This month we speak with Leszek Kopeć, the Director of the Gdynia Film Centre, Gdynia Film School and the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.

BUCHAREST: A petition pointing out to the need of having a tax incentives scheme in Romania has been signed by approximately 1,500 professionals since 28 November 2017.

BUCHAREST: The plan to build an art house cinema network in Romania was the core of a meeting of local exhibitors, distributors and filmmakers, and also representatives of Europa Cinemas and the European Commission. The meeting was held during the 20th Europa Cinemas Network Conference in Bucharest (24-26 November 2017).

BUCHAREST: Jean-Christophe Simon, CEO Films Boutique, has been elected new president of Europa International for the next two years. The decision was made at the 6th Annual Conference of Europa International, that took place in Bucharest from 24 to 26 November 2017. A new board was also elected.

BUCHAREST: Cristian Mungiu is planning to launch a VoD platform for European films in Romania. The project will continue his initiative started with Les Films de Cannes à Bucharest Festival, that has been extended to six more towns in 2017.

BUCHAREST: Cinema Elvire Popesco from Bucharest and Agrafka & Kika from Krakow are among the winners of the Europa Cinemas Awards 2017 announced at the 20th Europa Cinemas Network Conference in Bucharest on 24 November 2017.

BUCHAREST: CASTiNG, one of the few Romanian online original series to date, will be broadcast on YouTube starting 14 December 2017.

BUCHAREST: The Romanian Film Center (CNC) announced it will give production grants for short and long thematical films in the upcoming grant session. The theme for this session is the celebration of 100 years since the Great Union (Marea Unire) of 1918, which led to the modern state. It will be the first time that production grants are allotted for thematical films.

STRASBOURG: Film New Europe spoke with Petra Kammerevert, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education in the European Parliament about the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018. MEP Kammerevert highlights the importance of cinema as part of the cultural heritage.

ZAGREB: Milan Trenc is in preparation with his third feature film Fishing and Fishermen's Conversations / Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje, starring Rade Šerbeđija. The film is based on the philosophic narrative poem and travelogue writings of Croatian Renaissance poet Petar Hektorović, which was first printed in Venice in 1568.