News
24. June 2022
filmPolska presents LEAVE NO TRACES
The Polish film festival filmPOLSKA invites friends and lovers of Polish cinema to Berlin and Potsdam from June 22 to 19. The 17th edition will take place in cinemas, clubs and public spaces. On June 27, the Cottbus Film Festival will present the film LEAVE NO TRACES at the Thalia Kino in Potsdam. The feature film about the story of a teenager who died in…
24. June 2022
Cinema release ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN
In 2020, the FFC screened the German-Polish-British co-production THE ADVENTURES OF A MATHEMATICIAN. Thor Klein's feature film about the Polish-Jewish mathematician Stanislav Ulam, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1938 and was instrumental in developing the atomic bomb program there, was awarded the "Cottbus-ins-Kino" prize in 2020 for promoting the distribution of a film from the FFC program. Now the Filmwelt distribution agency is releasing…
From 9 to 12 June, the Kozzi Krafftówna Łomnicki Film and Theater Festival took place for the eleventh time in Cottbus' twin city Zielona Góra.Joshua Jadi, deputy programme director of the FFC, was a guest and presented some German films in the programme. In competition, the jury, chaired by film critic Łukasz Maciejewski and festival programme director Dr Andrzej Buck, awarded the festival's top prize…
17. June 2022
FFC at the Hungarian Motion Picture Festival: Talking about East Central European Cinema Today
Bernd Buder, Program Director of the FFC, at the Hungarian Motion Picture Festival in conversation with Can Togay, Chief creative and artistic advisor ECOC Veszprém-Balaton 2023 . The town of Veszprém close to the lake Balaton, one of the oldest cities in Hungary, will be the European Capital of Culture 2023. Since 2021, the largest national Hungarian film festival, the Hungarian Motion Picture Festival, has…
16. June 2022
Ukrainian Cinema Now
„Ukrainian Cinema Now“ FFC Program Director Curates Ukrainian Film Series on EFA Streaming Platform Under the title "Ukrainian Cinema Now," the European Film Academy is streaming 16 Ukrainian films made between Euromaidan 2014 and the beginning of the Russian attack on Ukraine on its Academy VOD Platform until July 10. The selection was curated by FFC program director Bernd Buder. It exemplifies the artistic and…
16. June 2022
FFC on the road: Evia Film Project
From June 15 to 19, the Evia Film Project organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival will take place for the first time in Greece. The island of Evia was hit by devastating forest fires last summer, which almost completely destroyed the island's nature. To mark this event, the Evia Film Project is focusing on films, green producing workshops, events and panel discussions dedicated to the…
09. June 2022
FFC and BTU
The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Cottbus Film Festival invite you to a joint online event on 10 June. The online event is kindly supported by the Embassy of Romania in the Federal Republic of Germany and takes place under the motto "30 years of German-Romanian partnership and friendship in Europe". The integrated German-Romanian study programme "Social Work" with a double degree at…
From 10-14 June, Cottbus' Polish twin city Zielona Góra will host the 11th Kozzi Krafftówna Łomnicki Film and Theatre Festival, named after the Polish genre actor Maciej Kozłowski, who died in 2010 and in whose birthplace of Kargowa the festival was founded in 2013 as the "Kozzi Gangsta Festival". Since then, the FilmFestival Cottbus has been cooperating with the organisers of the festival, which now…
Many FFC regulars will remember the dachshund that hovered over an imaginary Eastern European cityscape in the 2015 FFC trailer. At the time, the trailer, entitled "Discovering the World in Cottbus," alluded to the focus "Eastern Europe of Cities," which dealt with everyday urban life in Eastern Europe. Director Sophie Linnenbaum studied at Babelsberg Film University at the time and has since completed numerous films.…
From June 9 to 12, the Hungarian Motion Picture Festival at Lake Balaton presents about one hundred Hungarian films, including twenty premieres. The screenings in Veszprém, Balatonfüred and Balatonalmádi provide a comprehensive insight into the current Hungarian film landscape. The festival, which takes place within the framework of the 'Veszprém - Balaton 2023 - European Capital of Culture" program, was first held in 2022 as…
23. May 2022
Staatstheater Cottbus shows "Maidan" and "Donbass"
The Staatstheater Cottbus, together with the FilmfestivalCottbus as a regional partner, is showing two films by the Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa: Ukrainian Documentary: Maïdan 24.05.2022 | Tuesday | 19:00 | Kammerbühne Admission is free. Donations are requested! For more information click here. Ukrainian Documentary Film: Donbass 25.05.2022 | Wednesday | 19:00 | Kammerbühne Admission is free. Donations are requested! For more information click here.
