Dear colleagues and partners,

FilmFestival Cottbus is getting ready for its 36th edition: from 3–8 November 2026, Cottbus will once again become a meeting place for filmmakers, industry professionals and audiences passionate about cinema from Central and Eastern Europe.

While the full programme will be revealed in mid-October, we are happy to share a first glimpse of what awaits you at FFC 2026 – from Andrzej Wajda’s cinematic legacy and contemporary Latvian cinema to perspectives on Montenegro and the transformations following the fall of the Berlin Wall.

And if you are planning to join us in Cottbus: Industry accreditation is now open.
 

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Get Accredited for FFC 2026
Planning to join us in Cottbus? Industry accreditation for the 36th FilmFestival Cottbus is open.

The regular accreditation fee is €55, with applications accepted until 1 November 2026. Late accreditations after 1 November are possible at a fee of €75.

Your accreditation gives you the opportunity to discover the latest cinema from Central and Eastern Europe, meet filmmakers and fellow industry professionals, and take part in the festival’s screenings, talks and networking opportunities.

Get Accredited
 

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100 Years of Andrzej Wajda: A Legacy Revisited

Andrzej Wajda would have turned 100 this year. In Don’t Call Me Vintage!, FFC brings four of his films back to the big screen: ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958), INNOCENT SORCERERS (1960), LANDSCAPE AFTER THE BATTLE (1970) and THE PROMISED LAND (1975).

But this is more than a retrospective. Films by students and graduates of the Wajda School in Warsaw and Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF enter into dialogue with Wajda’s work, asking what his artistic and political legacy means to a new generation of directors today.
 

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Close-Up: Latvia
After focusing on Estonia in 2025, FFC continues its exploration of the Baltic film landscape with Close-Up: Latvia.

The section turns the spotlight on contemporary Latvian cinema, presenting different generations, genres and perspectives from a film culture that continues to make its mark internationally. The complete selection will be announced with the full FFC programme in October.
 

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View from the Black Mountain: Montenegro Special

Another journey takes us further south: View from the Black Mountain: Montenegro Special puts the spotlight on cinema from one of Europe’s smallest film countries.

The programme invites audiences and industry guests to discover different perspectives on Montenegro, its society and its cinematic landscape and filmmakers whose work is still rarely seen on German screens.
 

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Transformation without End?

More than three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the consequences of political and economic transformation continue to shape biographies, communities and societies.

Our special series Transformation without End? – Cinematic Perspectives on the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Its Aftermath brings together films exploring these experiences from different perspectives and asks how the upheavals of 1989 and the years that followed continue to resonate today.
 

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Watch & Vote: MIOB in Shorts 2026

The MIOB in Shorts Award is back – and the audience decides the winner. The members of the European Moving Images – Open Borders (MIOB) network have nominated twelve European short films for the 2026 edition.

The complete selection is available on This is Short until 15 October, giving audiences across Europe the chance to watch the films online and vote for their favourite. All twelve films will also be screened at FilmFestival Cottbus in November, where the winner will be announced at the closing ceremony.

Watch the MIOB in Shorts selection & vote
 

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Meet FFC on the Road

FFC Programme Director Bernd Buder will be on the festival circuit over the coming weeks. Meet him at the Festival of Slovenian Film in Portorož (13–18 October) and DOK Leipzig (26–28 October).
 

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Save the Date
36th FilmFestival Cottbus
3–8 November 2026
 

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The full programme will be published in mid-October. Until then, stay tuned for more films, competitions, guests and industry news.

We look forward to welcoming you to Cottbus!

FilmFestival Cottbus Team

The upheavals of 1989/90 continue to resonate today. Biographical ruptures, new freedoms and social upheaval in the 1990s continue to shape political culture across Central and Eastern Europe. More than three decades later, a young generation of filmmakers is exploring a decade they themselves barely experienced first-hand. With Transformation without End? – Cinematic Perspectives on the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Its Aftermath, the 36th FilmFestival Cottbus (3–8 November 2026) brings films from the period into dialogue with contemporary perspectives on the post-socialist era.

Film pairings from different countries explore the hopes, ruptures and contradictions of those years. From the Baltic states, documentary classic IS IT EASY TO BE YOUNG? (Juris Podnieks, 1986), about Latvian youth subculture during the final years of the Soviet Union, meets the Lithuanian box-office hit THE SOUTHERN CHRONICLES (Ignas Miškinis, 2024). The coming-of-age love story takes audiences into Lithuania in the 1990s, exploring a period marked by new beginnings, disillusionment and emerging class divisions.

