News
09. November 2018
connecting cottbus: AWARD WINNERS 2018
Awards of the East-West co-production market connecting cottbus go to OCTOBER from Romania, 9TH STEP from Lithuania, MEN OF DEEDS from Romania in the cocoPITCH section and GERANIUM from Turkey in cocoWIP. The 20th edition of connecting cottbus (8-9 Nov 2018), the East-West co-production market at the FilmFestival Cottbus is full underway, amidst some successful days of matchmaking and networking. During tonight’s ceremony, the award…
24. October 2018
One region – many facets: Lusatia at the 28th FFC
The section Homeland | Domownja | Domizna at the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus presents new and exciting insights into and prospects for the region of Lusatia. Two Austrians in particular contribute to this alongside regional artists. By looking into the history of Carinthian Slovenes the FFC addresses a topic that is of equal importance for Lusatia: an ethnic minority’s past during National Socialism. A world première…
22. October 2018
Trailer of 28. FFC
In this year's Festival Trailer (directed by Axel Ranisch) our FFC's award sculpture LUBINA, the lovely one, makes a special appearance. . . . .
22. October 2018
Programme complete: FFC presents its competitions
At its press conferences in Cottbus and Berlin, the FilmFestival Cottbus presents its programme for the 28th edition (Nov 6 to 11, 2018). Cinema fans can expect more than 200 films from Central and Eastern Europe, spread over four competitions and eleven further sections. Eight juries are called upon to award prizes worth around 80,000 Euro in total. "The FFC's programme creates curiosity about the…
05. October 2018
FFC in Eberswalder “Provinziale”-Jury
Films from and about the province are the focus of the "Provinziale" film festival, which takes place for the 15th time in Eberswalde from 6 to 13 October. The programme focuses on 39 films from 19 countries of production in the competition sections for documentary, short fiction, animated and short documentary films. The festival opens with the German premiere of Katarzyna Trzaska's VILLAGE OF SWIMMING…
27. September 2018
Spotlight Georgia at the upcoming FFC
Spotlight Georgia at the upcoming FFC: ‘Georgian Film Is a Completely Unique Phenomenon.’ The upcoming FilmFestival Cottbus will present a selection of feature and short films from Georgia. On occasion of the country’s guest status at the Frankfurt book fair, we will highlight re-discoveries and brand new films like Giorgi Shengelaias book adaption ALAVERDOBA from 1962, Gio Mgeladze’s NO, PAL, an atmospheric arthouse thriller about…
24. July 2018
"It really affects one emotionally."
Three questions to... Bernd Buder, Programme Director of FilmFestival Cottbus There are about 100 days left until the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus (6. to 11.11.2018). Programme director Bernd Buder already gives a little insight into the current preparations, explains why good films are never boring and gives some valuable advice to the impatient festival fans. The 28th edition of the FilmFestival Cottbus is still about 100…
17. July 2018
Network meeting in Odesa
News about Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov being placed under house arrest and the ongoing imprisonment of the Ukrainian film maker Oleg Sentsov dominate the perception regarding the situation of film makers in several Eastern European countries. They illustrate that film makers continue to be under pressure in the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia. This is the context in which the FilmFestival Cottbus and the Odesa…
09. July 2018
Impressions and Award Winners of KVIFF
The 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) has come to an end. Programme director Bernd Buder was on the spot and spoke with Markéta Kachlíková on Radio Praha about his impressions and the festival’s development in the past few years. Interview with Bernd Buder on Radio Prague (interview in German, cutout) ( The full interview is available by clicking on the following link: Kino anstatt Heilquellen) The…
04. July 2018
FFC at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
During the 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) the FilmFestival Cottbus and connecting cottbus invited together with Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg to the East European Brunch. Programme director Bernd Buder, connecting cottbus director Marjorie Bendeck and Brigitta Manthey (Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg) welcomed established or aspiring filmmakers as well as representatives of the media, politics and culture. Among the guests were also former FFC award winners such as Jan…
03. May 2018