20. May 2022
FFC on the road: Cannes International Film Festival
Cannes International Film FestivalFrom May 17th to 26th, Bernd Buder and Joshua Jádi can be found at the International Film Festival in Cannes. The focus there is on networking with producers, world distributors and national film sponsors, as well as research on current films from Eastern Europe.In the pictures you can see: 1 Impression Cannes2 Impression Cannes3 MIOB (MOVING IMAGES – OPEN BORDERS)v.l.n.r.: Bernd Buder/FFC,…
16. May 2022
FFC on the road: Off Camera Festival
Jana Riemann was for us at the Mastercard Off Camera International Festival of Independent Cinema in Krakow. "I visited the festival to participate in the Industry Programme and to find films for our FFC programme. I can't tell you anything about it yet, but I can definitely say that I saw great films, met exciting people and fell in love with this beautiful city." Festival…
13. May 2022
FFC on the road: Zielona Gora
The Norwid Library in Cottbus' twin city Zielona Góra is hosting the Kozzi Krafftówna Łomnicki Film and Theater Festival in mid-June. As a teaser, Jan P. Matuszynski's LEAVE NO TRACES was shown on May 12 in cooperation with FilmFestival Cottbus. The feature film about the story of a teenager who died in a police operation against opposition activists during the times of martial law in…
15. April 2022
FFC WINNING FILM SWEEPS SLOVAK FILM AWARDS
On 9 April, 107 MOTHERS by Peter Kerekes, the winning film of the 2021 FFC competition, was awarded three Slovak Film Awards: the "Sun in a Net" awards for Best Slovak Film 2021, Best Director and Best Screenplay, which Kerekes co-wrote with Ivan Ostrochovský. The Slovak Film Awards are named after Štefan Uher's classic 1963 film "The Sun in a Net", one of the first…
01. April 2022
FFC on the road at the Greek Film Festival Berlin
The Greek Film Festival in Berlin will take place from March 30 to April 3, 2022. The festival offers German and international audiences the opportunity to experience the best of the Greek film landscape on the big screen.Held once a year in the heart of Berlin at the historic Babylon, with directors, producers, special jury members and art professionals in attendance, it has already established…
31. March 2022
FFC film in cinemas from today: Compartment No. 6
2021 in the Feature Film Competition at the FFC: FROM TODAY IN THE CINEMA Laura came to Moscow from Finland to learn Russian. But she fell in love with Irina and stayed. When they both want to set off together to visit ancient rock paintings thousands of kilometres away from Moscow, Laura suddenly finds herself alone on the train and doesn't know why herself. Instead,…
25. March 2022
detailed statement of the FFC about the Ukraine war
Detailed statement FFC team and Coco on the handling of Russian films on 22.3.2022
25. March 2022
FFC on the road in Budapest
FFC at the Castorp Film School in Budapest In September 2021, four Hungarian writer-directors Petra Szőcs, Zsófia Szilágyi, György Mór Kárpáti, Zoltán Moll and producer Róza Kereszty launched the operation of the independent Castorp Film School in Budapest. The program is created in connection with freeszfe, which was founded after privatization plans for the state film school FSZE became known and the influence on the…
25. March 2022
FFC on the road: Bratislava Industry Days
Bratislyva Industry Days will be held as part of Febiofest Bratislava. For the first time since 2019 again in presence. For us, program director Bernd Buder is on site. Indzstry Days will feature 11 works-in-progress from new Slovak feature, documentary and short film projects. Maybe there will be a film for this year's Cottbus Film Festival?
