Garrido made the announcement at the annual Connection Cottbus and Cottbus Film Festival brunch on 4 July taking place at the Karlovy Vary IFF. Both Garrido and Cottbus festival artistic director Bernd Buder were chatting up a who’s who of CEE producers and directors, once more shoring up regional interest in the festival.

The 2016 edition of the Cottbus festival will have a special focus on Cuba. “It’s a socialist country,” Buder told FNE, “and Cottbus has reflected the changes in society in the former socialist countries, but the main focus of the festival will stay on Eastern Europe.” Cottbus will follow the Cuba focus with Vietnam in 2017. “Like Germany, it’s been a divided country,” Buder noted.

The festival will also be expanding its Youth Film section, which focused on films and the youngest filmmakers from Poland and Germany, by adding the Czech Republic. In addition, Cottbus will focus on the topic of forced migration at the end of WWII, a subject which affected all three countries, and which has particular worldwide resonance today.