Spotlight on Bucharest and Its (more than)human Inhabitants

The Spotlight team has returned to Bucharest with a fresh, more-than-human perspective. With invaluable support from our partners — such as the Centre for Governance and Culture in Europe at the University of St. Gallen (GCE-HSG), New Europe College (NEC), and UNATC — we organised the 4th edition of the Spotlight Summer School, which took place from September 21 to 28.

During this week-long program, 12 PhD and MA students from across Europe and beyond immersed themselves in the city’s landscape to explore its vibrant urban ecologies and multispecies interactions. They uncovered the tensions, adaptations, and cohabitation strategies that shape urban spaces beyond human influence. Four short films were created and screened for the first time at the UNATC cinema hall on September 27, and we are excited to share them online.

Sefa gradinii, the boss of the garden

Film

This documentary follows the Titan neighbourhood of Bucharest’s Sector 3, a green enclave within a bustling city where diverse more-than-human relations and local initiatives take root. Tucked between post-socialist blocks, life in small communal gardens unfolds at a slower rhythm-spaces where past meets present, private blends with public, and interspecies coexistence emerges.

Close Your Eyes and Enjoy the Noise

Film

How do people perceive Bucharest birds? What do their perceptions tell us about human divisions: among humans, between humans and other animals, between different species? The film explores these questions, highlighting how prejudice may influence attitudes towards various bird species and ethnic minorities.

Ursa - The She-Bear

Film

In the middle of Bucharest, in an art commune behind closed gates, people, animals, nature, and space come together in an oasis of creation, forming a constantly transforming yet peaceful community.

I Would Call Them Cuțu Cuțu

Film

Wandering across the city of Bucharest, one can see that the possible ways of living as a dog are limited to human ownership and shelters. But I remember the time when I could hang out with my companions all across the city. And yet, stray dogs still haunt the city.