News
On the occasion of the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the FilmFestival Cottbus and connecting cottbus together with Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH invited to the East European Brunch. Programme Director Bernd Buder and Brigitta Manthey of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg welcomed both established and aspiring filmmakers as well as representatives of the media, politics and culture.
26. April 2019
Curation seminar at the University of Potsdam
Starting in the summer semester of 2019, the FilmFestival Cottbus, the Institute of Eastern Slavic Literatures and Cultures at the University of Potsdam and the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences (Eastern European Literatures) of European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder) offer students the opportunity to curate a section of the festival. Within the curation seminar the students learn basic curation techniques, make a film selection…
23. April 2019
"Servant of the People" becomes real president
On April 21st, 2019 in Ukraine the comedian Volodymyir Selenskyj was elected president with an overwhelming majority – almost without political experience and without a programme. The audience of the FilmFestival Cottbus already knows Selenskyj from the leading role in the film SERVANT OF THE PEOPLE, based on the YouTube series of the same name. The film was shown in 2017 in the FFC section…
23. April 2019
FilmPolska and FFC present…
FilmFestival Cottbus‘ partner festival FilmPolska (April 24-May 1, 2019) also presents films of the 28th edition of FFC. Within the co-operation of FFC, the Polish Institute Berlin, Kino Krokodil, the Upper Silesian Museum and the German Culture Forum for Eastern Europe two cinematic highlights of the 2018’s FFC section Regio: Silesia are part of the programme of 14th FilmPolska: THE BEADS OF ONE ROSARY (Kazimierz…
In co-operation with the Finále Plzeň Film Festival and the Czech-German Future Fund the FilmFestival Cottbus presents the section “German Cinema” at this year's 32nd edition of the festival (April 11-16, 2019). The section with four long feature and documentary films as well as four short films was curated by the FFC Programme Department. Particular emphasis of the section is the current relevant political discourses in…
03. April 2019
„Everything remains different – the wild 90s“ – First joint project from goEast and FFC
This year the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will be celebrated. On this special occasion and with the thematic focus „Everything remains different – the wild 90s“ the FilmFestival Cottbus and goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film in Wiesbaden (April 10-16, 2019) take a look at the cinema of the 1990s. goEast shows six films that make it possible…
01. April 2019
Panel and reception at „Meeting Point – Vilnius“
In co-operation with the Film Festival Cottbus, connecting cottbus and the Medienboard Berlin- Brandenburg the international audiovisual industry event “Meeting Point – Vilnius” (April 2-4, 2019) invites to the panel „Bridging the gap – European cinema between festival and audience film”. With moderator Bernd Buder (FFC Programme Director), the panelists Andrė Balžekienė (Cinema "Pasaka", exhibitor), Alessandro Gropplero (head of the co-production market When East Meets…
22. March 2019
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2019
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS 2019 + FFC reglement with new eligible countries Cottbus looks for new feature and short films from Eastern, East Central and South Eastern Europe From November 5 to 10 November 2019 the 29th edition of the FilmFestival Cottbus is scheduled to take place. Featuring a total of up to 180 films from more than 30 countries over the course of six action-packed days, the…
The FilmFestival Cottbus and the „Kozzi Film Festiwal. Festiwal Filmu i Teatru“ in Cottbus' Polish twin town Zielona Góra have extended their long-standing cooperation. The main focus is on the cooperation within the framework of this year's festival edition "Kozzi-Czyżewska-Fijewski". FFC and Kozzi, which is organised by the Public Regional and City Library C. Norwid in Zielona Góra, have agreed mutual consulting on artistic ideas,…
13. February 2019
GWFF Award for Larisa Glebova
As part of the East European Brunch of the FilmFestival Cottbus and the East-West co-production market connecting cottbus, Larisa Glebova from Russia received the 4,500 EUR prize of the Münchener Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film und Fernsehrechten mbH (GWFF).Larisa Glebova is a production student at the St. Petersburg State University of Film and Television. She is a producer of BEDROOM TOWN (Director: Stanislav Malkov), which was…
