History
The history National University of Theatre and Film "IL Caragiale" in Bucharest (UNATC) begins in 1834, with the establishment of the first theater faculty in Romania, within the Bucharest Philharmonic School. Another significant event takes place in 1948, when the Directing Faculty is born, within the Art Institute – the one that, for two years (1948–1950), brought together the entire artistic education in Bucharest.
An important point in the history of the University, however, is the establishment, in 1950, of the Institute of Cinematographic Art and, separately, the "IL Caragiale" Theatre Institute. Four years later, the two would merge and form the "IL Caragiale" Institute of Theatre and Cinematographic Art (IATC).
Over the years, the Institute has undergone various transformations and changed its name several times. A first change in this regard occurred in 1990, when IATC became the Academy of Theatre and Film (ATF), the only traditional university-level school in the field of theatre and film in Romania at that time. Later, in 1998, ATF changed its name to the University of Theatre and Film Arts "IL Caragiale" (UATC), so that since 2001 it has been known under its current name: the National University of Theatre and Film Arts "IL Caragiale" (UNATC).
Since 1998, the acquisition of university status has led to profound changes, produced gradually, partly accompanied by those imposed by the accession to the Bologna process and inclusion in the single European educational space. As a result of these developments, UNATC operates today as a three-cycle university (Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate), with specific academic rigors. Its activity is in line with the new trends in theatrical and cinematic art and in correlation with the demands of the labor market, which has led to the emergence of new departments and specializations, as well as innovative interdisciplinary programs. The mission of the university is, therefore, a professional-formative one – the most important personalities, names of international resonance, in Romanian theater and film were and are graduates of this educational institution. At the same time, UNATC is today a university with a mission of artistic and scientific research in two fields of knowledge (Theater and performing artsor Cinema and media) and with a strong focus on the field of specific artistic pedagogy. The way in which UNATC was structured, through its historical evolution, is the very formula for success through which interdisciplinarity contributes to the development of arts that are by definition syncretic.