Cottbus at the Filmkunstfest MV
The 28th Filmkunstfest MV in Schwerin will once again provide a wide-ranging insight into current German-language cinema from May 1st to 6th. Among the guests of honour are the actor Henry Hübchen, the directors Andreas Dresen and Dani Levy and Heinz Brinkmann, veterans of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania cinema. Georgia presents itself as the guest country. The programme, compiled in cooperation with the Batumi International Arthouse Film…
18. April 2018
FilmPOLSKA and FFC on cinematic discovery
As part of the 13th Polish Film Festival FilmPOLSKA the FilmFestival Cottbus gives a foretaste of this year's Special Silesia. In cooperation with the Polish Institute Berlin, Kino Krokodil, the Cultural Department for Upper Silesia at the Haus Oberschlesien Foundation and the German Cultural Forum Eastern Europe, the FFC is showing the films DAS LOSUNGSWORT and AM ENDE DES REICHES at „Silesia, Śląsk – a…
17. April 2018
Cottbus at the Finále Pilsen
The next Finále Pilsen Film Festival, the biggest festival for Czech and Slovak films, will take place from April 19th to 24th 2018. The festival shows 112 films in five competition sections for feature film, documentaries, non-serial TV and internet production, serial TV and internet production and student films. Several sidebar sections add to the competition sections, among them a series with new German short and…
From April 18th to 26th, the "German Week" will take place in St. Petersburg for the 15th time. The event with its varied programme from the fields of culture, education and science, society and business is this time organised by the Federal State of Bavaria. In the previous years, this series of events has successfully established itself as a platform for a diverse and direct…
03. April 2018
Buder at FIOFA
Bernd Buder, programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus, will give a lecture on film festival strategies for debut films at the Film Institute - Ohrid Film Academy (FIOFA) in the beginning of April. The FIOFA is a new film academy, situated in Ohrid, Macedonia. It continues is the common project of the Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (FAMU)…
27. March 2018
Winners of the Polish Film Prize ORŁY 2018
On March 26th 2018 the 20th anniversary gala of the Polish Film Award ORŁY took place. Among the winners of this year's "Polish Oscars" are also some titles and names that should be well known to the audience of the FilmFestival Cottbus. The winner of the evening was SILENT NIGHT. Piotr Domalewski's film won a total of ten awards, most notably in the categories "Best…
19. March 2018
Cottbus in the shortkicks jury of Soccer Film Festival 11mm
From March 22th to 26th, the 15th International Football Film Festival "11 mm" will take place in Berlin. The thematic focus is on the relationship between "Football & Power": "On the occasion of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, we look at the political aspects of football and the often critical relationship between football and power," explains festival director Birger Schmidt. Other focal points are…
14. March 2018
Cottbus meets Sofia
Together with connecting cottbus, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Filmfestival Cottbus presents itself at the coproduction market "Sofia Meetings" (March 15-18th, 2018). This will take place for the 15th time as part of the 22nd Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF, March 8-29th,2018). Susann Trzewik, curator of the short film competition and advisor to the programme management of FilmFestival Cottbus, is a guest in Sofia to…
16. March 2018
Scouting in Bratislava
Bernd Buder, programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus, will travel to Bratislava from March 19th to 21st for the 25th ‘Febiofest’. The festival, which emerged from the film club scene, will take place in Bratislava from March 17th to 21st, followed by screenings in ten other cities in Slovakia. Nine sections explore the history and present of international cinema. The competition "In the Heart of…
08. March 2018
Cineastic twin cities Cottbus and Zielona Góra
The FilmFestival Cottbus and the Public Regional and City Library C. Norwid in Zielona Góra continue their successful cooperation. Dr. Andrzej Buck, director of the Library C. Norwid Library, and Bernd Buder, programme director of FFC, sign the cooperation agreement in Cottbus' Polish twin town on March 13th, 2018. The agreement emphasises the exchange between the FFC and the Zielona Góra Film and Theatre Festival (Zielonogórski Festiwal…
06. March 2018
FilmFestival Cottbus at Filmwinter Sachsen