13. February 2019
FFC + coco – kick-off into the new festival year
The FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) and the East-West co-production market connecting cottbus (coco) celebrated the official start of a new festival year with their traditional East European Brunch at the 69th Berlinale. The international industry meeting serves as stage for presenting the GWFF Promotion Prize and the Special Pitch Award, as well as a preview of the upcoming 29th edition of the festival (5 to 10…
22. January 2019
Three Oscar nominations for COLD WAR
On January 22nd, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 91st Oscars nominations. The Polish film COLD WAR by Paweł Pawlikowski – opening film at the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus and winner of two awards (Audience Award and “From Cottbus to Cinema” – Distribution support prize for a festival film) – has the chance to win an award in three categories: Best foreign…
16. December 2018
COLD WAR wins big at the European Film Awards
At the 31st European Film Awards awards ceremony on Dec 15, 2018 in Seville Paweł Pawlikowski's film COLD WAR won the European Film Prize in the categories Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actress (for Joanna Kulig). In mid-November, the European Film Academy also announced the prize for Best Editior (for Jarosław Kamiński). COLD WAR was the opening film of the 28th FilmFestival…
12. December 2018
European Shooting Stars 2019
The European Film Promotion (EFP), the pan-European network for the promotion of European films and talent, has announced the European Shooting Stars 2019. Three of the ten freshly nominated actresses and actors, will be well known to the audience of the FilmFestival Cottbus: Blagoj Veselinov, Milan Marić and Dawid Ogrodnik, all starred in films during the last three editions of the festival. Blagoj Veselinov, Macedonia…
15. January 2019
Save the date: 29th FilmFestival Cottbus
Save the date: The 29th FilmFestival Cottbus will take place from November 5 to 10, 2019. The Cottbus FilmShow will kick off the festival week the day before (Nov 4th). FFC Programme Director Bernd Buder and the curators of the various programme sections are already on research for the new festival year.At numerous international film festivals, the team is watching the latest works of Eastern…
16. November 2018
Film festivals discuss politics and civic values at the FFC
During the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC), representatives of well-known Eastern European film festivals as well as film makers and journalists from the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia met in the context of the network meeting ‘Film festivals between politics and civic values’ to exchange views regarding the situation in their respective countries. The film festivals meeting at the FFC perceive themselves as social spaces within…
FEDOR'S JOURNEY THROUGH MOSCOW AT THE TURN OF THE XXI CENTURY, winner of the Main Prize of the Short Film Competition 2015, is now available at the online platform "Short of the Week". The soulfully narrated tale complemented by an absurd sense of humour and wonderful photography, accompanies the headstrong Fedor through today’s Moscow. Fedor temporarily finds home with a hitherto unknown aunt. Whilst the world…
12. November 2018
Impressions of 28th FilmFestival Cottbus
The 28th FilmFestival Cottbus begins with the opening ceremony on November 6th at the Großes Haus of the Staatstheater Cottbus. One day before the Cottbuser FilmShow at the Filmtheater Weltspiegel will give the "little" kickoff into the festival week. During the festival week you will find impressions of the 28th FFC right here.
11. November 2018
The Award Winners of the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus
AYKA wins the Main Prize for the Best Film at the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus On the evening of the 10th of November at the awards ceremony held at the festival centre Stadthalle, the winners of the 28th FilmFestival Cottbus were announced. The Main Prize for Best Film was awarded to AYKA by Russian director Sergey Dvortsevoy. Ivan I. Tverdovskiy won the Special Prize for Best…
11. November 2016
Award Winners and Jury Statements
Wettbewerb Spielfilm | Feature Film Competition Hauptpreis für den besten Film | Main Prize for Best Film AYKA | AYKA | AYKASergey DvortsevoyRussland, Deutschland, Polen, Kasachstan, China 2018 | Russia, Germany, Poland, Kazakhstan, China 2018 Der Film lässt uns durch konsistentes Erzählen, eine rastlose Kameraarbeit und intensives Spiel sehr nahe an die Protagonistin herankommen. Wir leben ihr Leben. Mit diesem dokumentarischen Ansatz überqueren wir die…
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…