BERLIN: A strong representation of feature, short, animated and documentary films, as well as TV series from FNE partner countries have been selected for various sections of the 72nd edition of the Berlin International Film Festival. This year the festival will start on 10 February and the winners will be announced on 16 February, with the last four days (17-20 February) with re-runs for the public.

CANNES: Todd McCarthy’s Stillwater starring Cannes favourite Matt Damon screens Out of Competition this year in Cannes. Damon is a frequent visitor to Cannes as the star of films in the official programme and this year will be his fifth time on the Cannes red carpet.

CANNES: Writer and director Sean Baker scores a slot in the main Cannes competition lineup with a film described as raw and funny.  His earlier successful films The Florida Project and Tangerine, a transgender movie, have made Red Rocket a much anticipated followup.

CANNES: Sean Penn arrives in Cannes with Flag Day, a film that he both directs and acts in. Truly a family affair the film also stars his daughter Dylan Penn, who also plays his daughter in the film.

CANNES: Fans of cult director and writer Wes Anderson have been waiting for The French Dispatch, which screens in the main competition in Cannes this year. This is Anderson’s love letter to highbrow literary magazines like The New Yorker and the cast of writers, humourists and illustrators that such magazines who nurture these talented eccentrics produced.

TALLINN: Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event announced the prizes at awards ceremony held at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds on 26 November. The presenter of the awards was Marge Liiske head of Industry@Tallinn and Baltic Event. Film New Europe was one of the partners and sponsors of the awards ceremony with FNE director Anna Franklin congratulating awards winners and informing guests about how www.filmneweurope.com can help them achieve their goals.

VENICE: Director Paul Schrader arrives in competition at 78th Venice IFF with The Card Counter staring Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe. The 75 year old Schrader who shot to fame 45 years ago as the scriptwriter of Taxi Driver has had a long and distinguished career as both director and scriptwriter. Most recently his 2017 film First Reformer brought him kudos and acclaim and an Oscar nomination. Schrader has also written the screenplay for the film and his Venice entry is hotly anticipated.

MOSCOW: Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn directed by Radu Jude (Romania, Luxembourg, Croatia, Czech Republic) won the top prize at the third international East West Golden Arc annual prize for films from Eastern Europe and Western Asia. The awards ceremony took place on 25 October 2021 at the newly renovated Khydozhestvenny Cinema, one of the oldest in Russia.

GDYNIA: The 46th Polish Film Festival Gdynia, which took place 20-25 September 2021, awarded its top prize of Golden Lion for Best Film to Fears / Wszystkie nasze strachy directed by Łukasz Ronduda and Łukasz Gutt.