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The 14th Dracula Film Festival took place from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October 2026 at Cinema Astra, Strada Lungă 1, about ten minutes on foot north of Piața Sfatului. A screening cost 15 lei (about €3), and a 90-lei festival pass covered every screening. The 2027 dates have not been announced; the free Dracula Fantasy Con still follows from 30 October to 1 November.
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Prices and times were checked against the ticket shop and the festival website on 10 October 2026. The 2026 winners are listed below: Zile și Nopți published them on 18 October 2026, but on 26 October the festival’s own site still didn’t show them. For everything else on in the city this autumn, see What’s on in Brașov.
Dates for 2026
| What | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| International feature competition | Thu 15 – Fri 16 October | Held |
| Short films, Simon Boswell screening, cine-concert and awards gala | Sat 17 October | Held |
| Steven Spielberg day | Sun 18 October | Held |
| Dracula Fantasy Con, Coresi Shopping Resort | Fri 30 October – Sun 1 November | Confirmed |
| 2027 edition | Not announced | Expected in autumn 2027 |
The 2026 festival was first announced for 8–11 October, according to Zile și Nopți on 8 July 2026. It was held on 15–18 October, the dates given by the official site and the ticket shop.
The festival’s free spin-off, Dracula Fantasy Con, follows at Coresi Shopping Resort from 30 October to 1 November.
The festival has no fixed week. According to Zile și Nopți, the 2025 edition ran from 29 October to 2 November at Cinema Modern. In 2023 it closed on 28 October with a gala at Cinema Astra, as Spotmedia reports. Expect it somewhere between mid-October and the Halloween weekend, and check the dates each summer.
Where it happens
- Cinema Astra, Strada Lungă 1, hosted every 2026 screening (Fanzin). It is a city-owned cinema that was modernised and reopened in 2021, opposite the Casa Armatei (Army House) and next to the county employment office, AJOFM (Zile și Nopți venue page).
- Coresi Shopping Resort, in the Piața cu Copaci area, hosts Dracula Fantasy Con. It is about 4 km north-east of the Old Town.
Tickets and prices
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Single screening: each competition feature, each shorts programme | 15 lei |
| Close Encounters of the Third Kind or Disclosure Day, 18 October | 20 lei each |
| Cine-concert UI by Costin Chioreanu, 17 October | 25 lei |
| Festival pass, all screenings at Cinema Astra, 15–18 October | 90 lei |
| The Dark Fantastic with Simon Boswell, 17 October, 17:00 | Free |
| Dracula Fantasy Con, Coresi | Free |
Prices from the Fanzin ticket shop and the pass page, checked on 10 October 2026. The Boswell screening is free according to Zile și Nopți.
Tickets are sold online at fanzin.ro, the shop of the organiser, the Fanzin cultural association.
- Was the pass worth it? At 15 lei a film, the pass paid for itself at six screenings. The 2026 festival had ten ticketed screenings, so it suited people who spent most of the four days in the cinema.
- What the pass covered: the shop said it gave access to all festival screenings at Cinema Astra. It didn’t say whether the cine-concert counted.
The 2026 programme
| Day | Time | What |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 Oct | 18:00 | Heritage (France, 2026), found-footage horror |
| 19:30 | Skybreaker (Australia, 2025), dark fantasy | |
| Fri 16 Oct | 17:00 | The Shadow (Paraguay, 2026), psychological horror |
| 19:00 | The Journey to No End (China, 2025), science-fiction drama | |
| 21:00 | The Eternal Night of Hannah Goldman (Spain, 2026), thriller-horror | |
| Sat 17 Oct | 13:00 | International short film competition, two programmes |
| 15:30 | Romanian short film competition | |
| 17:00 | The Dark Fantastic (2025, dir. Lg White), with Simon Boswell answering questions; free | |
| 19:30 | Cine-concert: Costin Chioreanu’s Audial Phantaforms “UI”, then the awards gala | |
| Sun 18 Oct | 17:00 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) |
| 20:00 | Disclosure Day (2026) |
Sources: Fanzin ticket shop for times and prices; Zile și Nopți, 24 September 2026 for the films and events.
