Attention, animation directors and producers in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, this is your captain speaking: until September 7, 2025, you can join the PITCH, PLEASE! development program for short animated films. Application is free of charge and finalists get free access to all Animest.20 festival events during October 3-12 (Bucharest, Romania). Register online at https://bit.ly/PitchPlease2025.
Now at its 7th edition, the program’s history speaks for itself: past editions totaled over 50 applications, of which 23 were selected for the Animest PITCH, PLEASE! Workshops. All of the past cohorts were guided by two experienced trainers, Cristian Pascariu (screenwriter, director) and Dan Panaitescu (animator, director), who provided mentorship and consultancy for developing the script, the projects’ creative and technical features, as well as preparation for the final pitch.
“The path from idea to production is rife with challenges and, often, disappointment. This is why Pitch, Please! was created as an important guide on this journey. We help participants structure and present their vision before a specialized audience and facilitate meetings with industry experts. The success of previous projects confirms that we offer real support to filmmakers so their projects pick up the pace and become more visible. Apart from these practical outcomes, every year the Pitch, Please! community grows: a place where artists collaborate and support one another,” shared Andrei Voineag, Animest PLUS coordinator.
For full details on the eligibility criteria, participation rules, and application process, access the contest’s official page: https://www.animest.ro/pitch-please-project.
A jury of three international animation experts (screenwriters, directors, or producers) will evaluate submissions, offering specific feedback and recommendations. The final pitches can lead to career-developing prizes: two projects from Romania and one from Moldova will automatically qualify for the Black Sea Animation Workshop 2025, an industry training that itself sends its best projects to Partner Pitches at Annecy, the most prestigious animation festival in Europe. Also up for grabs: double accreditation (for the director and producer) with free accommodation for Rise & Shine Animation Pitching Lab 2026, an international development workshop divided into two modules.
Last year’s finalists are in development and already garnering international interest. On the Balcony of a House (directed by Anna Florea), one of the projects qualified for the Black Sea Animation Workshop, was presented during the Partner Pitches at Annecy 2025. As I Look Out the Window (directed by Agata Tabacu), the second project qualified for the Black Sea Animation Workshop, won the CEE Animation Award, which came with accreditation for the CEE Animation Forum (November 2025, Pilsen, Czech Republic). Garden and a Void (directed by Ana Iuteș) is in pre-production at the AIM Creative Studio (Portugal) and has applied for supplemental funding at ICA (Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual, also in Portugal).
Among the projects currently in the festival circuit or in production with funding following Pitch, Please! are the animations Dirty Paradise (directed by Alina Gheorghe), Balázs Orbán the collector of legends (directed by Szabolcs Fazakas, Hunor Bálint), Happy New Year (directed by Radu Gaciu), Mr. Ladybug (directed by Ioana Păsărin), and more.