 Initially the film was planned as a short fiction , the project evolving during 2005 . At the time , Nemescu also had planned what would later become the feature film California Dreamin ' , impossible to film at that moment , deciding that Marilena from P7 could prove a useful exercise for both director and actors . Thus the screenplay was rewritten and filming started with a very reduced budget of only US $ 14 @,@ 000 , which was collected by Nemescu by participating at various film festivals , with older short fictions . During development , however , the film received new funds , though still modest ones , thus the actors and a part of the team accepted to work for free . 
