The exhibition 'Nadia. Perfection Has a Story', organised by the National News Agency AGERPRES to mark 50 years since Nadia Comaneci earned the first Olympic 10, opened on Wednesday at the Palace of Culture in Iasi, as part of the 17th edition of the Romanian Film Evenings Festival (SFR).
The exhibition brings together documentary photographs from the AGERPRES archive and offers a journey through the life of one of Romania's most significant sports personalities. It is open until September 5 in the hall of the Stefan Procopiu Museum of Science and Technology at the Palace of Culture, where visitors can see not only competition images but also lesser-known photographs showing Nadia Comaneci in personal moments beyond her athletic achievements.
At the opening, AGERPRES Director General Claudia Victoria Nicolae said the agency's archive represents an essential part of Romania's visual memory.
'In addition to providing news, which is the National News Agency AGERPRES' primary mission, the institution is also the custodian of one of Romania's most valuable photographic archives. The archive currently comprises more than 4.5 million photographs, some dating back to 1927, including images on glass plates - a rare photographic heritage. These images document Romania's history across all fields, from sports, culture and cinema to social life, complementing the information conveyed through the news reports of the time,' AGERPRES Director General Claudia Victoria Nicolae said at the opening event.
She explained that through the exhibition 'Nadia. Perfection Has a Story', the organizers sought to present Nadia Comaneci not only as a legend of world sport, but also as a person, through images capturing defining moments in her life.
'When the organizers of the Romanian Film Evenings Festival approached us with the idea of creating this exhibition, we wanted to go beyond the image of Nadia Comaneci associated with the perfect 10 in Montreal. That is why we entitled it 'Perfection Has a Story.' Visitors will discover lesser-known photographs from the period when she trained in Bacau, images with her family, her brother and her mother, as well as glimpses into her personal life: Nadia as a bride, Nadia as a mother, or alongside great personalities of world sport. Because beyond the champion, there is the story of a human being,' Claudia Victoria Nicolae said.
The 17th edition of the Romanian Film Nights Festival takes place from August 5 to 9 and offers the public open-air screenings, special guests, theatre performances, concerts and events dedicated to Romanian cinema.
'I am delighted that we are here today, in this wonderful venue, with this exhibition. Those who visit the Palace of Culture, Iasi's most visited cultural institution, will have the opportunity to see it until September 5, and I am convinced they will enjoy discovering Nadia Comaneci from a different perspective than that of the great champion. It is an exhibition that also tells the story of the person behind the achievement,' said Andrei Giurgia, Director of the Romanian Film Evenings Festival.
He also said that he had hoped Nadia Comaneci would attend the festival's events, but her extremely busy schedule, involving travel between the United States, Canada and Romania, had made this impossible. Instead, the former gymnastics great sent a video message, which was screened during the exhibition opening.
'Dear people of Iasi, I invite you to visit the exhibition 'Nadia. Perfection Has a Story,' organised by AGERPRES, whose opening takes place today at the Palace of Culture. I am happy that this exhibition is coming to Iasi, and I hope that through these photographs you will rediscover some special moments from both my sporting career and my personal life,' Nadia Comaneci said in her message.
Attending the event, Iasi Mayor Mihai Chirica expressed his confidence that Iasi could develop further projects together with the National News Agency AGERPRES. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniela Malache; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)
- Category: English
- Date: 2026-08-05 21:33:38
- Foto: Adrian CUBA / AGERPRES Photo
