The first edition of the Nordic Festival, a multidisciplinary event exploring and celebrating the culture of Northern countries, through a programme including awarded films, debates with special guests, literary events, concerts and many other surprises, will take place in Bucharest over February 13-15, reads a press release sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

Under the slogan 'Enchanting Aurora - A Northern Cultural Expedition,' the festival aims to connect the local environment to the lifestyle, art and recent innovations of the five participating countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden -, and to facilitate the dialogue and the exchange of experience between the Northern countries and Romania.

During the four days of the event, the Bucharesters will have the opportunity to meet and discuss with the international artists and experts invited, who will approach topical issues such as education, green transition and artificial intelligence.

The section dedicated to the Northern film school will take place at the Elvire Popesco cinema hall, with the selection being made by journalist and film critic Ionut Mares.

'The selection aims to bring the most important of the recent feature films made in the five organizing countries both by renowned film directors and new and promising talents. The films have also been selected by the most important international festivals, with this being for the first time when they are screened in Bucharest. The section also includes some new documentaries and iconic films that were restored, as well as films for children and the younger audience,' said Ionut Mares.

Eight of the most appreciated recent Northern feature films, which received awards at the big festivals, a documentary about Roy Anderson, the iconic film of Nicolas Winding Refn, 'Pusher,' recently restored, a special guest from Iceland and two screenings for children are part of the film section of the festival.

Most of these films will be screened for the first time in Bucharest.

Another of the Nordic Festival sections proposes a series of debates with special guests - important personalities from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden -, specialists who contributed of a significant manner to the development of the innovating approaches in their countries, in such fields as education, sustainability, ecological transition, protection of the patrimony or artificial intelligence.

The international guests will be joined by Romanian experts in these debates, who will bring a local perspective and facilitate thus the dialogue with the audience and the exchange of experience between the Northern countries and Romania.

There will also be a theatre show, a concert and an exhibition organized within the Nordic Festival.

The initiative of this event belongs to the Danish Embassy, the Finnish Embassy, the Iceland Embassy, the Norwegian Embassy and the Swedish Embassy in Bucharest and the whole event will continue in March for two more days in the capital of the Republic of Moldova, Chisinau.

The National News Agency AGERPRES is a media partner in the event. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Petronius Craiu, EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)