The festival, run by the Romanian Film Initiative since 2012, is safeguarding the spirit of the Romanian Film Festival in New York, which was founded in 2006 and had a key role in spreading appreciation for the country's rising cinematic talents of recent years.
This year, in order to gain a needed 25,000 USD for its budget, the fest has turned to a source many US indie filmmakers know well: Kickstarter. About 15,000 USD has been pledged by donors to the crowdfunding site so far; if the goal isn't met by Aug 4 at 4:29pm New York time, the fest will receive nothing and funders will be reimbursed.
Supported by Transilvania International Film Festival , Making Waves plans to spend the funds to bring in various filmmakers and actors.
With the motto Bigger and Better, the festival will take place 29 November-3 December at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, and 5-10 December at the Burns center. It will screen new releases alongside retrospectives and classics.