{"id":9253,"date":"2026-03-10T12:52:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:52:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/?p=9253"},"modified":"2026-03-10T13:03:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T13:03:07","slug":"open-call-taifas-research-fellowship-2026-timisoara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/open-call-taifas-research-fellowship-2026-timisoara\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Call \u2013 TAIFAS Research Fellowship 2026 | Timi\u0219oara"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the <\/span><b>third consecutive year<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, TAIFAS invites young researchers to apply to its <strong>Research Fellowship Program<\/strong>, which supports innovative research aligned with the festival\u2019s annual theme.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This year, TAIFAS focuses on <\/span><b>history and memory in Balkan cinema<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The theme explores how film reconstructs, interprets, and contests the past, providing a space for dialogue between archives, personal memories, fictional reconstructions, and debates on the politics of memory. Research may address both major historical events and \u201csmall histories\u201d \u2013 biographies, communities, or forgotten destinies \u2013 investigating how cinema shapes what we understand as \u201chistorical truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2026 edition emphasizes <\/span><b>marginalized or omitted histories<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and films that experiment with <\/span><b>time, archives, and montage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to bring overlooked narratives to the fore. Fellows are encouraged to explore these intersections and deepen their understanding of the past through cinema.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>fourth edition of TAIFAS \u2013 The Balkan Film and Culture Festival<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> will take place <\/span><b>October 12\u201318, 2026, in Timi\u0219oara, Romania<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Possible Research Topics<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Topics may include, but are not limited to:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>History, Memory, and Film<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Film as a medium of collective memory and remembrance<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post-socialist and post-Yugoslav histories on screen<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">War, conflict, and trauma in Balkan cinema<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Archives, found footage, and the reuse of historical images<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cinema as historical witness<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transnational histories and regional connections<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Balkan Film Festivals: Programming and Audience Engagement<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The role of programming in shaping the visibility and reception of Balkan films<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Film literacy and educational initiatives as tools for audience development\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comparative or case-study approaches to audience engagement strategies across different festival contexts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Eligibility<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open to students (BA, MA, PhD) and graduates under 35 from Europe, regardless of field of study.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Two scholarships will be awarded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, one for each topic. If there are no applications for a particular topic, two scholarships will be awarded for the topic with the most applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Application Timeline<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Application Deadline:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> April 30, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Review Period:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> May 1 \u2013 May 31, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Research Completion Deadline:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> November 8, 2026<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Fellowship Details<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Format:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Research residency during the festival (<\/span><b>October 12\u201318, 2026<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) and submission of a final research paper by <\/span><b>November 5, 2026<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Language:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> English; Romanian<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Value:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 1000 EUR per selected candidate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Additional Support:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Accommodation and travel covered; some meals provided; <\/span><b>all entries to films and festival events are included<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Final Research Paper<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Length:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 30,000 \u2013 50,000 characters (including spaces)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Deadline:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> November 5, 2026 (strict)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Publication:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Selected papers will be published in a collective volume by Contrasens Publishing House in 2027<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Application Requirements<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Applicants must submit by <\/span><b>April 30, 2026<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abstract (2000\u20132500 characters, Times New Roman, 12pt, 1.5 line spacing)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research outline<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Selective bibliography<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Academic CV<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Letter of recommendation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2192 <\/span><b>Submit applications here:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/forms.gle\/wyfyCFbWF3KN9qtp7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/forms.gle\/wyfyCFbWF3KN9qtp7<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Selection Criteria<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alignment with research themes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originality and innovative approach<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clear, focused research objectives with a strong methodology<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contribution to Balkan cinema or festival studies<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Selected applicants will be notified by email.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>Contact<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For inquiries: <\/span><b>asociatia.contrasens@gmail.com<\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Taifas Film Festival is a multi-annual project for 2025-2027, supported through the \u201cLandmarks in Culture\u201d Program, funded by the Municipality of Timi\u0219oara through the Projects Center, and<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Administration of the National Cultural Fund.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the third consecutive year, TAIFAS invites young researchers to apply to its Research Fellowship Program, which supports innovative research aligned with the festival\u2019s annual theme. This year, TAIFAS focuses on history and memory in Balkan cinema. The theme explores how film reconstructs, interprets, and contests the past, providing a space for dialogue between archives, [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stiri-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9253"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9255,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9253\/revisions\/9255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taifasfestival.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}