KARLOVY VARY: The Czech film industry is calling for increased tax incentives. During the Karlovy Vary Film Festival the Czech Minister of Culture backed calls to increase tax incentives for filmmaking as neighbouring countries racket up the competition by rolling out new incentive schemes of their own.

KARLOVY VARY: Film in Cyprus is blossoming as Cypriot filmmaker Tonia Mishiali arrives at KVIFF with her film Pause selected for the East of the West Competition. The prestigious East of the West competition slot for Mishiali follows a string of local success stories for Cypriot films in 2018, with Smuggling Hendrix directed by Marios Piperides winning the main prize for Best International Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year and Sunrise in Kimmeria directed by Simon Farmakas winning the prize for Best Cypriot Film at the Cyprus Film Days Film Festival 2018.

KARLOVY VARY: The ten films in the official selection of the annual Lux Film Prix of the European Parliament were announced at the Karlovy Vary IFF on 1 July 2018.

KARLOVY VARY: Polish sales and promotion outfit IKH Pictures and Promotion headed by Iza Kiszka-Hoflik will be representing East of the West competitor Via Carpatia directed by Klara Kochańska and Kasper Bajon. The film is a full length debut for the two directors. It is a Polish/Czech/Macedonian coproduction.

KRAKOW: The Polish film Over the Limit directed by Marta Prus was undoubtedly the overall champion of the festival sweeping more top prizes than any other film at the 58th Krakow Film Festival held from 27 May to 3 June 2018.  The film won prizes for Best Feature Length Film in the International Documentary Film Competition and the Silver Hobby Horse for Best Director in the Polish National Competition, as well as receiving awards for Best Producer of Polish Short and documentary films, the Best Cinematography Award and People’s Choice Award. The film is about the famous Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun and the emotional costs of professional sports. It is produced by Telemark.

CANNES: The 71st  Cannes Film Festival held from 9 to 20 May awarded its top prize the Palme d’Or to the Japanese film Shoplifters directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Poland scored twice in the main competition prize lineup with Cold War, a Polish/UK/French coproduction that won the Best Director prize for Pawel Pawlikowski, and as a coproducer of Ayka directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy, which won a prize for Samal Yeslyamova as Best Actress.

CANNES: FNE asked Jana Karaivanova about her first Cannes as the director of the Bulgarian National Film Centre and why it is important for Bulgaria to be a coproducer of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s The Wild Pear Tree, one of the films in the main competition in Cannes this year.

CANNES: The 71st Cannes Film Festival was a bumper year for Polish films in Cannes with seven Polish productions or coproductions being included in official selection in different sections of the programme- all of them supported by the Polish Film Institute.

CANNES: The Macedonian Film Agency has signed coproduction agreements with both Bulgaria and Kosovo in Cannes this year. The agreement with the Bulgarian National Film Centre was signed just before the Summit of Western Balkan countries, which kicks off in Sofia today.

CANNES: The 12th Krzysztof Kieslowski ScripTeast Award for the Best Script from Eastern Europe went to the script Afrika by Maya Vitkova-Kosev from Bulgaria. The script was developed within the screenwriting programme organised by the Independent Film Foundation. The award was presented at the 71st Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 2018.