Two Slovak gangster comedies approach the gold-rush atmosphere of the era with dark humour: ON A BEAUTIFUL BLUE DANUBE (Štefan Semjan, 1994) follows three petty criminals through Bratislava in the early post-socialist years, while INVALID (Jonáš Karásek, 2023), made three decades later, sends a cantankerous outsider down a similarly wayward path. From Hungary, István Szabó’s classic DEAR EMMA, SWEET BÖBE (1991), about two Russian teachers forced to completely rebuild their lives, is paired with the animated railroad movie PELIKAN BLUE (László Csáki, 2023) – a recollection of what it felt like to have little money but, finally, the freedom to travel and explore the world.

In eastern Germany, HERZSPRUNG (Helke Misselwitz, 1992) meets MORGEN VOR LANGER ZEIT (Luise Donschen, 2026). Misselwitz tells the story of Johanna, who seeks a new beginning in a small Brandenburg town after losing her job. Luise Donschen’s film begins in 1990: its protagonist Patty, played by Gerti Drassl, disappears in the Kyffhäuser Mountains amid the turmoil of German reunification, only to reappear 30 years later. Helke Misselwitz will personally present HERZSPRUNG in Cottbus.

The extent to which the developments of that period continue to resonate in the present is explored in DIE KLASSE VON 1990 (Sonja Hilberger, RP Kahl, 2026). The documentary brings together former acting students who fought to save their drama school in Rostock-Lichtenhagen in 1990 while witnessing the rise of right-wing extremism on their doorstep. The series is complemented by oral history films made in Cottbus, Lübeck and Neuruppin, in which school students ask contemporary witnesses about their memories of the opening of the border and life in the GDR.

During the festival week, young people from Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany will also come together in Cottbus to jointly explore the post-socialist era. The film series and the multi-day youth workshop are funded by The Federal Foundation for the Study of the Communist Dictatorship in Germany.

80 Years of DEFA: A Focus on Sorbian Filmmaking

In the Homeland | Domownja | Domizna section, the FFC marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of DEFA by highlighting a lesser-known chapter of its history: Sorbian filmmaking. Between 1980 and 1990, almost 40 films were produced by the Produktionsgruppe Sorbischer Film / Serbska filmowa skupina (Sorbian Film Production Group) in Bautzen.

Three productions will be screened in Cottbus: WNUČKI ŁUŽIČANOW – DIE ENKEL DER LUSITZER (Armin Georgi, 1967), GAŽ WĚTŠYK DUJO … / UND AUF STEHT DIE WAHRHEIT (Toni Bruk, 1984) and WOPYT / UNRUHE (Toni Bruk, 1984). Toni Bruk’s two films will be shown in their Lower and Upper Sorbian-language versions respectively, with simultaneous German interpretation.

The 36th FilmFestival Cottbus

From 3 to 8 November 2026, FilmFestival Cottbus will present 147 films from 40 (co-)production countries across three competitions and numerous other sections. The complete festival programme will be published in mid-October.

The verdict of the Short Film Competition Jury at the 51^st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia has now been announced. The winners of this year’s special awards were also announced during the Young Gala on Friday, 25^th September 2026.

The Short Film Competition Jury, comprising:

Ewa Braun – Chairperson
Joanna Szymańska
Bartosz M. Kowalski

after viewing the 28 films selected for the Short Film Competition, awarded:

The Lucjan Bokiniec Award for Best Short Film

A cash prize of PLN 15,000. The award is sponsored by the Festival’s Patron, Energa SA

Case No., directed by Patrycja Polkowska

Special Prize

A cash prize of PLN 10,000 and a non-exclusive licence valued at PLN 15,000 from the Educational Film Studio

They Were All Named Anzhelika, directed by Aleksandra ‘Sasha’ Kutsen

Special Mention

A cash prize of PLN 5,000

The Knot, directed by Izabela Zubrycka

Award for Best Cinematographer

Production support worth PLN 20,000 in the form of equipment hire – funded by Heliograf

Patryk Roman for the film Recess, directed by Jana Saczka

THE JANUSZ KORCZAK GOLDEN LITTLE LIONS AWARD
Section Partner: KGHM Polska Miedź; Award Sponsor: Telewizja Polska
Too Old for Fairy Tales 3, directed by Kristoffer Rus

JOURNALISTS’ AWARD
Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański

CICAE JURY AWARD FOR A DIRECTING DEBUT OR SECOND FILM
A Free Woman, directed by Eliza Godlewska and Alan Ruczyński

