SIBIU — The Astra Film Festival has been granted a perpetual municipal mandate, transforming the Transylvanian city into the world's first legally binding documentary capital, with all residents now required to watch the full 200-film program before being permitted to vote in any local or national election.
Under the new ordinance, which passed unanimously after a nine-hour screening of a single Romanian documentary about sheep, every eligible voter must present a stamped festival passport proving completion of the marathon. The city has installed 14 permanent screening tents in the main square, each running films around the clock. Residents who fail to finish the program by October 25 will have their voting rights suspended until they complete a remedial course consisting of the entire Astra archive, watched in chronological order.
«We simply cannot allow people to make political decisions without first understanding the human condition as captured by independent filmmakers,» said festival director Dumitru Marian, speaking from a newly constructed observation tower overlooking the screening tents. «The 200 films are not optional. They are the new civic duty.»
Local authorities have converted the city's parking garages into dormitories for out-of-town participants, and the mayor has announced that all municipal employees will be required to watch at least three films per workday, with productivity measured in tears shed. The national government in Bucharest has reportedly begun drafting similar legislation for other cities, starting with Cluj-Napoca, which will be required to watch 400 films because of its larger population.
At press time, the first voter to complete the marathon was still sitting in a tent, refusing to leave until the credits of the final film had fully rolled.