COTTBUS: Robert Balinski of the Polish Film Institute and Oliver Oliver Rittweger MDM (Mitteldeutsch Medienforderung) used the Connecting Cottbus panel on film funding to announce the signing of the Polish German Film Fund, which will have its first call for funding in early December with results announced in Berlin in February.

COTTBUS: Bosnia and Herzegovina teams up with Croatia and funding from Macedonia for director Ines Tanovic’s contemporary Sarajevo tale The Son presented at Connecting Cottbus.

COTTBUS: Cyprus arrives at Connecting Cottbus for the first time, pitching the black comedy/drama thriller Menopause from director/producer Tonia Mishiali.

COTTBUS: Georgian writer/director/producer Rusudan Chkonia’s lingering problems with purchasing a new flat inspire her black comedy Venice, which was pitched at Connecting Cottbus on 5 November 2015. The project won the CoCo Post Pitch Award.

JIHLAVA: Latvian producer Antra Gaile is in early production with People from Nowhere, a Cold War era documentary directed by Estonian director Jaak Kilmi.

TALLINN: The 19th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival will present eight projects in its inaugural International Works in Progress alongside 13 projects of the Baltic Event Co-production Market and 14 projects of the Baltic Event Works in Progress programmes. Baltic Event will take place from 15 to 19 November 2015 while the festival takes place from 13 to 29 November 2015.

VALLETTAŁ The Malta Film Commission has announced a call for applications for the Malta Co-Production Fund 2015-2016.

MUNICH: Beta Cinema will handle world sales for Scarred Hearts directed by Radu Jude. The film is in production.