YOUTH JURY AWARD
National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute
Liquid States, directed by Maria Wider

ART HOUSE CINEMAS ASSOCIATION AWARD
Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański

THE POLISH CINEMA ASSOCIATION’S ‘AMBER LIONS’ AWARD
for the film Good Home, directed by Wojciech Smarzowski, to the film’s producer and distributor for the highest box-office takings in Polish cinemas during the 2025–2026 season

THE ‘AUDIO DESCRIPTION OF THE YEAR’ AWARD FROM THE DE FACTO ASSOCIATION AND THE KINO DOSTĘPNE FOUNDATION
JURY’S SPECIAL MENTION
A cash prize of PLN 2,500
Bartosz Wokan (scriptwriter) and Magdalena Dudowicz (script consultant) for the audio description in the film 13 Days Till Summer, directed by Bartosz M. Kowalski

THE ‘AUDIO DESCRIPTION OF THE YEAR’ AWARD FROM THE DE FACTO ASSOCIATION AND THE KINO DOSTĘPNE FOUNDATION
AUDIENCE AWARD
A cash prize of PLN 5,000
Alicja Maciejewska (scriptwriter) and Magdalena Dudowicz (script consultant) for the audio description in the film Skrzyżowanie, directed by Dominika Montean

THE ‘FILM FOR THE CLIMATE’ AWARD FOR THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTION
Award sponsor: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
The Honorary Organiser of the Competition is the “Film for the Climate” Association | The National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers is the Content Partner for the Award within the Competition

in the Feature Film category:
producers and implementation of eco-friendly solutions: Kamil Janik and Patrycja Strzyżewska in the production of the film A Free Woman, directed by Eliza Godlewska and Alan Ruczyński

THE ‘FILM FOR THE CLIMATE’ AWARD FOR THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRODUCTION
Award sponsor: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage
The Honorary Organiser of the Competition is the “Film for the Climate” Association | The National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers is the Content Partner for the Award within the Competition

in the Short Film category:
the implementation of eco-friendly solutions by Jagoda Surzycka (creative producer) and Gabriela Rybołowicz (production manager) in the production of the film The Knot, directed by Izabela Zubrycka, produced by Katarzyna Staszczy and Jagoda Surzycka

THE ‘DON QUIXOTE’ AWARD FROM THE POLISH FEDERATION OF FILM DISCUSSION CLUBS
Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański

AWARD FROM POLISH FILM FESTIVALS AND REVIEWS ABROAD
Through the Wall, directed by Maciej Sobieszczański

GDAŃSK RADIO “GOLDEN CLAQUEUR” AWARD
The Time That Never Came, directed by Julia Rogowska

GQ POLAND AWARD FOR A CINEMATIC VISIONARY
Mikołaj Bukrewicz in the film Less of a Stranger, directed by Kristoffer Rus

HARPER’S BAZAAR POLAND DISCOVERY
Agata Trzebuchowska, director, and Maciej Edelman, director of photography for the film Sick

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSPECTIVE – DR IRENA ERIS BRAND AWARD
Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska, Jaśmina Polak, Magda Koleśnik and Monika Frajczyk for the film EXOTIC, directed by Sonja Orlewicz-Zakrzewska

ZWIERCIADŁO’ MONTHLY MAGAZINE AWARD: STRONG START
Patrycja Polkowska, director of the film Case No.

INTERIA ‘ON THE WAVE’ AWARD
Patrycja Polkowska, director of the film Case No.

AWARD FOR BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
presented by the Polish Post-Production Association and the Pomeranian Film Foundation in Gdynia
Sebastian Dominik, Supervisor, and Lumiere de Cinema for the film Less of a Stranger, directed by Kristoffer Rus

AWARD FOR BEST CASTING DIRECTION
Guild of Polish Casting Directors
Nina Gold, Martin Ware and Paulina Krajnik for the film Good Boy, directed by Jan Komasa

ENERGA TURNS ON EMOTIONS AT THE 51^st POLISH FILM FESTIVAL
1st place – Klaudia Cieślak

2nd place – Jakub Szwed

3rd place – Zuzanna Deyna

Dear Colleagues, 

we’re happy to announce the six international jury members of this year’s 9th European Work in Progress (EWIP).  

EWIP was able to secure five renowned and versatile film industry experts for its jury: Christian Bräuer, Managing Director of Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany's largest arthouse cinema group; Paolo Bertolin, member of Selection Committee Venice International Film Festival and Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival; Rebecca De Pas, renowned and experienced film curator for the International Film Festival Rotterdam; Valeska Neu, responsible for Management & Sales for world sales „Films Boutique“; Iñigo Trojaola, Editorial Manager for Spanish PayTV and VOD platform Movistar+. 

