Organizer Information
This open call is issued by an independent international creative production team operating under the platform Curated Place. The initiative brings together artists, writers, filmmakers, and researchers to develop cross-disciplinary projects that explore contemporary cultural, ecological, and political conditions through experimental formats. The team works across Europe and the Balkans, supporting collaborative production processes that combine research, film, sound, and text-based practices.
The current project is based in Bosnia & Herzegovina and is developed as part of a larger international film production exploring perception, identity, and the fragmentation of shared reality in a globalized world.
Title & Description
Open Call – Writer / Researcher for Musical-Essayistic Film (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
This opportunity invites an EU, Balkan, or Creative Europe–eligible writer/researcher to join a paid creative team developing a three-act musical-essayistic film. The project investigates how contemporary reality becomes unstable, fragmented, and partially invisible due to processes of withdrawal, abstraction, and socio-economic separation.
The film is structured across three contrasting geographical and symbolic environments:
- The Arctic, representing abstract ecological systems whose global importance is difficult to perceive directly
- Sarajevo, depicted as a dense, polyphonic urban environment shaped by complexity, noise, and layered social narratives
- A luxury desert resort in Saudi Arabia, representing extreme reduction, isolation, and detachment from shared reality
Across these three settings, the project explores a central conceptual question: under what conditions can reality still be perceived, and what happens when perception itself breaks down?
The selected collaborator will not simply “write texts” but will operate at the intersection of research, dramaturgy, and cinematic composition. Text is treated as an equal structural element alongside image and sound, forming a hybrid system of meaning rather than serving a descriptive function.
The role focuses on the development of a libretto-like structure, positioned between essay writing, poetic composition, and dramaturgical design. This includes shaping how language behaves within cinematic space: how it fragments, repeats, contrasts, or disappears in relation to sound and visual narrative.
The collaborator will also be responsible for researching and selecting material from academic sources, theoretical frameworks, and digital environments such as forums or comment sections. These materials will be transformed into structured textual systems that can operate within the film’s multi-layered composition.
A key aspect of the project is the creation of distinct textual voices for different narrative environments. Each scene requires a specific linguistic logic, tone, and rhythm, contributing to the overall tension between perception and dissolution.
The process is highly collaborative, involving continuous exchange with the director, sound designers, and editing team. The goal is not linear storytelling but the construction of a layered cinematic language where meaning emerges through fragmentation, contrast, and structural design.
The project particularly values contributors who can work with reduction, precision, and conceptual clarity, transforming complex material into clear but non-linear narrative structures. The ideal candidate is comfortable working in hybrid formats that combine Writing, research, conceptual art, and audiovisual thinking.
This is a development-phase role within an international film production environment and is designed for practitioners interested in experimental narrative systems and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Categories
- Writing
- Literature
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- Film / Video
- Research
- Sound / Music (collaborative context)
Eligibility
- Open to applicants from EU, Balkan countries, or Creative Europe participating countries
- Writers, researchers, or interdisciplinary practitioners
- Strong analytical and conceptual abilities required
- Experience in essayistic, documentary, or experimental forms is an advantage
- Background in film, dramaturgy, philosophy, literature, or related fields is welcome but not mandatory
- Open to emerging and mid-career professionals
- Interest in perception theory, ecological transformation, and technological change is desirable
Program Benefits & Awards
- Paid a fee of EUR 5,000
- Collaboration with an international film production team
- Creative involvement in the development of an essayistic feature film
- Opportunity to work across research, dramaturgy, and cinematic writing
- Flexible working structure (partly remote)
- Contribution credited within an international artistic film project
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- CV or professional biography
- Writing samples or portfolio (essayistic, academic, creative, or hybrid work)
- Short motivation statement
- Relevant research or project references (if available)
Additional note: Applicants may be asked to choose between video or text-based application formats via an application dropdown system.
How to Apply?
Applications and inquiries should be submitted via email to: info@curatedplace.com
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 20 June 2026
- Project Start: Expected Summer 2026
Location
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Additional Details
This project emphasizes hybrid artistic practice where writing functions as a structural cinematic tool rather than traditional narration. Contributors are expected to engage deeply with processes of abstraction, reduction, and conceptual transformation.
The film explores unstable realities shaped by ecological crisis, technological mediation, and socio-economic inequality. As such, it requires collaborators comfortable navigating complex theoretical material and transforming it into precise audiovisual language systems.
The role is particularly suited for practitioners interested in experimental cinema, essay film, and interdisciplinary storytelling formats that dissolve boundaries between Writing, sound design, and visual composition.