Following a single, record-breaking call for projects for 2017 (see the news), the Romanian National Film Center seems determined to go back to running two calls per year, as stipulated in the country’s Cinema Law. Anca Mitran, the centre’s director, has announced this year’s first call for projects, with financial support totalling circa €4.35 million. 

44% of the entire amount (circa €1.91 million) will be shared by feature-length fiction projects. Fiction feature debuts will share 15% (€652,000), with a similar amount going to a new, “thematic” call for projects destined for younger audiences. The documentary and animation categories will each share €435,000, with €312,000 going to short-film projects. 1% of the total amount (circa €44,000) is reserved for project development. The deadline for submissions is 18 July, with the winners being announced at a later date, which usually depends on the number of projects submitted.

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Following the rather controversial decision last year to give out €1.075 million to several film projects exploring topics connected with Romania’s 100^th anniversary of the 1918 Great Union, the centre’s board has now decided to favour children’s films. Anca Mitran said in an interview to local press agency Mediafax, “These new thematic calls create an opportunity for audience-orientated features that may increase the number of admissions in cinemas. The majority of the films produced over the last decade are arthouse productions that have been very well received at film festivals, winning approximately 600 awards. For the next thematic call, the board favoured projects with, about and for young audiences, children and teenagers. It’s been a while since Romania has focused on the genre, and I think that younger audiences would benefit from watching Romanian films from as early an age as possible. During the next thematic calls, we will propose historical productions, adaptations, comedies, science-fiction productions and others, depending on the filmmakers’ suggestions,” Mitran concluded.