25-04-2016

PUSTNIK Screenwriters Residency is looking for 7 European young and emerging writers/directors

    TETA Association launches the second edition of PUSTNIK - the European Screenwriters Residency.

    PUSTNIK is the only Romanian initiative of this sort, meant to develop a creative and interactive environment, dedicated to the young and emerging writers/directors in Europe.

    This year’s residency, happening between 5 and 12 of June, is hosted at Cultural Port Cetate, a late 19th century site with an incredible history of its own, located on the Romanian shore of the Danube, between Calafat and Turnu Severin.

    During this six-day retreat,seven screenwriters (3 from Romania and 4 from outside the country) will be given the opportunity to develop their own fiction feature films.

    The second edition aims to guide the focus of the screenwriter and that of the film producer towards the story, the primary orality of the Romanian people. Mirroring this, PUSTNIK tries to create a debate around the reinvention of storytelling structure in direct connection with an everchanging technology, such as is the case with the 360 degree perspective (Virtual Reality storytelling).

    Between the 25th of April and 9th of May 2016, young and emerging screenwriters from all over Europe can apply to the residency online at www.pustnik.com.Any information regarding the application process can be found in the How to apply section.

    Andreea Borțun (writer/director) and Bryn Chainey (writer/director) will select the seven screenwriters who will take part in the second edition of PUSTNIK Screenwriters Residency.

    During this year’s residency, the participants will take part in:

    1. Writing sessions:In the first four days, the residents work on the stories, in their different forms of development - synopsis, exposé or treatment.
    2. Romanian film screenings: The screenings are dedicated to the locals of the Cetate village, creating the context for more interaction with cinema in rural Romania.
    3. Workshops: The fifth day of the programme is dedicated to the transition from tradition to inovation in storytelling.

    3.1. Oral storytelling workshop: The first workshop is dedicated to a journey into history of the Romanian story-orality: an X-ray of the primary means defining the "story on the country road." Participants will make a new step towards understanding the phenomenon of oral

    storytelling: what is it that defines it, what is the utility of the immediate feedback, how can this way of narration survive in time, how has it worked as a resilience tool in communities, throughout time etc.

    3.2. Virtual Reality storytelling workshop: The second workshop aims to set new perspectives, focusing on the understanding of Virtual Reality storytelling.

    1. Meetings with Romanian producers: At the end of the programme, each screenwriter will have the chance to meet a few of the most active Romanian producers on the European and international co-production market.
    2. The Pitch: The classic pitch is reconverted at Pustnik into a storytelling session “on the countryside road”. In a relaxed and natural environment, the seven participants will tell the stories they have developed in the first four days of the residency.

    About Pustnik:

    Pustnik is the first European Screenwriters Residency to take place in Romania. The project aims to offer an organic context for young screenwriters to develop their work-in-progress stories, in an environment dedicated to peace of mind and clarity of thought, away from the industry’s pressures. At the same time PUSTNIK wants to create a network of film professionals,a community whose aim is to ease and encourage collaboration

    For more information:
    www.pustnik.com
    www.facebook.com/pustnik
    Lavinia Cioacă, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    Program organized by TETA
    Cultural Project co-financed by AFCN (National Cultural Fund Administration)
    Sponsors: Aurelian Săndulescu
    Partners: UCIN (Romanian Filmmakers Union), Romanian Cultural Institute, Mircea Dinescu Poetry Foundation, REPER21, Control N
    Media partners: SUB25, Think Outside the Box