7th Edition 2020

Emil Boroghină is the creator of the Shakespeare Festival in Craiova, one of the most important festivals in the world dedicated to Shakespeare’s work, and a theatre director who has achieved resounding successes with Silviu Purcărete’s productions staged at the "Marin Sorescu" Theatre in Craiova.

Aurel Vlad is a Romanian sculptor, draughtsman and engraver, a university professor at the National University of Arts in Bucharest. He is also a leading figure of contemporary Romanian art and has been a member of the Union of Visual Artists of Romania since 1990.

Professor Dinu Antonescu is regarded as one of the greatest orthopaedic surgeons in Romania and a remarkable teacher of the Romanian school of surgery. He is a member of several professional bodies, including the Romanian and Italian Societies of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, the Association of French-speaking Orthopaedists and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. In 2000 he received the National Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of Grand Officer.

Răzvan Vasilescu is a pillar of Lucian Pintilie’s films after 1990, with roles in films such as "Balanța", "Prea târziu", "O vară de neuitat", "Terminus Paradis" and "Niki Ardelean, colonel în rezervă". Răzvan Vasilescu is also a representative of the new Romanian cinema, through his roles in films such as "Marfa și banii", directed by Cristi Puiu, "California Dreamin’ (nesfârșit)", directed by Cristian Nemescu, and the recent "Mo", directed by Radu Dragomir.

The historian Elena Dragomir is an exception in Romanian historiography devoted to the study of the Cold War and of Romania’s place and role in the evolution of international relations during this critical period in human history. Her two-volume work, "Opoziția din interior. România și politicile CAER față de CEE (1957 – 1989)" (Opposition from Within: Romania and COMECON Policies towards CEE, 1957–1989), is the crowning achievement of a research effort recognised and appreciated internationally.

Professor Victor Axenciuc, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, has a long and fruitful academic career, having gone through every stage of university advancement, from assistant to the high title of university professor. Since 1980, he has combined teaching with research at the Institute of National Economy.

Mircea Bradu is a contemporary Romanian writer, journalist, theatre director and playwright, known for plays of historical inspiration: "Vlad Țepeș în ianuarie", "Noapte albă" and "Hotărârea", the last of which earned him the Writers’ Union of Romania Award in 1983.

The architect Adrian Spirescu is a multifaceted figure of contemporary Romanian architecture: he is a professor, practitioner and publicist. His recent professional achievements include the Early Learning Center – Kindergarten on the premises of the American International School – Bucharest (2018) and the Cultural Centre and Aula of the Politehnica University of Bucharest (2019).

Mariana Nicolesco, the world-acclaimed soprano, is Founding President of the Hariclea Darclée International Canto Festival and Competition and of the National Romanian Lied Festival and Competition, Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy, Laureate of the UNESCO Medal for Artistic Merit, UNESCO Artist for Peace, Doctor Honoris Causa of the "Gheorghe Dima" Academy of Music and Honorary Professor of Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Doctor Honoris Causa of the Academy of Arts in Chișinău, Member of the European Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in Paris, Commander of the Italian Republic, Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters of France, and decorated with the National Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of Grand Cross. Invited by Pope John Paul II, Mariana Nicolesco sang old Romanian carols at the First Christmas Concert in the Vatican, broadcast on MondoVisione and watched by over a billion people.