BUCHAREST: Romanian writer/director Corneliu Porumboiu enters Cannes’ competition for the first time with the Romanian/French/German coproduction The Whistlers/La Gomera starring Vlad Ivanov. La Gomera is the only film from CEE countries selected in the Cannes’ lineup. The Official Selection was announced on 18 April 2019.

MOSCOW: The Oscar nominated Cold War directed by Pawel Pawlikowski won awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Cinematography at the second edition of the East West Golden Arch awards, a new prize launched last year for films from the 32 countries of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

MOSCOW: Latvian director Dāvis Sīmanis has scored a slot in the main competition for the 41. Moscow International Film Festival with The Mover / Tevs Nakts. The film, set in Riga against the backdrop of WWII, is about a Latvian worker who shelters Jews during the German occupation.

ST PETERSBURG: A colloquium on contemporary Russian film organised together with FIPRESCI took place from 13-15 November 2017 at Lenfilm Studios in the run-up to the St Petersburg Cultural Forum which took place on 16-18 November this year.  The event took place within the framework of the forum.

BERLIN: The 69th Berlin Film Festival (7-17 February 2019) awarded its top prize in the main competition to the French/Israeli/German coproduction Synonyms directed by Nadav Lapid. The last Berlinale under outgoing festival director Dieter Kosslick was a strong year for German films, which won prizes as the producers or coproducers of not only the Best Film but also the Silver Bear –Alfred Bauer Prize, the Best Doc Prize and the Best First Feature Prize.

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TALLINN: The 22nd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, held from 16 November to 2 December 2018 in the Estonian capital of Tallinn, awarded its top prize to the Columbian/French coproduction Wandering Girl directed by Rubén Mendoza. The festival also handed out awards in competitions for First Feature Film, Baltic Films and Estonian Films.

VENICE: The Coen brothers have scored a slot in the main Venice Film Festival competition with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs which despite beginning life as a Netflix series is slated for theatrical release after the festival. 

VENICE: Director Damien Chazelle makes a quantum shift with his Venice competition entry First Manafter his hugely successful, light-hearted homage to the Hollywood musical La La Land

VENICE: American indie director Rick Alverson has scored a slot in the Venice competition lineup with his fifth and most ambitious film The Mountain.  His earlier offbeat dark comedies Entertainmentand The Comedy established his reputation as a Sundance regular who did not hesitate to challenge audiences with difficult but nonetheless visually beautiful films.