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21st edition
October 2-11, 2026

Pitch, Please! 6th edition

In August 2024, animation film directors and producers from Romania and the Republic of Moldova were challenged to give voice to unrealized ideas and submit their projects to the Pitch, Please! development program, then in its 6th edition within the Animest framework.

The workshop, aimed at short film projects in the pre-production phase, was an initiative focused on stimulating and promoting creatives in the field, giving them the opportunity to refine their projects under the guidance of professionals, and then present them before a professional jury and audience.

 

Selected Projects

  • I was born under this tree, by Mihaela Mîndru, also a participant in the 2024 SYAA workshop, documents the intimate and subjective connections between geographical and architectural space and the community inhabiting it, highlighting how stories influence and shape our perception of the surrounding world.
  • As I Look Out the Window, by Agata Tabacu, takes a similar introspective approach in the form of fiction, exploring how funeral rituals disturb us and, at the same time, help us cope with the idea that life has an end.
  • Refugiul / The Refuge, Ioana Nicoară’s project, uses watercolor to investigate the boundaries between the subjective universe and the external world, questioning whether a balance between the two can exist.
  • Garden and a void, signed by Ana Iuteș, is another metaphor for the garden as a subjective, intimate space that needs nurturing. Here, the protagonist’s peace and the health of her plants are threatened by the invasion of foreign forces, encoded as masculine.
  • On the balcony of a house, imagined by Anna Florea, transforms the small exterior space of an apartment into the last urban refuge that still maintains a connection with nature for those living in the city.

 

The preparation focused on script development, character design, and pitching techniques under the guidance of trainers:

  • Dan Panaitescu: 2D animator and animation director, known for his successful collaboration with Anca Damian on animated feature films since 2010.
  • Cristian Pascariu: Director and screenwriter, internationally recognized for his short films and the documentary NASTY, co-directed in 2024 and presented at the Cannes Film Festival.

 

The three animation experts on the Pitch, Please! jury were:

  • Clara Marquardt (France, producer with Les Valseurs);
  • Ornela Čop (Croatia, coordinator of the Animafest Zagreb Festival); and
  • Sebastian Zsemlye (Romania, sound designer, foley artist, and co-owner of Raza Studio).

 

Awards offered in 2024:

  • Participation in the Rise & Shine Animation Pitching Lab in Croatia and Slovenia. (Winner: I Was Born Under This Tree by Mihaela Mîndru)
  • Participation (including transportation, accommodation, and accreditation) in one of the festivals within the Animation Festival Network 2025, as chosen by the winner. (Winner: The Refuge by Ioana Nicoară)
  • Two places in the Black Sea Animation Workshop 2024 (Georgia), with accommodation and transportation included (Winners: As I Look Out the Window by Agata Tabacu and On the balcony of a house by Anna Florea)
  • Complete audio post-production services provided by Raza Studio for one project (Winner: Garden and a Void by Ana Iuteș)
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