16. March 2022
FFC films in the ZDF Mediathek
Three feature films from Eastern Europe, reflecting the social changes in the Czech Republic, Kazakhstan and Georgia since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, are currently available on ZDF Mediathek: Tragicomedy "Nationalstraße" National RoadŠtěpán Altrichter Czech Republic, Germany, 2019, 90 min--> won the "Cottbus into Cinema Award" and the "Audience Award" at the FFC in 2019. Life doesn't love Vandam, but he loves his regular…
15. March 2022
Boykottiert das Cottbuser Filmfest Russland?
Stellvertretender Programmdirektor Joshua Jadi und FFC Kuratorin Jana Riemann zur Frage: Boykottiert das Cottbuser Filmfest Russland? Hier der Artikel, erschienen in der Lausitzer Rundschau. Oder per Klick in die "Bildergalerie":
15. March 2022
Cooperation with Zielona Góra extended
The FFC will continue to cooperate with its long-standing partner, the Cyprian Norwid Library in Cottbus' Polish twin city Zielona Góra, in 2022.The Kozzi Krafftówna Łomnicki Film and Theatre Festival will take place there from 10-14 June. The focus this year is on the work of actors Barbara Krafftówna and Tadeusz Łomnicki - and of course the original namesake Maciej Kozłowski, the genre actor who…
09. March 2022
War in Ukraine: Statements and interviews always updated
Programme Director Bernd Buder on 31.03.2022 Vilnius film festival boycotts Russian films Vilnius is the first European festival to actively boycott Russian cinema, while also organising its own Ukrainian Cinema Day and some Ukraine-focused events as part of the industry focus Meeting Point. What do you think of these initiatives? It is important to sustainably support the Ukrainian film scene as an integral part…
08. March 2022
Eastern European Film in Times of War: Film Festival Director Bernd Buder in the Corso Podcast
Cultural professionals are regular guests in the studio and answer questions in the Corso Talk. Our programme director Bernd Buder was a guest on 7.3.2022. You can listen to the podcast , conducted by Susanne Luerweg, here: Click here
08. March 2022
War in Ukraine: Quote by FFC Team and Coco
Like the whole world, we makers of the FilmFestival Cottbus and its co-production market connecting cottbus are deeply shocked by the war of aggression of the Russian state under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. We condemn this war in the strongest possible terms! In their more than 30-year history, the FilmFestival Cottbus and connecting cottbus have always seen themselves as a platform…
03. March 2022
War in Ukraine: Quote by Jana Riemann
Quote Jana Riemann, curator of the Cottbus Film Festival and member of the "Short Film Competition" selection committe3.2.2022 "I have the privilege of commenting on the war in Ukraine today from the safety of my home office.I freeze as I watch the images on my screen and I can hardly imagine how this can be happening now in my home country. The war of aggression…
From 25 February to 6 March, the renowned Belgrade International Film Festival FEST will take place for the 50th time. Marjorie Bendeck, Director of the East-West Co-Production Market "Connecting Cottbus" (CoCo) and Programme Director Bernd Buder are on location for us this year. Bernd Buder is on the lookout for Serbian films for this year's Cottbus Film Festival, so he spends a lot of time…
25. February 2022
War in Ukraine: Quote by program Director Bernd Buder
Quote by Bernd Buder, Program Director Film Festival Cottbus25.2.2022 "We are in contact with Russian and Ukrainian filmmakers who are suffering in a personal and professional level from the war and the associated political pressure. I am also personally very affected and am afraid that the war is getting closer. At the beginning of the 2000s, there was a phase that was full of hope…
13. January 2022
We Are Looking For You!
