News
24. October 2022
FFC on the road: Tuzla Film Festival
Program Director Bernd Buder is at the Tuzla Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina for FilmFestival Cottbus. From October 21 to 25, the festival will take place for the 11th time. Buder is part of the feature film jury there: Bernd Buder (Germany, program director FilmFestival Cottbus). Paola Orlić (Croatia, festival producer "Animafest," Zagreb) Miodrag Radonjić (Serbia, actor) Danilo Šerbedžija (Croatia, director) Srđan Vukadinović (Montenegro,…
21. October 2022
Behind the scenes: Holger Bergmann & Giulia Gaspari
Holger Bergmann and Giulia Gaspari are our program coordinators. We asked them how they would describe their role: "Program coordination - is a combination of: - Program and - coordination. Which brings us to the topic - lists. Our everyday life consists of lists, for everyone and everywhere. We coordinate 800 submitted and screened films, invite about 250, and have 200 in the program this…
19. October 2022
Interview | Hella Stoletzki | Sektion Heimat | Domownja | Domizna
Hella Stoletzki curates together with Grit Lemke the section Heimat | Domownja | Domizna. A program full of references to what Lusatia is first and foremost: Sorbian. Including: "The Long Night of the Short Lusatians" with brand new films from Lusatia, a surprising look into Sorbian film archives and a tribute to the world's last silhouette filmmaker, Jörg Herrmann. And much more! Why you should…
18. October 2022
The program is published!
Dear friends of the FFC, the festival program is online as of today! On our website you can now find the program overview here and click through 219 films from 48 production countries. The genre diversity ranges from Bekir Bülbül's contemplative road movie CLOVES AND CARNATIONS (TR), which celebrates its German premiere at the FFC, to the world premiere of the tragicomedy KINGS OF RAP…
13. October 2022
Interview | Joshua Jádi
What is special about the FFC? We asked our vice program director Joshua Jádi this question. In the interview he also tells us what connects him to Cottbus and why all filmmakers should come to the FFC. You can see the whole interview here!
12. October 2022
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Everything about FilmFestival Cottbus is available in our newsletter.
12. October 2022
Vote now: PICKASTORY - the Logline Audience Award
PICK A STORY is the Logline Audience Award at FilmFestival Cottbus. A logline describes a film in just one sentence. It is the "DNA" of a story. Click here, vote for your favorite story and vote for a future feature film! The winner will be invited to the FFC, may present his story and hopefully find an interested producer who will bring the idea to…
11. October 2022
Official festival trailer release!
This is the official festival trailer of the 32nd FilmFestival Cottbus! It's less than a month until the opening Yael Reuveny is the director of the trailer. About the idea she says: "This year there is a series called "What`s left?" and it is about what`s left of the big ideas of the 90s. The financial and environmental promises, for example. In the trailer, we…
10. October 2022
Our Venues: Cottbus City Hall (Festival Center)
The Stadthalle Cottbus will be our festival center again! We return to the city center (Berliner Platz 6, 03046) and look forward to seeing you during the festival week. Here you will meet for example the press team and the guest relations. You have questions? We will answer all your questions about the festival. radioeins is also setting up a small broadcast studio here, so…
07. October 2022
Interview: Program Director Bernd Buder
In the interview, our program director Bernd Buder describes, among other things, the relevance of Ukrainian cinema, even independent of the war. Films from Ukraine have always been an integral part of the European film landscape and thus also of the FFC program. In this festival year, a total of 13 films from and 3 films about Ukraine are represented in the program of FilmFestival…
06. October 2022
PICKASTORY vote now
PICKASTORY - the audience award of the FFC The audience, that is YOU, choose YOUR favorite film idea from loglines.A logline describes a film in just one sentence. It is the "DNA" of a story. Join in and vote for your favorite! Directors and screenwriters from all over Europe have submitted their loglines. These are the loglines that have been finally selected and are up…
06. October 2022
Run-off election in Cottbus - election call!
On Sunday, 09.10, the run-off election for the Mayor of Cottbus will take place. The FFC supports that every eligible voter makes use of his right to vote. Especially in a runoff election every vote counts! Cosmopolitanism, tolerance, diversity, that is Cottbus!
