SOFIA: The big winner at the 19th Sofia International Film Festival held 5-15 March 2015 was the Bulgarian/Greek coproduction The Lesson directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, who won the top prize in the International Competition for First and Second Feature Films, the Best Bulgarian Feature Film Competition Award, the Audience Award and the FIPRESCI award.

BERLIN: Werner Herzog is in competition in Berlin with Queen of the Desert, his first fiction feature film in six years and it is not short on the trademark Herzog panoramic epic sweep of nature and man defining herself against its backdrop.

BERLIN: Russian director Alexei German Jr presents some vitally important universal messages that we need to hear in his Berlin competition entry Under Electric Clouds making it all the more a pity that the audience reach of the film will be reduced by its excessive length.

BERLIN: Romanian director Radu Jude has come up with what could almost be called a new genre in his highly stylish Berlinale competition entry Aferim! The film uses what looks deceptively like a classic 1940s or 1950s old black and white style of filmmaking to deliver a cutting edge modern philosophical message.

BERLIN: Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska delves into the very blackest of comedy territory indeed for her film Body that looks at the meaning of life, death and coping with loss.

BERLIN: Much admired and for many years silent director Terrence Malick seems to be making up for all those years of absence from filmmaking by directing a constant string of ever more mystifying films.

LONDON: The Estonian and Georgian ambassadors along with the cream of the London filmmaking community turned out for a pre-Oscar screening of foreign Oscar contender Tangerines at the EBRD last night.

BERLIN: FIPRESCI, the international critics association gave its top prizes for all three sections of the Berlinale programme at a special awards ceremony. The list of winners is here below and we also have a set of photos of the FIPRESCI Berlinale 2015 awards photographed by Christine Kisorsy. Click HERE.

BERLIN: Directorial talent from central and eastern Europe and regional coproduction triumphed at the 65 Berlinale International Film Festival (5-15 February 2015) with the international jury awarding the Silver Bear for Best Director Ex Aequo to Romania’s Radu Jude for Afterim!, a Romanian, Bulgarian and Czech coproduction and Poland’s Malgorzata Szumowska for Body.

BERLIN: Today and tomorrow FNE is proud to present the great line-up of films from our region that will be screening in Berlin over the next ten days. Be prepared for some exciting discoveries. See below.