VALLETTA: The Malta Producers' Association (MPA) has said there should be “increased interest in maximising use of local cast and crews” when film productions shoot on the Mediterranean island as a result of the UK’s decision to impose quarantine restrictions on travel to Malta. Many of the casts and crews of foreign productions shooting in Malta come from the UK.

PULA: The 2020 Pula Film Festival opened on 27 August 2020, one month later than originally planned.

BUCHAREST: Adrian Sârbu, former CEO of Central European Media Enterprises (CME) and the helmer of Pro TV, launched a new channel in Romania on 31 August 2020. Aleph News is the first chapter of a bigger project that he calls “social television”.

ZILINA: The Fest Anča International Animation Festival 2020 gave its main competition award to the French short film I’m Going Out For Cigarettes by Osman Cerfon.

BIAFF film festival will take place 13-20 September. BIAFF festival organizers – Batumi Art-house ARGANI and official partner – Batumi city hall.

On the occasion of its 30th anniversary edition (November 3 to 8, 2020), the FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) makes itself and Germany a gift: The FFC is growing into the digital world and is expanding the Cottbus festival onto a new level with a nationwide online program.

The goal of the FilmFestival Cottbus for already 30 years now has been promoting young, exciting, dialogue-oriented cinema from Eastern Europe. To celebrate its anniversary, the FFC is involving its filmmakers and guests into a dual edition, which will take place from November 3 to 8, 2020, both in “real cinemas” in Cottbus and out-of-town venues (Eisenhüttenstadt, Berlin, Görlitz, Zgorzelec, Zielona Góra) as well as digitally.

A concert created especially for the opening of the Riga International Film Festival will take place at Splendid Palace on 15 October. It will accompany the oldest surviving feature film made in the territory of Latvia, Where is the Truth?! (Kur patiesība?!, 1913). The original music has been co-created and will be performed by musicians Artūrs Liepiņš and Jēkabs Nīmanis. Only 100 tickets are available to attend the cine-concert in person, but viewers from all over the world will be able to watch the event free of charge online. RIGA IFF will take place from 15 to 25 October and tickets for all festival screenings will go on sale soon.

Fest Anča International Animation Festival 2020’s main competitive section has been dominated by loneliness and coping mechanisms, in keeping with this year’s The Day After theme. The Anča Award 2020 went to the I’m Going Out for Cigarettes (2018) short film by French director Osman Cerfon. Kaspar Jancis’s Cosmonaut was awarded a Special Mention in the same competitive category. The Anča Slovak Award goes to Michaela Mihályi and David Štumpf for their internationally successful SH_T HAPPENS.

The autumn film show begins at the Astra Film Festival 2020. Six world premieres, one international, nine national premieres, a film running for the 2021 Oscar nominations, meetings with directors, key questions, unexpected answers and special events complete the 27th edition of the Festival. Astra Film Festival Open Air 2020 starts in a week in Sibiu and will remain in the public memory for a long time.

Astra Film Festival 2020 offers his viewers 6 world premieres („Tamás Barta - Hurry, Mom’s Waiting at Home” by Eszter Hajdu – Hungary-Portugal, 2020; „Half Elf” by Jón Bjarki Magnússon, Iceland, 2020; “Burgan-I Did Not Breathe the Air for Nothing” by Duco Tellegen, Netherlands- Romania, 2019; "All rivers flow into the sea and the sea never fills", by Claudiu Mitcu- Romania, 2020; “Death...full stop or comma?” by Călin Terțan, Corina Terțan – Romania, 2020; "Reflections in the East", by Andreea Cristina Borţun- Romania, 2020), an international premiere, "Lost Kids on the Beach", by Alina Manolache- Romania, 2020 and 9 national premiers (“Forget Me Not” by Sun Hee Engelstoft –Denmark, 2019;“Lessons of Love” by Malgorzata Goliszewska and Kasia Mateja- Poland, 2019; “Talking About Adultery” by Bára Jíchová Tyson – USA-Czech Republic; “The World According to Amazon”, by Adrien Pinon and Thomas Lafarge – France-Germany-India-Poland-USA, 2019; “Caught in the Net” by Vít Klusák, Barbora Chalupová – Czech Republic – Slovakia, 2020; “Self Portrait” by Katja Høgset, Margreth Olin and Espen Wallin – Norway, 2020; "Songs of Repression" by Marianne Hougen-Moraga and Estephan Wagner – Denmark, 2020; “Holy Father” by Andrei Diaconescu – Romania, 2020; „iHuman” by Tonje Hessen Schei – Norway, 2019 ).