For the seventh time, the RE-ACT (Regional Audiovisual Cooperation and Training) initiative announces its call for project co-development funding. The deadline for application is 15 November 2021

The call for co-development funding of co-production projects is intended for feature-length fiction, documentary and experimental projects as well as feature length and short animation films. Eligible for application are the projects involving at least two co-producers from partnering countries and supported by at least one of the RE-ACT member funds or a supranational fund, the projects preferably thematically linking the territories of Croatia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Serbia and Slovenia. At least one member of the film team (either the director or one of the producers) should be working on a feature (fiction or documentary) or short animation film for the first or second time. 

In its 31st edition, the FilmFestival Cottbus will present a total of 61 films from 33 (co-)production countries by and about women. The films bear witness to a world in which women can make equally sensitive films about men as men can make subtle films about women.

Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) announces Hungary as the Focus Country for this year’s 25th edition of the festival. The festival’s Opening Film will be Ildikó Enyedi’s The Story of My Wife, which premiered in competition at Cannes this year, with 18 more Hungarian films screening as part of the In Focus: Hungary programme, including 10 films in a special archive section and 8 new films representing the best of current Hungarian cinema.

Showcasing the best and freshest cinematic output of the three Baltic countries – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – the Baltic Competition of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) will screen 12 films, including 5 world premieres this year: 3 from Estonia and 1 each from Latvia and Lithuania. 5 Estonian films feature in total, with another 4 from Lithuania and 3 from Latvia: some festival darlings, a couple of strong debuts and a healthy dose of intriguing documentaries.

The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival has been officially launched. The Opening Ceremony introduced the first award-winners. The Best Documentary Book Award went to The Taste of Mulberries / Travel Message of the Wizard’s Apprentice by Miloslav Nevrlý. The winner of the Short Joy section selected traditionally by DAFilms viewers is Open Mountain by Maria Rojas Arias. During the Opening Ceremony, DAFilms presented their new category – DAFilms Junior. APA World Excellence Award was accorded to French producer Jacques Bidou.

TV Beats Forum, the drama-series-oriented strand of Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event, presents various new projects that are part of the freshly launched TV Beats co-financing market and Midpoint TV Launch.

Eastern European cinema remains political. Between parables of totalitarianism, analytical observation and caustic satire, developments since the fall of the Iron Curtain and current social rifts are put to the test, the hopes of the 1990s are set against the current political backward gear.

Dear colleagues and friends,

Two Slovak films, Lines (d. Barbora Sliepková) and Ordeal (d. Zuzana Piussi), will world premiere at the 25th edition of Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (26 – 31 October 2021) which will also showcase work of Karol Plicka, a pioneer of Czech-Slovak documentary cinema.

The festival’s main competition programme adds one more world premiere, ten international premieres, three European premieres, and two Estonian premieres to the six world premieres previously announced.

Nineteen films will be screened in competition, with three films out of competition. It’s a packed lineup featuring a couple of legends, a raft of returning Black Nights favourites and several soon-to-be-stars, from all corners of the cinematic globe. 

We can already share exciting news about one title, as per Variety's exclusive: Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal has acquired Kirill Sokolov’s “No Looking Back,” a dark action film with a dysfunctional family at its core, in which three generations of warring women face-off. The film makes its international premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in November.

Read more about Official Selection films

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Dear friends, 

The Ji.hlava New Visions Forum, a new financing, co-production and networking event, will present 37 carefully selected new European and U.S. documentary projects.

The presentations will take place on Thursday, October 28 at 15.00–19.00 (projects in development) and on Friday, October 29 at 15.00–19.00 (projects in production and post-production). All accredited industry guests will be able to attend them live as well as watch online. 

Below you will find the remaining 10 European projects in production and post-production, which we have not yet shared with you.