05. October 2022
Our Venues: Spaceflight Planetarium
The space flight planetarium "Juri Gagarin" Cottbus is the cosmic venue of the FFC. The dome of the planetarium becomes a spectacular cinema screen and offers a very special cinema experience. Here you can watch the stars and starlets of Eastern European cinema. The planetarium in Cottbus was named after Juri Alexejewitsch Gagarin, the first man in space, and opened on April 26, 1974 after…
04. October 2022
WATCH & VOTE - MIOB In Shorts Award
Stream 15 short films for free until October 31 and vote for YOUR favorite! You can vote NOW on the MIOB website! The winning film will be awarded at the 32nd FilmFestival Cottbus. The MIOB In Shorts Award inspires with its artistic range and cross-genre diversity. 15 short films are nominated. MIOB (Moving Images - Open Borders) is a network of seven European film festivals…
30. September 2022
Slovak Film Awards for FFC Films
Last year's FFC main award winner 107 MOTHERS received the IGRIC Award for Best Feature Film.The IGRIC awards are given annually by the Slovak Film Union, the Slovak Union of Television Producers and the Literary Fund for innovative film and television productions inspired by the humanistic ideals of European culture.Peter Kerekes' cinematographer Martin Kollár received the award for best picture design. Věra Lacková, who participated…
30. September 2022
Behind the scenes: Andreas Stein
Andreas Stein is part of the management of FilmFestival Cottbus and the festival's project manager. About the FFC he states: "For me, the FFC means first and foremost good and multi-layered films on the screen, a now unfortunately rather rare feeling of togetherness among all festival visitors and, above all, my hometown of Cottbus in a state of cultural emergency - exclusively in a positive…
29. September 2022
Behind the scenes: Doreen Goethe
Doreen Goethe is part of the executive board of FilmFestival Cottbus. Doreen organizes the opening and award ceremony. About the FFC she says: "For me, the FFC is a week full of diversity, exciting encounters and cinematic surprises."
28. September 2022
The festival poster is here!
There it is! The festival poster of the 32nd FilmFestival Cottbus! Blue is our brand color, the colorful lines reflect the diversity of the festival, colored in the section colors. And our award sculpture LUBINA has many faces ... Grafik by Susanne Uhlmann
27. September 2022
First Step - Award for FFC trailer director Sophie Linnenbaum
THE ORDINARIES, the first feature film by Sophie Linnenbaum, was awarded the First Step Award for Best Feature Film on 26 September. Linnenbaum was responsible for the festival trailer at the 2015 FilmFestival Cottbus, which picked up on the then focus theme "Eastern Europe of Cities". THE ORDINARIES is an experimental social satire, a role play of the film characters in the literal and metaphorical…
27. September 2022
Our Venues - Kammerbühne/Serienlounge
As every year at this year's FFC, the chamber stage will become a movie theater and the adjacent canteen will become a series lounge, inviting you to watch films in a relaxed atmosphere. ? This year, for example, the successful crime drama series LAUCHHAMMER and the Serbian hit series THE FAMILY will be on screen! The Kammerbühne is part of the Staatstheater Cottbus. Click here…
26. September 2022
PICKASTORY - Interview with winner Minos Nikolakakis
PICKASTORY is the Logline Audience Award at FilmFestival Cottbus is that focuses on the basic idea of a film and involves the audience from the very beginning - a crucial aspect of filmmaking that is often overlooked. The audience of the FilmFestival Cottbus can choose their favorite film idea from a short list that contains only loglines of projects that have not yet been developed:…
26. September 2022
Our Lubina - Interview with Beate Bolender
The artist and inventor of the Lubina Beate Bolender tells us in an interview the secret behind the glass sculpture. She also takes us into her workshop and shows us how the Lubina is created from a clay print. You can see the whole interview here on our YouTube channel!
22. September 2022
COTTBUS AT PILSEN
From 23 to 28.9. the Czech beer city of Pilsen will once again be transformed into a film festival city: within the framework of the "Finále Pilsen", current Czech cinema will once again be presented, including some films that will soon also be shown at the upcoming edition of the FilmFestival Cottbus, such as Beata Parkanová's THE WORD about a lawyer in a small town…
21. September 2022
Our Venues: Gladhouse & Obenkino
If you want to see a special film, go to the Obenkino! We are very happy that we can call the Obenkino one of our venues again this year with the FFC. You can see our films starting November 8 in the hall of the Gladhouse Youth Cultural Center. Click here for the website of the Obenkino.
20. September 2022
POLISH DIVERSITY AT THE GDYNIA FILM FESTIVAL
On 17 September, the Gdynia Film Festival came to an end in the Polish Baltic Sea city. The most important national film festival took place for the 47th time. Twenty current Polish feature films competed for the three main prizes, the audience prize and fifteen other prizes for individual cinematic achievements. The spectrum ranged from the distopic zombie action tragicomedy APOKAWIXA and the mountain climbing…
19. September 2022
FFC buses on the road in Cottbus
From now on, chic FFC are on the streets of Cottbus again. We thank Cottbusverkehr and Werbestudio3 for the cooperation!