On March 8th the Filmverband Sachsen e. V. invites to the network event FILMWINTER SACHSEN with the "FOKUS: Poland". Especially filmmakers and cinematographers from Saxony and Poland will join the event in Dresden. Robert Baliński from the Polish Film Institute as well as the film producer and co-founder of the film funding Wrocław, Paweł Kosuń, give an insight into the Polish funding landscape. Bernd Buder,…
26. February 2018
FilmFestival Cottbus at Belgrade FEST
From 23rd February to 4th March, the renowned Belgrade International Film Festival FEST will take part for the 46th time. While the main competition programme offers 16 carefully chosen films from Hungary, Denmark, Iran, China, Argentina, Lebanon, Greece, Croatia, USA, Russia, Italy and Switzerland, sidebar sections like “Thrills & Kills“, “Microwave“, “Frontiers“ or „Fest Classic“ discuss the borders of film and beyond and present classic…
20. February 2018
FilmFestival Cottbus and connecting cottbus celebrate kick-off
At the traditional East European Brunch during the 68th Berlinale, FilmFestival Cottbus gave a short insight in the programme of the 28th edition (Nov 6th – 11th, 2018) for the first time. Bernd Buder, programme director of FilmFestival Cottbus, explained what this year's programme offers to the audience: "The research for our four competitions and numerous side sections is already in full progress. If the research…
István Szabó has been Honorary President of the FilmFestival Cottbus for 18 years. On February 18th the Hungarian director celebrates his 80th birthday. Szabó made his first short film ON THE SEVENTH DAY in 1959 as a student at the Hungarian Academy of Theatre and Film Arts. 1964 was the release of AGE OF DREAMS, the first feature film. With this and his subsequent works,…
07. February 2018
LENFILM DAYS in Berlin
The Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin presents the LENFILM DAYS. Four films from Lenfilm, the oldest and most traditional Russian-Soviet film studio, will be screened. The opening of the Lenfilm series will be on February 19th with the comedy PETERSBURG. SELFIE – a film by Anna Parmas, Natalia Kurdryashowa, Aksinia Gog, Natalia Nazarowa, Oksana Bychkowa, Avdotia Smirnova, Renata Litvinowa. The seven directors…
23. January 2018
LOVELESS is nominated for the OSCAR
The Russian film LOVELESS | NELYUBOV - shown at the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus in the section Russkiy Den - is nominated for the OSCAR as Best Foreign Language Film. The drama of director Andrey Zvyagintsev tells the story of an ego-driven battle for divorce with fatal consequences: Boris and Zhenya's shared apartment is already up for sale. Twelve-year-old Alyosha suffers from his parents' persistent petty…
18. January 2018
FFC at the 29th Trieste Film Festival
The 29th Trieste Film Festival takes place from January 19th to 28th. Marcel Maïga, curator of the section Russkiy Den and the Special Belarus of the FilmFestival Cottbus, is also a guest at the most important Italian festival for films from Eastern Central and Eastern Europe, for research purposes in Trieste. This year's edition of the Trieste Film Festival also includes films from the 27th…
15. January 2018
Eastern European "Berlinale Talents"
Within the scope of the 68th Berlinale (Feb 15th -25th 2018) 250 outstanding creatives from the film industry will gather for the 16th "Berlinale Talents". Among them are also nearly 30 representatives from Eastern Central and Eastern Europe: Dušan Kasalica, Montenegrin director of SOA from the short feature film competition of the 27th International Film Festival, is invited as well as Samaya Asgarova from Azerbaijan, member…
20. January 2018
FFC at the Max-Ophüls-Prize festival
Traditionally, the FilmFestival Cottbus presents one of its award-winning films at its partner film festival Max-Ophüls-Prize in Cottbus' partner city Saarbrücken. This year, together with our colleagues in Saarbrücken, we are showing Đức Ngô Ngọc's FAREWELL HALONG. The visually stunning, sensitively observed documentary film on the resettlement of residents of a floating village in the Halong Bay on the mainland asks the question of the…
11. January 2018
FFC film BO HAI is nominated for Czech Film Critics' Award
In the category "Out Of Cinema" BO HAI by Dužan Duong is nominated for the Czech Film Critics' Award. The short film was screened at the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus in the U18 Youth Film Competition in the programm Halblang x drei. Dužan Duong also presented his film MAT GOC in the section FOCUS – and Duong won the Cottbus Discovery Script Doctoring Award, a script…
15. December 2017
LOVELESS still running for the OSCAR