Competitions and jury
The festival runs four competitions, according to Zile și Nopți:
- Dracula Trophy, for international feature films: the five films in the table above, selected by the festival director, Ioan Big. The jury is the Romanian actor Gabriel Spahiu, the Irish producer and director Randal Plunkett and the French-Lebanese director Christophe Karabache.
- Little Dracula, for international short films: 11 films from Brazil, France, Germany, the United States, Spain, Greece, Sweden and Hungary, selected by Cristian Mărculescu.
- Vlăduț, for Romanian short films: five films.
- Dracula Digital, for short films shot on mobile phones around a set of keywords, with a prize of €500. Six teams reached the 2026 final (draculadigital.ro).
To enter the feature and international short competitions, a film must not have been shown at another fantasy or horror festival in Romania, according to Zile și Nopți in July 2026.
2026 winners
- Dracula Trophy (best feature film): Heritage (France, 2026), directed by Baptist Agostini-Croce.
- Special mention, international feature competition: The Shadow (Paraguay, 2026), directed by Michael Joseph Kovich Jr.
- Little Dracula Trophy (best international short): Dagian (Hungary), directed by Péter Dóczé. Special mention: Shard, directed by Pablo Cabel.
- Vlăduț Trophy (best Romanian short): Knot, directed by Sorin Valea.
- Dracula Digital 2026: Clementia Dei, by the Brașov Filmsylvania team.
- Honorary “Count Dracula” trophy for a lifetime’s work: the British composer Simon Boswell.
Source: Zile și Nopți, 18 October 2026.
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Guests and special events in 2026
- Simon Boswell, the British composer, born in London in 1956, received the festival’s lifetime achievement award, the “Count Dracula” trophy. He introduced The Dark Fantastic on 17 October.
- A cine-concert world premiere. Costin Chioreanu, who also designed the 2026 poster, performed live music to animation he made with Olivia Chioreanu, on 17 October before the awards gala.
- Spielberg day. For Steven Spielberg’s 80th birthday, the film critic Irina-Margareta Nistor presented Close Encounters of the Third Kind and his 2026 film Disclosure Day on 18 October.
A short history
- Since 2013. The festival says it has been held every year without a break since 2013 (Dracula Film Festival); 2026 was the 14th edition. It covers fantasy, horror, thriller and science fiction.
- The organisers. It is a project of the Fanzin cultural association, the Brașov group that also runs the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival and the Comedy Week (Săptămâna Comediei) (Fanzin). In 2026 it was funded through the city’s Apollonia Hirscher Cultural Centre, with the support of City Hall and the Local Council (Dracula Film Festival).
- The Count Dracula honour. The festival gives an honorary “Count Dracula” title to guests from the genre. Past recipients include Lamberto Bava, Ruggero Deodato, Debbie Rochon, Sergio Stivaletti and Armand Assante; in 2023 it went to Enzo G. Castellari and Sergio Martino (Spotmedia), and in 2025 to the American actor Michael Berryman (Zile și Nopți).
- Venues have changed. In 2023 the festival used Cinema Modern, the Apollonia Cultural Centre, the County History Museum and Bran Castle as partner venues, drew more than 3,000 entries from nearly 140 countries and launched Dracula Fantasy Con (Spotmedia). The 2025 edition was at Cinema Modern; in 2026 it was all at Cinema Astra.
- Recognition. The horror site Dread Central listed it among the world’s best genre festivals in 2021 and 2025, according to the festival.
Dracula Fantasy Con
The festival’s fan fair runs from Friday 30 October to Sunday 1 November 2026 in the Piața cu Copaci area of Coresi Shopping Resort, from 17:00 each day, and entry is free, according to Zile și Nopți. The 2026 programme lists gaming tournaments and free-to-play sessions, a board-game marathon, 3D-printed figurines, an artists’ alley with six graphic artists, and Japanese-culture workshops and a cosplay parade run by Kumagumi Brașov.
