Participating in the protest are producers Ada Solomon, Tudor Giurgiu and Cătălin Mitulescu, and directors Cristi Puiu, Corneliu Porumboiu, Călin Peter Netzer and Radu Jude. Amont more than 60 producers, directors, actors, DoPs, and film critics who have signed the protest. A group went in person to the CNC to request explanations the day after the decision was taken, on 13 December 2013.

They say that the two month delay, a decision of the Council of Administration of the CNC which came just one day before the initial deadline, makes it impossible for them to apply for European funding programmes with deadlines in February and March 2014, Creative Europe - MEDIA and Eurimages.

"We believe that the late decision of the C.A. confirms the sad and long experience of the Romanian cinema: lack of transparency in the decision making process, incompetence, clientism and underground political manoeuvres," the filmmakers said, urging politicians to give cinema a real priority in their cultural strategy, giving it resources and helping its reorganisation.

Although the surprise decision was not explained, it is thought that it was linked to the upcoming appointment of a new president- general director of the CNC which is expected soon. Under the management of the acting director Mihail Ioan Kogălniceanu during the past six months, the CNC tripled the funding for production grants and announced the dates for two grants sessions in 2014. Postponing the application deadline for the 2013 contest will also postpone the grant sessions for 2014, after three years with just one grant session per year.