We are looking for a Management Assistant/Project Manager as a parental leave replacement. We are looking for you to join our team in Cottbus - as a full-time permanent employee. Alongside the management, you will play a key role in managing the FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) and the Jewish Film Festival Berlin and Brandenburg (JFBB). While the FFC is one of the world's leading festivals for…
07. January 2022
WHERE TO MEET US
You can meet us at various European film festivals throughout the year. Please do not hesitate to send us a short appointment request.
06. January 2022
United in Pride? FFC director Branko Schmidt as an interlocutor in the book about football fan scenes in the former Yugoslavia
The Ultras of football clubs like Red Star Belgrade, Hajduk Split and other cult clubs from the former Yugoslavia are considered particularly tough, and particularly loyal. Under the title "United in Pride. Football, Nation and Identity in the Post-Yugoslav Region", the book by Anne Hahn and Frank Willmann, recently published by the Federal Agency for Civic Education, explores the myth and researches connections to nationalist…
17. December 2021
See you again in 2022!
The FilmFestival Cottbus team would like to thank all supporters, partners, colleagues, filmmakers and spectators who made it possible to hold our festival in 2021! We wish you happy holidays and look forward for a good 2022 and for opportunities to see and exchange ideas in person again, at the upcoming festivals, in the cinema or for a good chat over coffee. For the FFC,…
14. December 2021
DER SCHEIN TRÜGT startet im Kino
Mit DER SCHEIN TRÜGT kommt am 16. Dezember ein weiterer FFC-Film in die deutschen Kinos. In der schwarzen Komödie ziert nach dem Kurzschluss einer Glühbirne plötzlich ein Heiligenschein Stojans Haupt. Das Ding muss weg. Doch nachdem auch gründliches Haarewaschen nichts bringt, verdonnert Stojans Frau Nada ihn zu einem ausgiebigen Curriculum in Sachen Sünde. Ein bisschen Völlerei hier, ein wenig Ehebruch dort. Stojan ackert sich durch…
06. December 2021
Das 31. FFC auf Tour: VIEL NEUES IM OSTEN
In den kommenden Tagen sind einige Werke der FFC-Sektion VIEL NEUES IM OSTEN in ganz Deutschland zu sehen. Die Reihe setzt sich inhaltlich mit der Auflösung der Sowjetunion vor 30 Jahren auseinander. Mit den vorgestellten Filmen thematisiert das Filmfestival den Umbruch in Russland, der Ukraine, Polen und (Ost-)Deutschland... und lädt zur Diskussion darüber ein. Zu sehen ist... TAXI BLUES am 6. Dezember (18 Uhr)…
03. December 2021
Unser Programmtipp
Am heutigen Freitag, den 3. Dezember um 20.15 Uhr ist im ACUDkino die 5x4 Kurzfilmkollektion Kollektion zu sehen. Das 5x4 Brandenburger Festivalkino ist ein Festivalkino-Angebot der großen Filmfestivals des Bundeslandes – das FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC), die PROVINZIALE – Filmfest Eberswalde, das Jüdische Filmfestival Berlin und Brandenburg (JFBB) und das FILM OHNE GRENZEN Festival. DIE FARBE DES DURSTES (OT: EL COLOR DE LA SED) R.: Gala…
29. November 2021
Romani Perspectives In European Film Festivals – FilmFestival Cottbus joins the think tank at the 5th Ake Dikhea? Film Festival in Berlin
Many film festivals in Europe have a political or identity focus to anti-racism, anti-colonialism, gender, feminism, and LGBTIQ+. In this way, they can be seen as sites for promoting human rights and democracy in society. Films on the current situation of Roma are also appearing more and more often in festival programmes. But in most cases, paradoxically, the perspectives of the Roma themselves are left…
25. November 2021
LOVE TASTING IN SAARBRÜCKEN
An afterlife for LOVE TASTING: David Nickel's portrait about first youthful loves and the search for sexual identity in a small Polish town will be shown on 29 November in cooperation with the FilmFestival Cottbus, among others, at Kino achteinhalb in Saarbrücken. The film describes the hothouse atmosphere of the so-called "LGBT-free zones" without moralising. A youth under the pressure of not being allowed to…
11. November 2021
Mit ADMIRAL TCHUMAKOV zu Gast im Russischen Haus
