four‑day event aims to promote historical memory, cultural identity and civic dialogue through film screenings, public debates, meetings with filmmakers, concerts, theatre performances and multimedia projects.

The opening ceremony on 3 July will feature the hand‑over of land for the “Embassies of Memory” initiative, attended by diplomatic representatives of Romania, Poland and Ukraine. The programme includes films on historic memory, political repression and national identity, panel discussions with historians, diplomats and civil‑society actors, and artistic performances.

The festival will conclude on 6 July, coinciding with the commemoration of the 1949 Soviet deportations. Closing‑day activities include a flower‑laying ceremony at Chișinău railway station, a public debate, a film screening at the Ion Creangă State Pedagogical University and an event at the exhibition “State Terror in Soviet Moldova”. All activities are free of charge. The festival is organised by the Association of Film and History Festival Mereni in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, cultural institutions, civil‑society organisations and international partners.