Bratislava film festival announces awards
Mid-August Lunch directed by Gianni Di Gregorio (Italy) won the Grand Prix at the 10th Bratislava IFF 2008, which ended on December 5.
The Lesser Evil hits screens in December
The Lesser Evil, the story of a young writer, who manages to develop a career in the communist Poland without writing a single book, opens in Poland on December 31.
Six Lithuanian documentary premieres at Vilnius Documentary Film Festival
The fifth edition of the Vilnius Documentary Film Festival (December 5-14 2008) will host six Lithuanian documentary premieres.
Polish thriller in the works
Marcin Wrona is in preparation to begin filming on Baptism in the first half of 2009.
New funding decisions at Hungary's MPPFH
The Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary (www.mmka.hu) has announced its latest support for Hungarian film projects and coproductions.
Herz co-production begins filming
Director Juraj Herz has started shooting on a Czech/Slovak/Polish co-production, The Dark, in Western Bohemia.
Holland's Christine in pre-production
Agnieszka Holland is in preproduction with Christine, based on the life of Krystyna Skarbek, a Pole who Winston Churchill called most prominent female agent during World War II.
Love on the Runway ushers in New Years Eve
Romantic comedy Love On The Runway, directed by Krzysztof Lang, gets a head start on next year's distribution race with a December 31 premiere in Poland.
Polish voice over readers on the war path for royalties
The 2007 amendment to the Polish copyright law extended royalty rights to film and TV voice-over readers, who have formed an association to enforce the new regulations.
Polish premiere boom to launch the New Year
Thirteen Polish premieres are scheduled for release in between Christmas and the end of and February, a sign of brighter times ahead for local cinema.
Central European films compete for Golden Globes slot
Films from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania, and Poland are among 53 titles qualifying for a chance at the Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film.
Berlinale special on Central European Cold War films
The 2009 Berlinale will present a 15-part series of Central and East European films under the title "After Winter Comes Spring - Films Presaging the Fall of the Wall."
Buyers interested in TV Puls
Six potential buyers have expressed interest in TV Puls, following the News Corp pull-out one month ago.
CME projects slowdown
Central European Media Enterprises (CME) CEO Michael Garin said the company plans to see a slowing of its growth rate in its Central European markets.
Little Moscow, big release
Gdynia festival winner Little Moscow opened November 28 in Poland with 70 prints going into distribution.
Anifest expands in 2009
The Czech festival of animated films, Anifest, will expand dates and location in 2009.
SPI moves into Romanian TV market
SPI International plans to launch two pay TV channels in Romania in mid-January.
Czech media income up 11%
Advertising income rose 11.3% for the 12 months ending in October, with income for Czech media reaching CZK 44 billio (€1.7 billion).
Country Teacher takes awards in Stockholm
Bohdan Slama's Country Teacher picked up two more awards, this time at the Stockholm film festival.
New Slovak film law
The draft of the new Slovak special law on audiovisual funds, which was passed in parliament on November 5, is awaiting the president's signature in order to take effect on…