3,000 AIFF Spectators at Bran and Bucharest and 8 Finalist Projects in the Write a Screenplay For Crime Drama

The 8th edition of the American Independent Film Festival (AIFF) has successfully concluded, attracting 3,000 spectators who enjoyed the festival’s films both in Bucharest and outdoors at Bran Castle. During the closing ceremony, actress Monica Bîrlădeanu, the program’s ambassador, announced the winners of the 6th edition of the Write a Screenplay For… contest, dedicated to the crime drama genre. Following an analysis of 35 shortlisted projects, the eight finalist screenplays are: Daniel Oltean – Abisul se uită și el în tine, Iulian Popa – Aici toți sunt fericiți, Cristina Iliescu – Unknown yet, Ilinca Straton & Eugen Dediu – Drumul Lupilor (TV mini-series category), and Maria Drăguș – Gioconda, Jákob Ladányi & Márton Berecz – Rose’s Well, Inna Cebotari & Volker Smidt – Three Sides, Nick Tzamarias – Chronos (feature film category).

Director Cristian Mungiu, Cinemascop Association, and Gabriela Iacob, Head of Scripted Content Development at PRO TV, reviewed 250 submitted screenplays. 35 projects made it to the semifinals and participated in pitch interview sessions, resulting in the selection of the eight finalists. After development sessions with Gabriela Iacob, Cristian Mungiu, and Swedish script consultant Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten, the screenwriters are required to complete the first draft of their screenplay by October 1st. PRO TV and Cinemascop Association will then select the two winning projects — one in the TV mini-series category and one in the feature film category. The winners will receive a non-refundable development grant of 1,000 euros each.

The Write a Screenplay For… contest, held in partnership with PRO TV, is an AIFF initiative.

AIFF 8 presented to the audience some of the most anticipated new American films of the year, including Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, a marathon of the most fascinating art-house TV series of the 1990s, Twin Peaks, and screenings of cult films honoring the late legend Roger Corman. The festival featured meetings with directors like Alexander Payne and Shane Atkinson, screenwriter Larry Gross, and American producer Rose Kuo, as well as two special outdoor screenings at Bran Castle. The earnings from this year’s festival will be donated to five non-profit organizations: Șansa Ta, Teen Challenge, Ferentari Studios, Hospice Casa Speranței, and Expert Forum, continuing AIFF’s charitable mission. Representatives of these organizations presented their causes before some film screenings, in discussions moderated by personalities such as Bogdan Șerban (Radio Guerrilla), Andreea Pietroșel, and Zoli Toth (RFI), or actress Andreea Stan.

Related to Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, AIFF is a festival dedicated to North American independent films, outside Hollywood conventions. Over the past seven editions, the project has showcased in Romania a selection of the latest critically acclaimed independent productions from the US, featured in major North American festivals such as Sundance, New York, Tribeca, Telluride, or Toronto, and major festivals like Berlin, Venice, or Cannes. The festival has had the honor of hosting internationally renowned actors such as Joaquin Phoenix, Ethan Hawke, John C. Reilly, Sebastian Stan, Mary-Louise Parker, and directors like Roberto Minervini and Jacques Audiard, who have shared their professional and life experiences with the Bucharest audience. The festival has also facilitated live conversations between the local cinephile audience and some of the great directors of contemporary American cinema, including Barry Jenkins, Sean Baker, Kent Jones, Paul Schrader, Benh Zeitlin, and Steven Spielberg.

Organized by the Cinemascop Association, AIFF 8 is a cultural project funded by the Ministry of Culture, the United States Embassy in Romania*, and the National Center for Cinematography.

Supported by: Banca Transilvania, Pepsi, Romanian Cultural Institute

Partners: Bran Castle, Bran Domain Administration Company, French Institute in Romania, Elvire Popesco Cinema, Romanian Peasant Museum Cinema, Europa Cinemas, Eventbook

Local Partner: KunSTadt Cultural Association

Main Media Partners: PRO TV, Radio Guerrilla

Media Partners: Agerpres, Libertatea, ELLE Romania, Scena9, Biz Magazine, Haute Culture Magazine, Zile și Nopți, IQads, Igloo, Cultura la Dubă, Films in Frame, Observator Cultural, Cinemagia, Cinefan, Cinefilia, Cine Ghid, MovieNews, Liternet, FILM Magazine 

Monitoring Partner: MediaTrust

*This project is partially funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of State. The opinions, findings, and conclusions presented during the project are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State.