Eleventh edition of ClassFest International Festival inaugurated in Moldovan capital

Chisinau, 6 December /MOLDPRES/ - The 11th issue of the ClassFest International Festival of Theatre and Film Schools, Theatre section, organized by the Music, Theatre and Fine Arts Academy, with the support of the Swiss Cooperation Office and the Culture Ministry, was inaugurated at the headquarters of the Luceafarul Theatre on 5 December evening. The event will be held on 5-9 December.  

On this occasion, Culture Minister Sergiu Prodan conveyed a message to those about 100 participants, guests from Austria, France, Poland and Romania, wishing them success, inspiration and courage. ‘’I urge young people, as well as the professionals of the stage to follow the agenda and go to creation workshops given by outstanding teachers, meant to share their experience with students of theatre faculties! These are priceless lessons!’’ the official’s message reads.

According to the Festival’s director, Svetlana Târțău, in fact, ClassFest is an international artistic action, unique in Moldova, which promotes young creators of theatre, encourages the exchange of experience in the professional relations between alumni, teachers and professionals of European theatre schools. According to Târțău, 12 plays and three creation workshops will take place during four days. The 11th edition brings together in Chisinau representatives of the following theatre schools: Chisinau-based Music, Theatre and Fine Arts Academy; George Enescu National University of Arts from Iasi; Ovidius University, Faculty of Arts from Constanta; International Academy of Stage Arts from Paris; Lucian Blaga University from Sibiu; University of Arts from Targu Mures and the University of Music and Performing Arts from Graz, Austria. ”This event is a festival of solidarity with the Ukrainian people, with our colleagues from the Art University from Kiev, who cannot be here now because of the war,’’ Svetlana Târțău said.    

For her part, the rector of the Music, Theatre and Fine Arts Academy, Victoria Melnic, said that, unlike the previous editions, this year the geographic space was quite limited because of the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine. ‘’This war has bad consequences on the entire world. On the last moment, the Ion Luca Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film from Bucharest gave up participating, just as theatre schools from other countries did it,’’ Melnic noted. 

Attending the event, the director of the Swiss Cooperation Office, Guido Beltrani, said the institution he led backed, the second year in a row, the holding of the ClassFest International Festival, initiated by the Music, Theatre and Fine Arts Academy (AMTAP), as the inter-cultural dialogue is quite important.   

ClassFest is organized by AMTAP and financially supported by the Swiss Cooperation Office, Culture Department of the Chisinau city hall, Embassy of Austria in Moldova and other institutions. The festival’s budget is of 400,000 lei (about 20,000 euros).