Pustnik, Romania’s first international screenwriting residency, will close its deadline for the submission of applications on 22 April. The event offers eight screenwriters the chance to develop their first or second feature-film project at a nine-day retreat on the Romanian bank of the Danube, in the secluded Cetate Cultural Port. The fifth edition of Pustnik will take place from 2-10 September.

Besides whisking the screenwriters away from the maddening pace of the modern world, Pustnik also invites several established European filmmakers along to offer advice and support in the form of round-table discussions, master classes and one-to-one sessions. Furthermore, a panel of local professionals will provide an overview of co-production opportunities with Romania. The guests already confirmed for this year’s edition are Syrian director Soudade Kaadan, French screenwriter Laurence Coriat and Romanian producer Bianca Oana. 

“The guests will customise their feedback for each of the selected projects. The goal of these interactions is to encourage professional exchanges, to build networks and to foster participants’ engagement with various production mechanisms across European cinema, specific to their artistic and professional goals. By the end of the residency, our selected writers will have clear strategies for taking their projects into development and production,” Andreea Borţun, co-founder of Pustnik, tells Cineuropa.

“The three main directions we're focusing on revolve around how to write applications for state and European funding, how to secure film financing for low-budget, auteur-driven cinema, and how big production companies track, take on and develop projects. One of the first confirmed producers is Bianca Oana, producer of the Golden Bear winner Touch Me Not [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]. Bianca works closely with arthouse-focused directors, overseeing projects from conception to distribution,” Borţun continues, adding that Pustnik will begin with a session led by the writers themselves, breaking down their writing process from inception to the current development stage of their project. “This is an insight rarely included in this kind of professional context and will be a valuable precursor to the discussions that follow,” the event’s co-founder says. 

The deadline for applications is 22 April. Screenwriters can apply online at www.pustnik.com.