03-11-2010

FNE at Cottbus: Connecting Cottbus Opens

By Cathy Meils

    COTTBUS, GERMANY: Spotted at the opening reception for the CEE pitching forum Connecting Cottbus: Mitteldeutsche Medienforderung CEO Manfred Schmidt and Apple Film Production president Dariusz Jablonski. "We're here for Gabriele," they say, in near-unison. Gabriele is of course Gabriele Brunnenmeyer, Connecting Cottbus' artistic director, and (as she tells FNE) this will be her last yea as the guiding force behind the region's premiere pitching forum for Central and East European films.

    Connecting Cottbus (4-5 November 2010, www.connecting-cottbus.de) is the meting spot not only for the 15 selected projects seeking coproduction funding. It's also a magnet for leading producers and film industry kingpins from across the region, whose working partnerships have blossomed under Brunnenmeyer's watch.

    The 2010 selected pitches include projects from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, as well as projects from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Israel, Russia, and Serbia.

    The pitching forum is expected to continue, but with a new director at the helm its personal character will most certainly change. One prediction for 2010: the closing gathering is sure to ba an emotion-filled toast to Brunnenmeyer and her accomplishments.

    Published in Region
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