EWIP will present outstanding European film projects and connect filmmakers with important industry representatives in cooperation with FilmFest Hamburg. EWIP will also be supported by many longstanding partners, who will sponsor prizes and service vouchers totaling around 100.000 Euro. This year’s sponsors are the post production firm The Post Republic, the Berlin-based K13 Studios as well as Gruvi, the film marketing specialist and the translation service firm Wayfilm. Furthermore EWIP will continue the successful partnership with „Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners“, consisting of Loft Tonstudios, Zeigermann_Audio, Optical Arts and Zeitkostüm. 

The members of the 2026 jury in detail: 

Christian Bräuer (Managing Director, Yorck Kinogruppe; President of the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas (CICAE); Chairman of the German Arthouse Cinema Association (AG Kino)) 

Christian Bräuer is leading Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany's largest arthouse cinema group, as Managing Director. As President of the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas (CICAE), Chairman of the German Arthouse Cinema Association (AG Kino) as well as a member of the

Board of Directors of Europa Cinemas and IHK, he fervently works in support of the global arthouse cinema community. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. 

Paolo Bertolin (Member of Selection Committee Venice International Film Festival, Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival) Paolo Bertolin is a film programmer, writer and producer. He is the Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival. He is a member of the selection committee of Venice International Film Festival and has worked for several international film festivals and institutions, including Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, Locarno Open Doors, IFFRotterdam, Doha Film Institute, Mumbai Film Festival, Beijing Film Festival, Cannes’ Semaine de la critique, Udine Far East Film Festival and Nyon Visions du réel. As a film critic and journalist, he has written articles for Italian and international publications, including Rivista del cinematografo, Cineforum, Segnocinema, Il manifesto, The Korea Times, Cahiers du cinéma, Positif and Senses of Cinema. Paolo has production credits on Berlinale Competition entries Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories by Phan Dang Di and A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery by Lav Diaz. 

Rebecca De Pas (Film Curator, International Film Festival Rotterdam) 

Born and raised in Milan, Rebecca De Pas began working for film festivals in 2004 at the Cineteca di Bologna. In 2009 she joined the FID Marseille, where she worked for eleven years as a programmer and co-director of the FID Lab, the international co-production platform. In 2018 she became an artistic consultant for the Viennale. In the past, she was part of the Berlinale Talents selection committee and of Visions du Réel (where she still serves on the project selection committee), and she has been a mentor for the Feature Expanded Training Program and several other industry events. She has collaborated on the programming of the La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival, worked as a matchmaker for the Orizzonti section of the Venice Film Festival, and is a regular reader for the Doha Film Fund. In 2022, she became a member of the selection committee of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Rebecca De Pas developed, together with Paolo Moretti, the Fondazione Prada Film Fund, for which she currently serves as project manager. 

Valeska Neu (Management & Sales, Films Boutique) 

Apart from her studies in history, journalism, film & cinema, Valeska is involved in the national and international film industry since 2002 in a variety of ways. At film festivals, in the promotion of young talents and in the production sector. Since 2010 she initially worked for the German-French world sales company Films Boutique. First as festival manager and since 2016 she is responsible for international sales and general management. In addition, Valeska is a speaker for different producer workshops and works as an expert for the European Commission and the Austrian Film Institute. Since 2023 she is a member of the board of Europa International (association of European Sales Agents) and acts as the association’s President since 2025.  

Iñigo Trojaola (Editorial Director, Movistar+) 

Passionate about television, film, series, and all forms of audiovisual storytelling from the very beginning, Iñigo Trojaola has spent over 30 years selecting, acquiring, and producing content for Spain’s leading platforms. he currently serves as Editorial Director at Movistar Plus+, where he leads the strategy for curating and programming films, series, and non-fiction content across both linear channels and VOD. His editorial team is responsible for selecting all external productions— films, series, and documentaries—while the programming team brings the catalog to life on linear and on-demand platforms, creating editorial events and experiences that resonate with the audience. His mission is to ensure that every viewer finds something that moves them, inspires

them, or simply entertains them—and makes them want to stay a little longer. Movistar Plus+ champions personalization, a diversity of voices, and place strong emphasis on local storytelling. 

