03/07/2014 - No-budget shorts made by first-time filmmakers stand a good chance of being distributed in cinemas

Although not the first omnibus ever released in Romania, Love Bus: Five Love Stories from Bucharest [+see also:
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“We wanted to produce an omnibus with shorts made by the students from the National University of Theatre and Film, all on a common theme. The students chose love stories set in Bucharest, so it made sense to group them together in a feature-length omnibus and try to release the film in cinemas,” producer Paul Negoescu told Cineuropa. The total budget of the five shorts amounted to less than €8,000. The omnibus was produced by Negoescu's production company, Papillon Film, without any financial support from the Romanian National Film Center.

After recently finishing post-production, Negoescu is now contacting cinemas, with a view to releasing Love Bus in August. “The cinemas are usually reluctant to screen Romanian films, especially when they are independently produced, and even more so when we are talking about an omnibus made by five first-time directors. It is encouraging that the two special screenings we’ve had so far were very well received,” says Negoescu, who plans to increase awareness with an online and social-network promotional campaign.

The film’s broad appeal is enhanced by the fact that the five love stories are set in different neighbourhoods of Bucharest, all adopting a different approach and exploring sex, jealousy, trust and loss. The five directors are Roxana Andrei, Mihai Mincan, Constantin Radu Vasile, Andrei Georgescu and Florin Babei. If the release proves successful, a themed omnibus may become film school graduates’ favourite method of making their debut in cinemas.