15. September 2022
Nominations for the Oscars Abroad 2023
Ahead of the 95th Academy Awards, which will be held in Hollywood on March 12, 2023, European countries are beginning to announce their titles submitted for the Best International Feature Film award. These FFC films have been submitted so far: Bulgaria: Mother, Zornitsa Sophia (Bulgaria/Croatia/Germany)> FFC 2022, Spectrum Bosnia Herzegovina: A Ballad, Aida Begic (Bosnia Herzegovina/France)> FFC 2022 Spektrum Croatia: Safe Place, Juraj…
14. September 2022
Behind the scenes - Joshua Jádi
Joshua Jádi is deputy program director of the FFC. He studies directing and screenwriting at the Vienna Film Academy. In 2017, he was awarded the Annie Dodds Award by the Imperial War Museum in London. His short film THE OPPOSITE OF ETERNITY and his freshman documentary SUNDAY 11 A.M. have been screened and awarded at international festivals. About the FFC, Joshua says, "The FFC is…
12. September 2022
FFC goes Türkisches Film Festival Berlin
Berlin has a Turkish Film Festival again. More than five years after the Turkish Film Week Berlin was discontinued, a young team has come together to bring current Turkish cinema to Berlin and thus promote intercultural exchange. The FilmFestival Cottbus also shows how exciting Turkish cinema is. Turkish cinema has been a regular part of the program there since 2019, and in 2021 a close-up…
12. September 2022
Lausitzer FilmSchau - New award honors best film idea
You don't have a film yet, but you have a cool film idea? We will help you with the realization! The Akcija! - Film Prize/filmowe spěchowańske myto is awarded to the best film idea this year. You are a team of at least three film enthusiasts between 12 and 25 years? Do you live in Lusatia? Then go ahead and submit your idea! 1,000 euros…
09. September 2022
Behind the scenes - Bernd Buder
Bernd Buder has been program director of the FFC since 2015. He studied political science at the FU Berlin.Since then, he has been traveling the international film landscape as a curator, film journalist and lecturer. He has worked for the Berlin Filmkunsthaus Babylon, the Turkish Film Week Berlin and the co-production market Connecting Cottbus. He also advises the European film festival Cinedays in Skopje as…
08. September 2022
EUNIC-DokuMontag: Wood – Der geraubte Wald
Monday 12 September, 7:00 p.m. | Czech Center Berlin | Admission free Wood - The Stolen ForestAT, DE, RO 2020, 97 min, OmeUDirector: Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan, Michaela Kirst, Ebba Sinzinger Followed by a video talk with the Romanian co-director Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan. Investigative environmental docu-thriller about illegal logging in Siberia, Transylvania and Peru. Every two seconds, illegal loggers around the world destroy an area of forest the…
25. August 2022
Kuratorium (board of trustees)
Matthias Platzeck, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, former Minister President of the State of BrandenburgBerndt Weiße, Former Head of Department for Youth, Culture and Social Affairs of the City of CottbusHendrik Fischer, Ministry of Economics, Labor and Energy of the State of BrandenburgKerstin Jöntgen, Member of the Board of Management of Investitionsbank des Landes BrandenburgRalf Braun, Member of the Board of Directors of Sparkasse…
07. September 2022
Our Venues: Filmtheater Weltspiegel
The Filmtheater Weltspiegel is one of five venues of the 32nd FFC! The film theater is considered the oldest cinema in Brandenburg. It stands for a varied program with films that cannot be seen everywhere else. This makes it a perfect match for the FFC! Click here to visit the website of the Filmtheater Weltspiegel. In the following weeks we will present the other…
05. September 2022
Two months until the 32nd FFC
We are looking forward and are already totally excited! In less than two months the 32nd FilmFestival Cottbus starts? you think, that's still a long time until then? That's probably true, but here the heads are running hot: The PR department starts TODAY with the social media campaign, in the office of the program coordination the phones are running hot: about 170 films have to…
25. August 2022
MIOB - the festival network
MIOB - Moving Images Open Borders What is MIOB? MIOB is a network of seven European film festivals and was founded in 2017. All festivals are industry meeting points and at the same time audience festivals, which means there are exciting Q&As and matching (film) workshops after the films. At all film festivals, programs and films are curated that often do not find a…
19. August 2022
German Lunch @Sarajevo Film Festival
Sarajevo Film Festival August 12-19, 2022 At the CineLink Industry Days, in the framework of the Sarajevo Film Festival, there was the traditional "German Lunch" yesterday. Among them was the deputy program director of FilmFestival Cottbus Joshua Jadi. The "German Lunch" serves as a networking event for filmmakers. During the festival days, program director Bernd Buder was also in Sarajevo.