The Russian film LOVELESS | NELYUBOV – shown in the section RUSSKIY DEN at the 27th edition FilmFestival Cottbus– has made it into the penultimate selection of nominees for the OSCAR for the best Foreign Language Film 2017. Thus, the drama of director Andrey Zvyagintsev and eight other contributions assert themselves against a total of 92 films in this category. The final five nominations for the 90th…
04. December 2017
FilmFestival Cottbus at the Tbilisi International Film Festival
The Tbilisi International Film Festival will take place for the 18th time from 4th to 10th of December. The renowned festival in the Georgian capital presents an extensive program in 13 sections, from the European feature film competition, the “French Collection” and a presentation of contemporary Hungarian cinema to the “Horizons”, which show current trends in South American and Asian cinema, and the section "Arts",…
24. November 2017
HIGH SUN-producer Ankica Jurić Tilić in Shooting Star Jury
The Croatian film producer Ankica Jurić Tilić is part of the jury for the "European Shooting Stars" 2018. Since 1998, this initiative by the European Film Promotion (EFP) has been promoting young European actors. Every year, ten "Shooting Stars" are presented at the Berlinale. For 2018, 21 candidates from the EFP member countries are nominated. Most of the films produced by Jurić Tilić's production company…
12. November 2017
Four LUBINAS for Polish cinema at the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus
The FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) came to a glittering conclusion on the evening of 11th November at the Stadthalle Cottbus with the awards ceremony of the 27th edition that posted record attendance of over 21,000. Polish filmmakers and actors, in particular, had every reason to rejoice. The director Anna Jadowska emerged as the triumphant winner of the Feature Film Competition with her poignant drama WILD ROSES…
10. November 2017
Networking meeting in Cottbus of Eastern Partnership representatives
Film Festivals Communicate Basic Values to Society Filmmakers and representatives of leading Eastern European film festivals came together during the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus to exchange views about their situation. The networking meeting in Cottbus with representatives from the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia is the continuation of a roundtable which had been held during the Odesa International Film Festival (14 to 21 July, 2017). The…
08. November 2017
FESTIVALIMPRESSIONEN | IMPRESSIONS OF THE FESTIVAL | GALERIA FESTIWALOWA
Unsere tagesaktuelle Galerie bietet Eindrücke des 27. FilmFestival Cottbus. Our daily updated gallery full of impressions of the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus. Oto nasza codziennie uaktualniana galeria festiwalowa, która pozwoli Państwu poczuć atmosferę 27. FilmFestival Cottbus. Zapraszamy do oglądania!
08. November 2017
Catalogue of the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus is online
The Catalogue of the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus is online.The Catalogue contains informations about the sections, juries and prizes and also extensive informations about all films. Here you can read and download the catalogue: CATALOGUE - 27th Filmfestival Cottbus
01. November 2017
"OPERA ABOUT POLAND" wins Central and Eastern European Documentary Competition in Jihlava
Piotr Stasik's latest documentary OPERA ABOUT POLAND won the competition "Between the Seas" at the prestigious Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, Czech Republic. The film is running at the FFC in the section Polskie Horyzonty. It was invited to Cottbus shortly after its Polish premiere at the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival in Wrocław in July. The impressive audiovisual essay depicts the state of…
02. November 2017
Feature Film Competition: Behind every truth hides a lie
The stories told by the film makers in their entries for the Feature Film Competition are just as diverse as the stories and cultures in Eastern Europe: regional and universal, empathetic and abstract, analytical and gripping.Twelve films from altogether 16 co-production countries: the Feature Film Competition of the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) once again reflects the best traditions of Eastern European film by demonstrating diversity…
31. October 2017
U18 Youth Film Competition: Love in the Times of Internet
With its U18 Youth Film Competition, the 27th FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) explores the lives of young people in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. Nine feature and medium-length films from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic will compete in the U18 Youth Film Competition of the 27th FFC (7 to 12 November 2017) for the prize for Best Youth Film endowed with EUR 3,000 bestowed…