Heute Abend präsentiert das FilmFestival Cottbus mit ADMIRAL TCHUMAKOV (Belgien, Frankreich 2021) einen Film aus der Sektion „Viel Neues im Osten“ im Russischen Haus der Wissenschaft und Kultur in Berlin. Im Fokus der Sektion "Viel Neues Im Osten" stehen die Transformationsprozesse nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion. Die Protagonisten der insgesamt zehn Filme stehen für Epochen historischer Veränderungen und bleiben dabei immer persönlich und nahbar. Durch ihre…
07. November 2021
107 Mothers convinces at the 31st FilmFestival Cottbus
The 31st FilmFestival is coming to an end and celebrated the grand cinema finale of Eastern European cinema in Cottbus with the award ceremony. After a year's physical break, a high-quality programme consisting of 170 films was shown in seven venues and on ten screens, traditionally, in the first week of November. The main prize for the best film went to 107 MOTHERS by Peter…
04. November 2021
Refreshing, surprising and attractive - Turkish films at the 31st FilmFestival Cottbus
Until Sunday, the 31st FilmFestival Cottbus will offer an extensive look at current Turkish cinema and present a total of 15 exciting, visually powerful and completely different feature and short films between political pressure and artistic emancipation for the first time. Despite everything, current Turkish cinema remains discursive and artistically surprising. With psychological sensitivity and unforeseen twists current developments, historical references and personal fractures are discussed…
04. November 2021
10 FFC Films in the Race for the "Foreign Oscar"
At the end of March 2022, the so-called "Oscars", the "Academy Awards", are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles for the 94th time. Among the awards will be an "Oscar" for Best International Film. The prize, which until 2019 was called the "Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film", was first awarded in 1957 when it went to Federico Fellini's "La Strada - The…
03. November 2021
Cult film meets contemporary cinema - The 31st FFC presents exciting film couples from Slovakia
Films have been made for the cinema in Slovakia for 100 years! Reason enough to look into the history and present of an unusual film country. The FFC compares cult films from the 1960s with current works - in exciting pairs of long and short films from Slovakia. The Spotlight: Slovensko series connects film heritage with the present, from the immediate post-war period to the…
03. November 2021
Rastislav Steranka interview
Spotlight: Couple by Couple The two curators of the Spotlight: Slovensko series, Bernd Buder and Rastislav Steranka, each juxtapose two Slovak films that deal in different ways with themes such as the Holocaust, life in an urban microcosm, or the existential struggle for survival in everyday life. The films were made several decades apart. We had the opportunity to ask Rastislav Steranka some questions.What new…
02. November 2021
Polish cinema between arthouse and genre, history and politics
Between arthouse and Netflix production, current Polish cinema continously takes on socially controversial topics.
Eastern European cinema remains political. Between parables of totalitarianism, analytical observation and caustic satire, developments since the fall of the Iron Curtain and current social rifts are put to the test, the hopes of the 1990s are set against the current political backward gear. In TWO TYPES OF PEOPLE (TR) by Tunç Şahin, an agency buys up bad loans from banks and drives the debtors…
27. October 2021
Bernd Buder Interview - 31. FilmFestival Cottbus - Part 3
The third part of the interview with Bernd Buder, our programme director, is here!
28. October 2021
This mixture cracks! - Thrilling genre diversity between humor, provocation and action at the 31st FFC
This year, the 31st FilmFestival Cottbus is once again letting it rip with some films. They mix genres and bring exciting entertainment to the audience. Between breakneck shootouts, pointed jokes, adventurous liaisons and surreal communities of destiny reflect thoroughly contemporary social contrasts. From laughter to tears to fear, there is something for everyone. Highly topical themes can be found, such as the forest fire inferno…
27. October 2021
Bernd Buder Interview - 31. FilmFestival Cottbus - Part 2
The second part of the interview with Bernd Buder, our programme director, is here!