Romania took hold of my heart in 2015 and since then has consumed my mind and soul. As with any genuine commitment, my relationship with this beautiful, complex country has grown and deepened over time as I have learned of its many tragedies, as well as its many triumphs. I have surrendered myself to Romania. [...] As I continue my Romanian journey, I marvel over the resiliency and fortitude of the people. I am fortunate to have developed close relationships, familial in many ways, with many Romanians. And I am eternally grateful to have been granted a Fulbright and honored to become part of this amazing community.
Romanian Fulbright Alumna Wins GOPO Award for Best Short Fiction Film
“In Between | În Noapte,” a short film depicting an encounter between a career driven woman in her mid-thirties and a twelve year-old boy selling used books in a parking lot, won the GOPO Award for Best Short Fiction Film. The 15th edition of the GOPO Awards Gala took place on June 29, 2021, in Bucharest.
The short film was written and directed by Romanian Fulbright alumna Ana Pasti, who also took on the role of leading actress.
In 2011, Ana Pasti won a Fulbright award and completed an MFA in acting at USC in Los Angeles. She has performed on both continents in over 25 theater productions, numerous short films, award winning features and popular TV series. She became interested in writing while collaborating in developing two ensemble theater pieces based on Sophocles’ Greek tragedies Electra and Trojan Women, both performed at Dock Scene Theater in LA. She also created two solo performance shows of Because I Can Or The Things I’d Do For Love, which was selected in Hollywood Fringe Festival. Although she never took a screenwriting class before writing IN BETWEEN, she wrote the script for the short A DAY FROM A LIFE OF A PAY PHONE (2013), in which she also starred as the leading role. IN BETWEEN is Pasti’s directorial debut.