Supported by Creative Europe MEDIA and the MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, EWIP will present up to 25 European feature-length projects. Participating films need to be close to completion or in post production and have at least one producer or co-producer from Europe. Projects are selected for exclusive presentations to international sales agents, distributors, festival curators, and other film professionals. 

Projects presented at EWIP have gone on to premiere at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, San Sebastián, Rotterdam, Toronto, and more – often securing key international sales and distribution deals. 

Two of last year’s winners of EWIP are now part of the official selection in Cannes this year: ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah, which won „The Post Republic Award“ – a post production support worth 30.000 Euros and I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE by Katharina Rivilis, winner of „Way Film Translation Award“ at EWIP 2025. Both have premiered at „Un Certain Regard“, where ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG won the Jury Prize. Further successful EWIP participants include I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE, directed by Alisa Kolosova, as well as ZEJTUNE by Alex Camilleri (EWIP 2024) both of which celebrated their World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival this June. Most recently, two films from the EWIP 2025 selection have also received awards at the Locarno Film Festival: DOWN BY THE RIVER by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, which won the Special Jury Prize in the International Competition, and PARADEISA by Marleen Valien, winner of the Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare. 

For any further questions regarding EWIP please contact: 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

For further press information and enquiries please contact the press agency mm filmpresse, Tobias Reißmann, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 23, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Claudia Hegner, Tel. 03741 – 55 03 414, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Kind Regards 

Tobias Reißmann & Claudia Hegner

 

For the upcoming 9th edition of European Work in Progress (EWIP) a funding of 100.000 Euros has been pledged by a plethora of international industry partners to be awarded to the winners of this year’s event. EWIP will take place from 28th to 30th of September 2026. For the second time it takes place in Hamburg in the framework of the FilmFest Hamburg Idustry Days. 

This year’s EWIP will be supported by many longstanding partners. EWIP will continue the successful partnership with The Post Republic and K13 Studios. The Post Republic pledged its continued support by providing a voucher for post production, color grading and DCP production and the K13 Studios will renew their longstanding contribution for EWIP with two vouchers for a Dolby Atmos Mix and professional dubbing. 

Furthermore EWIP will renew its partnership with „Northern Stars – Hamburg Film Partners“, consisting of the audio studio Loft Tonstudios, audio specialist Zeigermann_Audio, post production firm Optical Art and costume rental Zeitkostüm GmbH. 

EWIP is also happy to announce the support of MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig Holstein. 

Film marketing specialist Gruvi and the translation company WayFilm have also again pledged their support to EWIP. 

EWIP was able to secure five renowned and versatile film industry experts for its jury: Christian Bräuer, Managing Director of Yorck Kinogruppe, Germany's largest arthouse cinema group; Paolo Bertolin, member of Selection Committee Venice International Film Festival and Artistic Director of Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival; Rebecca De Pas, renowned and experienced film curator for the International Film Festival Rotterdam; Valeska Neu, responsible for Management & Sales for world sales „Films Boutique“; Iñigo Trojaola, Editorial Manager for Spanish PayTV and VOD platform Movistar+.

Supported by Creative Europe MEDIA, EWIP will present up to 25 European feature-length projects. Participating films need to be close to completion or in post production and have at least one producer or co-producer from Europe. Projects are selected for exclusive presentations to international sales agents, distributors, festival curators, and other film professionals. 

Projects presented at EWIP have gone on to premiere at Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance, San Sebastián, Rotterdam, Toronto, and more – often securing key international sales and distribution deals. 

Two of last year’s winners of EWIP are now part of the official selection in Cannes this year: ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG by Abinash Bikram Shah, which won „The Post Republic Award“ – a post production support worth 30.000 Euros and I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE by Katharina Rivilis, winner of „Way Film Translation Award“ at EWIP 2025. Both have premiered at „Un Certain Regard“, where ELEPHANTS IN THE FOG won the Jury Prize. Further successful EWIP participants include I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE, directed by Alisa Kolosova, as well as ZEJTUNE by Alex Camilleri (EWIP 2024) both of which celebrated their World Premiere at the Tribeca Festival this June. Most recently, two films from the EWIP 2025 selection have also received awards at the Locarno Film Festival: DOWN BY THE RIVER by Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias, which won the Special Jury Prize in the International Competition, and PARADEISA by Marleen Valien, winner of the Locarno Kids Award la Mobiliare. 

For further press information and enquiries please contact the press agency mm filmpresse, Tobias Reißmann, Tel. 030 – 41 71 57 23, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Claudia Hegner, Tel. 03741 – 55 03 414, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Kind Regards 

Tobias Reißmann & Claudia Hegner