CASA PIP is a free-of-charge, unstructured residency for filmmakers who want time, peace, and space in nature to focus on their work. Designed with care to address the needs and wishes we ourselves have had as filmmakers, and have observed with our peers and colleagues, the residency’s goal is to be fluid and accessible in the support of all the necessary stages and processes of great art, even including, sometimes, the doing of nothing.
The residency
Our residencies are fluid and self-determined. Residents will be given full, free access to the house for a period of up to one full month to use as they please. There is no curriculum or structure outside of what residents choose for themselves. Residents may come alone, and they may also bring their collaborators, their family, or their friends. Residents are encouraged to use their time in whatever particular way suits them, and we hope that the surrounding area, and the comfort of the house, can provide needed quiet time for research, writing, experimentation, reflection, and play.
The applicationOur residencies are fluid and self-determined. Residents will be given full, free access to the house for a period of up to one full month to use as they please. There is no curriculum or structure outside of what residents choose for themselves. Residents may come alone, and they may also bring their collaborators, their family, or their friends. Residents are encouraged to use their time in whatever particular way suits them, and we hope that the surrounding area, and the comfort of the house, can provide needed quiet time for research, writing, experimentation, reflection, and play.
Our goal with applications is primarily to learn about what you’re interested in doing (or not doing) at the residency, and to get a brief idea about you and about your work. You can tell us about a project you are working on that you’d like to continue at the residency, or about a thought you want to develop, or something you want to experiment with, or practice, or learn, etc. Eligible activities are infinite. Eligible applicants include directors, writers, actors, editors, cinematographers, sound designers, composers, and anyone else involved in the making of films. Applications should include a brief description of your proposed activities, a brief biography, and an optional link to a sample of your work. There is an application fee of €35 – this allows us to create, maintain, and operate this residency, to cover our administrative and processing fees, to pay our jurors, and to offer the residency free of charge.
How decisions are made
All applications are reviewed by our jury, who make their final decisions at the end of January. Applications are evaluated based on the quality of the applicant’s work and artistic perspective, and the value which the residency will offer them. Applications for specific and outlined work plans are just as welcome as applications for as-yet vague but passionate goals to experiment, think, discover, or learn. Please visit our jury page to learn more about this year’s jurors.
In the village, there are two small cafes, and a brook that leads to a natural swimming area just a few minutes walk away. The village is equidistant from the towns of Arganil and Góis, where residents can find restaurants, cafes, bakeries, fishmongers, butchers, fruitarias, supermarkets, municipal markets and fairs, banks, and shops. In the town of Góis, only a 10 minute drive, or 25 minute bike ride away, residents will find river beaches and waterfalls and rapids, including the Praia Flúvial da Peneda, with the waterside snackbar Fazenda d’Avó Thomázia. There are numerous nearby hiking trails through the mountains, and by car, many mountain villages and river beaches extremely worth visiting, like Piódão and Foz d’Egua. In one hour’s drive the opposite direction to the coast, we find the beachside resort city of Figueira da Foz, with its massive blue flag beaches and fantastic seafood.
The house
Located in a small village in the Serra do Açor mountain range in Central Portugal, CASA PIP is a modest and peaceful, typical village house. The house has one bedroom, one living room, one dining room, one studio workspace, a fully equipped kitchen, and one bathroom with a shower/bathtub combination. In the basement there is a half bathroom, and a bar\cellar\workshop, and laundry facilities. The house is very quiet. There are bicycles for use, and parking 20 metres from the house. From the windows we look out onto an expanse of green mountains. Please feel free to ask us about specific amenities or needs.
Located in a small village in the Serra do Açor mountain range in Central Portugal, CASA PIP is a modest and peaceful, typical village house. The house has one bedroom, one living room, one dining room, one studio workspace, a fully equipped kitchen, and one bathroom with a shower/bathtub combination. In the basement there is a half bathroom, and a bar\cellar\workshop, and laundry facilities. The house is very quiet. There are bicycles for use, and parking 20 metres from the house. From the windows we look out onto an expanse of green mountains. Please feel free to ask us about specific amenities or needs.
Accessibility
The house is spread over three floors, each accessible solely by stairs, including the main floor. Parking is 20 metres from the house. Due to the remoteness of the village and of this rural region of Portugal, driving is recommended, though there are bicycles available, which residents can use to roam around or to get groceries or other necessities in the nearby towns. Please note that cycling here is sometimes steep, since we are in the mountains, and the roads, while often empty, are still roads. It is not recommended to bicycle after dark, since there are few streetlights. Walking to town is an option but has a duration of a little over an hour. There is a bus on Thursdays which goes to Arganil, and there are taxi services available. All relevant information and telephone numbers will be available to residents in the house.