COTTBUS: Georgian production company Ablabuda Film, which was launched in 2013, is in preparation with its first film The Button (working title) directed by Alexander Kviria to be shot in 2015.

COTTBUS: Hungarian producer Andras Muhi of Inforg-M&M Film is in development with Spiral, a drama with comedic elements directed by Cecilia Felmeri, a much-awarded short film director making her feature film debut.

COTTBUS: Internationally acclaimed Polish stage director Grzegorz Jarzyna will make his film directing debut with a 1.56m EUR film-noir inspired psychological drama, Owl, the Baker’s Daughter.

COTTBUS: The 24th edition of the Cottbus Film Festival (4-9 November 2014) wrapped on the eve of the 25th anniversary celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and this year it was even more evident that Cottbus is the festival that checks the pulse of filmmaking across the region of the former Soviet empire.

COTTBUS: Albanian director Gentian Koci will make his feature film debut with the social drama The Daybreak, the first Albanian project ever pitched at Connecting Cottbus.

COTTBUS: The personal story of a young woman’s confrontation with the specter of cancer, A Coat of Gold directed by Cristina Grosan and produced by Dora Nedeczky, won the Connecting Cottbus Best Pitch Award and a cash prize of 1,500 EUR. The prize also includes accreditation to the Producer’s Network in Cannes.

COTTBUS: CEE producers found reason for hope with presentations by funds from across the continent at the Connecting Cottbus funding panel taking place on 6 November 2014.

TALLINN: FIAPF will accredit Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival as a non-specialized competitive festival beginning with its 2014 edition taking place 14-30 November.

PRAGUE: Central European Media Enterprises (CME) posted increases in net revenues for the Q2 2014, up almost 17% at for the three month period at 204.9 m USD and 16% to 356.1 m USD for the six months ending 30 June 2014 and, compared with 2013.

BRATISLAVA: Kinocola, a new VOD platform, was launched in Slovakia on 22 July 2014. The platform is the creation of producer Peter Nedvedal of Filmpark and co-founder Jana Klukova.