10. August 2022
This is the FilmFestival Cottbus
The FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) is one of the leading international festivals of Eastern European film. It will take place from November 8 to 13, 2022. Founded in 1991, the festival focuses on feature films from the successor states of the former socialist countries, including all successor states of the former Soviet Union and their economically and culturally closely related neighboring countries Finland, Greece and Turkey.…
Polish Days at the Nowy Horyzonty Film Festival in Wrocław 21-31 Jul. This year's event will feature 4 completed films, 8 films in a presentation of works in progress and 10 projects in development. Deputy program director Joshua Jadi is on hand for FilmFestival Cottbus, and director Marjorie Bendeck is currently in Wrocław for connecting cottbus. During the event, industry representatives from around the world…
25. July 2022
Cottbus at the Postire Seaside Festival in Brač
The twelfth Postira Seaside Film Festival (PSFF) will take place from 26.07. - 31.07.2022 in the idyllic coastal town of Postira on the island of Brač in Croatia. The focus is on international short films. Every year, the FilmFestival Cottbus also presents films in the program. With the easing of the epidemiological situation around the Corona virus, this year it is possible to show the…
14. July 2022
PICKASTORY extended until 7 September
Pickastory Audience Logline Award at the FilmFestival Cottbus Send us your film ideas! We are looking for fresh new film ideas in form of an attractive logline – and the audience gets to pick the story they want to see on the big screen… Pickastory is an Award at the FilmFestival Cottbus that focusses on the basic idea for a film, involving THE AUDIENCE from…
14. July 2022
Filmnächte Cottbus
From 30.6. to 31.7.2022 - Filmnächte in Cottbus Spreeauenpark. Experience great movies in a unique open-air cinema atmosphere! On Monday 18.7. the film "Abteil Nr. 6" will be shown - in cooperation with the FilmFestival Cottbus.Start 9.30 pm. Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen sends two outsiders on an amusing and deeply touching journey, on which they are confronted - without any kitsch - with the truth…
14. July 2022
FFC on the road: Pula Film Festival
Pula Film Festival - 69th Pulski Filmski Festival from July 16 to 24. Program Director Bernd Buder has traveled to Croatia in search of films for the Cottbus FilmFestival in November. At the festival in Pula, the Croatian film awards "Golden Arena" will be presented. The festival was founded in 1954 as a Yugoslavian film festival and has successfully developed as a festival for current…
14. July 2022
FFC on the road: European Film Festival Palić
European Film Festival Palić - July 16-22, 2022 Joshua Jádi, Deputy Program Director of FilmFestival Cottbus will travel to Palić in Serbia. As a member of the Official Jury of the Main Competition, he will be there to watch the 12 films of the Official Competition together with producers Michael James McMahon and Katriel Schory, actress Katarina Radivojević and producer and curator Lorna Tee, and…
14. July 2022
FFC on the road: European Film Festival Palić
European Film Festival Palić - 16. bis 22. Juli 2022 Joshua Jádi, stellvertretender Programmdirektor des FilmFestival Cottbus reist nach Palić in Serbien. Als Mitglied der Offiziellen Jury des Hauptwettbewerbs wird er dort gemeinsam mit den Produzenten Michael James McMahon und Katriel Schory, der Schauspielerin Katarina Radivojević und der Produzentin und Kuratorin Lorna Tee die 12 Filme der Official Competition anschauen und am Ende den Gewinner…
14. July 2022
FFC on the road: CineDays Skopje
CineDays Festival of European Film - July 7-14, 2022 Program director Bernd Buder is currently in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. The Cinedays will show a total of 14 current first and second feature films in two competitions there. In addition, there is a gala program with great cinema from A-festivals. A conference with cinema makers from the region will revolve around the question of…
11. July 2022
Reading tip: Ukraine on film
"The mixture of precise observation and poetic motifs and a tendency towards the grotesque makes Ukrainian cinema today as interesting as it is unpredictable." (Quote B.Buder) Read more about the history of Ukrainian cinema now. On the portal of the Federal Agency for Civic Education there is a NEW dossier on "Ukraine in Film" under the heading "Film Education". Programme director Bernd Buder has written…
06. July 2022
MIOB New Vision Award
The festival network MOVING IMAGES - OPEN BORDERS (MIOB) will again present the NEW VISION AWARD this year. This award is dedicated to current European feature films and documentaries that have already had a successful appearance at at least one of the participating festivals. The prize brings the winning film broad international recognition and is awarded by the festival organisers. The MIOB NEW VISION AWARD…
The International Film Festival Karlovy Vary will take place from July 1 to 9, 2022. On July 4, the Cottbus Film Festival and connecting cottbus jointly invite to the East European Brunch. connecting cottbus director Marjorie Bendeck welcomes established or emerging filmmakers as well as representatives of the media, politics and culture. No less than three films that have been pitched as projects at connecting…
24. June 2022
GWFF award winner and coco projects in Karlovy Vary
With the Croatian-Serbian co-production THE UNCLE, the renowned A Film Festival in Karlovy Vary (1.-9.7.2022) is screening a film by a FilmFestival Cottbus award winner:Ivan Kelava, the Croatian producer of David Kapac's debut film, was awarded the GWFF funding prize for a talented film production student in 2014. One of the main roles in THE UNCLE is played by Serbian acting star Predrag Miki Manojlović.…