PRODUCTION: I, Olga Hepnarova in Preparation
PRAGUE: Czech filmmakers Tomas Weinreb and Petr Kazda are preparing with their first feature I, Olga Hepnarova which they will co-direct and coproduce through Black Balance (www.blackbalance.eu), the company they…
PRODUCTION: Touch of Angel in Production
WARSAW: The first Polish documentary shot with the Red Epic camera, Touch of Angel (Dotknięcie anioła), a biopic about a Jewish family’s dramatic exodus from Poland, is in production. The…
PRODUCTION: Slovak Doc Salto Mortale in Postproduction
BRATISLAVA: Slovak director Anabela Žigová is in postproduction with her first full-length documentary, Salto Mortale, scheduled to premiere in 2013.
FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2012: Kills on Wheels
COTTBUS: Hungarian producer Judit Stalter of Lakoon Film (www.lakoonfilm.com) and writer/director Attila Till are in development with Kills on Wheels, the first coproduction between Hungary and Denmark
Czechs expect approval of new cinematography law despite veto
PRAGUE: Despite a veto by Czech President Vaclav Klaus earlier this week of a new law redefining support for audiovisual production and cinematography Czech industry professionals have assured partners that…
PRODUCTION: Wajda Attached to And There Was Love in the Ghetto
Director/cinematographer Jolanta Dylewska is directing a documentary essay based on a book written by the Polish resistance commander Marek Edelman and Paula Sawicka, with Anna Wydra and the Polish company…
Czech Company Endorfilm With Ambitious Coproduction Slate
PRAGUE: Jiři Konečný and Endorfilm (www.endorfilm.cz) are preparing a new project with Slovenian director Olmo Omerzu. The project follows their successful cooperation on A Night Too Young/ Prílis mladá noc.
Poland Begins Switch from Analogue TV
WARSAW: The Lubuskie Voivodeship in Eastern Poland became to first area to shut off analogue TV transmitters at the beginning of November 2012, with the entire country scheduled to follow…
FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2012: Mellow Mud
COTTBUS: Mellow Mud from debuting Latvian director Remars Vimba and producers Aija Berzina and Alise Gelze of Tasse Film (www.tasse.lv) emerged as one of the strongest contenders at the Connecting…
FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2012: House of Others
COTTBUS: Georgian director Rusudan Glurjidze and her coproducer Zurab Magalashvili of Cinetech Production (www.cinetech.ge) pitched a Cuacasus post-war drama, House of Others, at the 14th edition of Connecting Cottbus (www.connecting-cottbus.de).
EMERGING PRODUCER: Slovakia’s Tomas Kaminsky
BRATISLAVA: Slovak documentary producer Tomas Kaminsky tackled the controversial subject of minority issues in his first full-length film, The Gypsy Vote directed by Jaro Vojtek, while infusing it with liberal…
Czech TV, Prima To Launch New Channels
PRAGUE: Czech Television (www.ceskatelevize.cz) will begin broadcasts of its new children’s channel in mid-2013, Czech TV general director Petr Dvořák announced.
PRODUCTION: Vilnius-to-London Road Movie Documentary Starts Pre-production
VILNIUS: Lida, Vanda, Liusia, an Anglo-Lithuanian coproduction documentary about three Lithuanian grandmothers who make a road journey from Vilnius to London, has started pre-production.
Pakalnina Preps Docs, Premieres Feature
RIGA: Latvian director/writer Laila Pakalnina is prepping two new doc productions while her new feature Pizzas premieres in competition at the Rome Film Festival.
FNE at Cottbus Film Festival 2012: Poland Takes Top Prizes in Cottbus
COTTBUS: A strong Polish presence at the 22nd Film Festival Cottbus (www.filmfestivalcottbus.de) was validated with three of the festival’s top awards, including the main best film award with a prize…
FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2012: Cottbus Pitches a Strong Field of Contenders
COTTBUS: Projects from Hungary, Poland, Serbia and Kyrgyzstan generated strong interest at the 14th edition of Connecting Cottbus, also known informally as CoCo (www.connecting-cottbus.de).
Polish Film Institute announced funding for 61 projects
WARSAW: The Polish Film Institute (www.pisf.pl) announced the results of its November round of grants, which included 110,250 PLN in development funding for a feature film by Jan Jakub Kolski…
PRODUCTION: Petr Zelenka’s CoCo Pitch Winner in Preproduction
COTTBUS: Lost in Munich directedy by Petr Zelenka, the Czech film which won the 2011 Connecting Cottbus (www.connecting-cottbus.de) Best Pitch Award, is in preproduction for a June 2013 shoot.
FNE at Connecting Cottbus 2012: Film Funding Opportunities Increase for CEE
COTTBUS: New film funding opportunities for filmmakers in Central and Eastern Europe are emerging across the region, including backing for minority coproductions which is crucial especially in smaller countries.
FNE at Cottbus 2012: Kosovo, Turkey Win Connecting Cottbus Awards
COTTBUS: Three Windows and a Hanging, the first project from Kosovo to be presented at Connecting Cottbus (www.connecting-cottbus.de), won the coco Best Pitch Award voted on by the attendees of…
