Traffic () is a 2024 heist drama film directed by Teodora Mihai, written by Cristian Mungiu. Starring Anamaria Vartolomei and Ionuț Niculae, it follows a group of Romanian immigrants in Belgium, who go from unwanted second-class citizens to wanted criminals, as they decide to stage a heist that will change their lives forever. The story of the film is inspired by a theft of paintings signed by Picasso, Monet, and Gauguin from a Dutch museum in 2012 by three Romanians.
The film had its world premiere in the International Competition section of the Warsaw Film Festival on 16 October 2024, where it won the Warsaw Grand Prix. It was theatrically released on Romania on 23 September 2025. It was selected as the Romanian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Cast Anamaria Vartolomei as Natalia Ionuț Niculae as Ginel Rareș Andrici as Iță Robert Iovan as Adrian Thomas Ryckewaert as Mr. Michels Mike Libanon Macrina Bârlădeanu as a prosecutor Alexandru Potocean as a prosecutor
Release
Traffic premiered in the Official Competition of the Warsaw Film Festival on 16 October 2024, where it won the Best Film award. It was presented in International Competition at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival on 31 October 2024, where it was awarded the Best Actress award for Anamaria Vartolomei.
It was screened in the RTM section of the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam on 31 January 2025.
It was presented in Romanian Film Days at the Transilvania International Film Festival on 20 June 2025.
It was screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2025, where it received the Audience Recommendation Award.
The film competed in the Awards Buzz – Best International Feature Film section of the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival on 4 January 2026.
The film was released on 23 September 2025 in Romania by Forum Film.
Reception In her review for Cineuropa, Manuela Lazić highlights the film’s exploration of the harsh realities of exploitative immigrant labour, balanced by its use of humour. She describes it as "a layered social-realist film examining inequality and exploitation in our modern world, with a healthy dose of humour."
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient Result Warsaw Film Festival 19 October 2024 Warsaw Grand Prix Traffic Tokyo International Film Festival 6 November 2024 Best Actress Anamaria Vartolomei Sofia International Film Festival 31 March 2025 Best Balkan Film Traffic
See also List of submissions to the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film List of Romanian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
References
External links
Traffic at Transilvania International Film Festival