27. October 2017
FOCUS Việt Nam ở châu Âu | Vietnam in Europe
The 27th FilmFestival Cottbus (7 to 12 November) dedicates its section FOCUS Việt Nam ở châu Âu | Vietnam in Europe to the migration history of Vietnamese contract workers and their succeeding generations in Central Europe. “The story of former Vietnamese contract workers and their children and grandchildren in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic reflects several ambivalences of European migration history: they were invited…
18. October 2017
Cottbus in Szczecin
Bernd Buder, programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus, joins the documentary film jury at this year's Szczecin European Film Festival in the Northern Polish town of Szcecin. The festival is well-known for a carefully curated program that focuses on short films that expand the artistic boundaries of their genres in various ways. In addition to artistic documentary films and regional films from West Pomerania, series…
11. September 2017
Cottbus in the jury at the Riga International Film Festival
The Riga International Film Festival will be held for the third time in the Latvian capital from 7th to 17th September. More than 120 films are shown in nine sections. The competition presents a cross-genre programme with films from the Baltic Sea countries - feature and documentary films which are characterized by specific, demanding artistic approaches. Bernd Buder, programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus, will join…
24. August 2017
FilmFestival Cottbus visits Partnerfestival in Solanin (PL)
FilmFestival Cottbus cooperates again with polish filmfestival Solanin, located in Nowa Sól. The 9th issue of the Off-Festival focuses on Indieproductions from Poland, Europa and the whole world. FilmFestival Cottbus presents three movies at the festival, e.g. "MĚR" from Anne-Kathrin Rensch and Clemens Schiesko, which won 2015 a special prize at 13th FilmSchau Cottbus.
07. August 2017
FFC at the film festival in Wrocław
The T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival in Wrocław (3rd – 13th August), is among the most important Polish film festivals. Since its founding 17 years ago, the festival has succeeded in building a large audience for arthouse cinema. This year, it will take place for the first time under the artistic direction of Marcin Pieńkowski. With the LAST FAMILY (Poland 2016) and ALL THE…
21. July 2017
Civil society dialogue at Odesa
Network meeting between the Odesa International Film Festival and the FilmFestival Cottbus in Ukraine At the 7th Odesa International Film Festival, a panel discussed how film festivals can invigorate civil society dialogue in Eastern Europe. The discussion was part of a network meeting that has been jointly organised with the FilmFestival Cottbus. The event is supported by the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of…
17. July 2017
Awards at Cottbus’ partner festival in Zielona Góra
The third film and theater festival in Zielona Góra ended on 15th July with the solemn award ceremony at "Palace Wiechlice". The festival, which took place in Cottbus' partner city Zielona Góra, as well as in the towns of Żary and Szprotawa, screened 31 feature films. Ten current Polish films were in competition. Committed to the work of the festivals name patron, the actor Maciej…
17. July 2017
Odesa International Film Festival and FilmFestival Cottbus invite to a joint network meeting
The Odesa International Film Festival which takes place from 14th to 222nd July ths year, is one of the most influential film festivals in Eastern Europe. This year's 7th edition is again hosting a number of international stars, among them the German actress Sibel Kekilli and the director Christian Petzold who are part of the international jury for feature films. In addition to a high-quality…
From 12th to 16th July, the "Kozzi-Cybulski-Wilhelmi" film and theater festival in Cottbus's Polish partner town Zielona Góra shows a rich programme with current Polish and German feature films as well as theater plays. The focus is on the works of the Polish actor legends Mieczysław Cybulski, Roman Wilhelmi and Maciej Kozłowski. The "German Panorama" preents five films, including the multiple winner film of the…
Bernd Buder, programme director of the FilmFestival Cottbus, takes part in the jury at this year's "Baltic Debut" film festival in Svetlogorsk. The festival in the Kaliningrad Oblast takes place for the 14th time. Nine films from the Baltic region compete for the awards for the best film, the best director and the special prize of the jury. The co-production countries are Denmark, Estonia, Finland,…