COTTBUS: The power of Polish cinema was on display in Cottbus, with Anna Jadowska’s drama Wild Roses winning the Best Film prize at the 27th Cottbus Film Festival, and its leading lady Marta Nieradkiewicz winning the Best Actress award.

COTTBUS: Film Center Serbia, which partnered with Connecting Cottbus (9 – 10 November 2017) as one of this year’s new events, will see an increase in funding rising to 10 m EUR in 2019, up from the present level of 6 m EUR.

COTTBUS: Polish director Jan P. Matuszynski, who won the best debut prize at last year’s Cottbus Film Festival with The Last Family, returned to Cottbus to pitch his historical thriller Leave No Traces at Connecting Cottbus, 9 – 10 November 2017, winning the MIDPOINT Scholarship Award. The project was well received, with the film’s representatives booked non-stop with one-on-one meetings following their presentation.

COTTBUS: Poland’s second project, which was pitched at Connecting Cottbus taking place 9 – 10 November alongside the Cottbus Film Festival, is from coco alum Kuba Czekaj, whose last film The Erlprince went on to premiere at the 2017 Berlinale and screened at this year’s Cottbus Film Festival.

COTTBUS: The 19th edition of the pitching forum connecting cottbus handed out awards to two Ukrainian films, one Bulgarian project and one Polish project at the celebratory dinner on 9 November 2017.

COTTBUS: Pink, a relatively new company with an eye toward international productions, teams up with Polish director Tomasz Winski on his debut feature, Images of Love. Producer Radovan Sibrt and Winski pitched the project at Connecting Cottbus on 9 November 2017.

COTTBUS: Romanian director Valentin Hotea pitched his dark comedy I Hate Berlin at Connecting Cottbus, running 9 – 10 November in partnership with the Cottbus Film Festival.

COTTBUS: Vanja Vascarac is directing his debut feature Bloc 62 for producers Danijek Pek and Stjepan Hundic of the Croatian company Antitalent. The project is being pitched at Connecting Cottbus, 9-10 November 2017.

JIHLAVA: Director Piotr Stasik picked up the award for the best film from Central and Eastern Europe for Opera about Poland in the Between the Seas competition of the 21st Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, which concluded on 29 October 2017.