It falls on the Halloween weekend, when Bran Castle runs its themed tours; our guide to getting from Brașov to Bran Castle has the buses.
Getting there
- On foot: Cinema Astra is about 550 m north of Piața Sfatului as the crow flies, roughly ten minutes’ walk.
- By bus: the nearest stops are Astra, right by the cinema, and Livada Poștei, a couple of minutes away. Livada Poștei is served by most central lines and by the A1 airport bus. A single ticket costs 5 lei and is valid for 90 minutes; tap a contactless card on the validator. See our guide to getting around Brașov.
- By car: central parking is paid, 08:00–20:00 under the current rules, and there is a public car park by the County Library at Livada Poștei. City Hall is consulting on new central rates, so check the signs (City Hall, 18 September 2026).
- To Coresi (Fantasy Con): about 4 km from the Old Town; a Bolt costs roughly 15–40 lei for trips around the city, or take a city bus.
Is it worth it?
Yes, if you like genre cinema. Tickets are cheap, the competition films are new independent horror and fantasy titles that, by the festival’s rules, haven’t been shown at other Romanian genre festivals, and the 2026 guest took questions from the audience. It’s not a red-carpet event: there is one venue and two or three films a day, so you won’t be overwhelmed by choice.
In 2026 the Saturday was the fullest day: shorts in the afternoon, the free Boswell screening and the cine-concert with the gala.
Tips
- Book the gala evening early. In 2026 the Saturday evening and the Spielberg films were the big draws.
- Check the subtitles. Most competition films are international. The listings don’t say which subtitles are used, so ask the organiser if you don’t read Romanian.
- Bring a layer. Mid-October evenings in Brașov are cool: the month averages 16°C by day and 4°C at night (Brașov weather by season).
- Pair it with Bran. If you’re staying through late October, Bran Castle’s themed Halloween tours run from 24 to 30 October, with Halloween itself on 31 October. Our Bran Castle guide explains how much of the Dracula story is true.
FAQ
When is the next Dracula Film Festival?
The 2027 dates have not been announced. The 2026 festival ran from Thursday 15 to Sunday 18 October 2026 at Cinema Astra in Brașov, and Dracula Fantasy Con follows from 30 October to 1 November at Coresi Shopping Resort.
How much were tickets?
In 2026, 15 lei for most screenings, 20 lei for each of the Spielberg films on 18 October and 25 lei for the cine-concert on 17 October. The festival pass cost 90 lei. The Simon Boswell screening was free, and so is Fantasy Con.
Where do I buy tickets?
Online at fanzin.ro, the ticket shop of the Fanzin cultural association, which organises the festival.
Is the festival held at Bran Castle?
Not in 2026: every screening was at Cinema Astra in Brașov. Bran Castle was a partner venue in earlier years, including 2023.
What kind of films does it show?
Fantasy, horror, thriller and science fiction, from new independent features and shorts to classics. In 2026 the feature competition had films from France, Australia, Paraguay, China and Spain.
What is Dracula Fantasy Con?
The festival’s free fan fair of comics, books, games and fantasy art, with gaming tournaments, workshops and a cosplay parade. In 2026 it runs from 30 October to 1 November at Coresi Shopping Resort, from 17:00 each day.
Sources
- Dracula Film Festival: official site (2026 dates, venue, funding) and about the festival
- Asociația Culturală Fanzin: ticket shop and programme, festival pass
- Zile și Nopți: 2026 competition and guests (24 September 2026), 2026 winners (18 October 2026), 2026 call for entries (8 July 2026), Dracula Fantasy Con 2026, 2025 edition, Cinema Astra
- Spotmedia: 2023 winners and history
- Brașov City Hall: parking rules consultation (18 September 2026)
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What changed
- Added the 2026 winners.
- The 2026 festival has ended: the guide now describes it in the past tense. Dracula Fantasy Con, 30 October – 1 November, is still to come.
