The Script Contest, the only residency-contest for short films in Romania, announced today the finalists of the 5th edition.

The 8 participants and their scripts, selected from 67 entries, are:

• Alex Botea – Pe invers
• Alberto Niculae – Colaps
• Doru Vatavului – Oana B.
• Irina Ionescu – Imperceptibil
• Mara Căruțașu – Decesul cu numărul 355
• Răzvan Oprescu – O mamă
• Serghei Chiviriga – Moldoveni în spațiu
• Victoria Ecaterina Moraru – Andrei, idiotul

The pre-selection committee consisted of Laura Mușat (film producer / founder of ADFR / project manager of TSC) and Alexandra Safriuc (film curator / artistic director of ShortsUp).

“Although we had fewer entries than last year, we noticed a higher quality and diversity of the submitted projects. It wasn’t at all easy to choose the 8 final projects, there was a long debate regarding the last two spots, and in the end, the decisive factor was the degree of development of the scripts – we decided to go with those projects that have a real chance of being improved in the two weeks spent at TSC,” said Laura Mușat.

“It was a pleasure to read so many well-written, cohesive scripts that have such a great potential for development. The selection process was quite difficult, but in the end, we chose eight powerful stories that explore current social issues, many of them characterized by a particular style,” added Alexandra Safriuc.

The participants will have their first one-on-one mentoring meeting with the tutors of the edition, Andreea Borțun and Ana Agopian.

Andreea Borțun is a film director and playwright, an alumnus of BARD College Berlin and National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale”, Bucharest. Her films combine visual poetry and anthropology in exploring themes such as roots, female gaze and nature. Her short film Blue Spring had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and her second short, Love Locker, won the Canon Short Film Prize, in the frame of Berlinale Talents 2014, and the France 3 Award at C3PM Courts Devant Film Festival 2014.

Ana Agopian graduated from the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale”, Bucharest and the European College of Liberal Arts (ECLA), Berlin. She wrote, alongside Iulia Rugină and Oana Răsuceanu, several short- and medium-length screenplays and three feature films – Love Building (2013), Alt Love Building (2014) and Breaking News (2017). She also collaborated with Media Pro Pictures and HBO Romania. Her short film E.T Was Here marks her debut in film directing.

The 6-day residency at Cobor Farm will include a dedicated timeframe for writing, round tables, film screenings, peer review feedback sessions, workshops, and another session of mentoring meetings. At the end, the 8 finalists will present their revised drafts to this year’s jury – Andrei Crețulescu (film director), Bianca Oana (film producer), and Alexandru Baciu (screenwriter and script doctor).

The prize consists of 3,500 LEI, going to the winning screenwriter, and a grant of up to 6,000 euros for the production of the winning script, along with consultancy throughout the production stage, offered by the partner production house – Castalia Pictures. In addition, the post-production studio Avanpost will provide the winner with the coloring stage of the film and the necessary deliverables.

For more information, check out The Script Contest’s Facebook page and website.

Melissa Antonescu

Writer, photographer and videographer. For Films in Frame she writes news about the latest happenings in the film world and brings to the readers' attention the productions that can be seen at the cinema. When she's not writing articles, she's photographing people in a small studio or searching for new cake recipes.