Shining the spotlight on your short film. MASO – training program for both experienced and young filmmakers with new ideas for short films and short series.
See also Open Call for Projects for more information
Please read Application Guidelines before submitting your idea.
MASO #1 tutors are professionals whose expertise spans both the short film and feature film circuits.
In addition, the tutors have years of experience in assisting and mentoring new talent.
The artistic head of the programme is Enrico Vannucci. He is a member of the selection committee of
Pardi di Domani at the Locarno Film Festival and of the selection committee of LIM - Less Is More. He
has worked in film festivals and markets since 2010, in particular collaborating with the Venice Film
Festival and TSFM, which he co-founded in 2016. He also co-founded Varicoloured, a holistic short film
agency, in 2018, Talking Shorts, an online film magazine dedicated to short films, in 2020 and Talents
Generator Factory, a company dedicated to the development of new audiovisuals by emerging and
established professionals, in 2022. In 2021, he became a member of the European Film Academy.
Iulia Rugină will be one of the tutors during the story development workshop. Iulia is a Bucharest-based
director and screenwriter. She has a BA and an MA degree in film and television directing at Bucharest’s
National University of Theatre and Film (UNATC). In 2020 she completed a PhD on low-budget cinema
at the same university. She has written and directed twelve shorts and three feature films. In 2020 she
directed six of the eight episodes of the HBO-produced series Ruxx. Since 2009 she is also been
actively involved in cultural management (through Control N, the cultural NGO she has co-founded),
and film education (through the various projects she has participated in, as a film tutor), having worked
with amateur filmmakers, children, ethnic minorities, inmates and drug addicts. She is currently a script consultant, after having taught Screenwriting for 10 years at the National University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.
Outline of program:
During the first stage, creative duos – an author or director and producer – will send in their short film project.
In the next stage, the selected teams will work on their projects and bring them to life, from development through production to distribution. The process will be overseen by internationally renowned experts during two workshops and various mentoring sessions. The first workshop will take place in November/December 2024 in FilmCamp Norway in Øverbygd, Norway; the second workshop will take place in April 2025 during the Bolzano Film Festival Bozen in South Tyrol, Italy.
The teams will also be supported when it comes to developing their financing plan as well as distribution and promotional strategy. They will receive professional advice across all phases of their project and can exchange ideas and network with other participating teams. Once the shorts have been shot, the teams are supported when distributing their projects.