KARLOVY VARY: After the successful cooperation between Poland and the Czech Republic with the Polish backed Brothers Karamazov directed by the Czech Republic's Petr Zelenka the Czechs have definitely decided it is time to remember their Polish neighbours.

KARLOVY VARY: Lithuanian filmmakers are facing major obstacles with government funding cut from 2m Euros last year to just over 1m Euros this year. Adding to the small film industry's woes is the indefinite delay of the long awaited new Lithuanian film law which would have guaranteed support for film production.

KARLOVY VARY: Jelka Stergel, director of the Slovenian Film Fund (SFF) and Eurimages representative for Slovenia, has won her battle against her dismissal from her post as director of the SFF by the Slovenian government.

KARLOVY VARY: The Hungarians make up the one of the largest national contingents in Karlovy Vary in 2009 with five films, -seven including coproductions,- screening in various official programmes and dozens of Hungarian directors, producers and actors attending the festival.

SLOVAKIA: The year 2009 is already being hailed as a major watershed for Slovakia's film industry with both the conversion to the Euro and the country's long awaited new film law combining to lay down the conditions for a major revival of the country's audiovisual sector.

Fest organizers accomplished the impossible in Adana, Turkey, putting on a seamlessly well organized international event under very difficult conditions this year.

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival and the accompanying Eurasia International Film Festival and Market have set their dates for this year's edition.

(See Who's Partying At.. for awards photos)

Romanian scriptwriter Ioan Antoci was awarded the prestigious ScripTeast Krzysztof Kieslowski Prize for his script The Japanese Day at a glamourous champagne beach party during the Cannes Film Festival.

Romanian cinema's New Wave may have surfaced much earlier but ever since Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the Palm d'Or in Cannes two years ago it has been on the map for most people.

The winners of the main competition were announced Sunday evening as one of the most controversial Cannes line-ups in many years drew to a close. With top European auteurs on view and an overdose of violence and sadism that made even Quentin Tarantino look tame compared to the fare offered up by Lars Von Trier and Michal Haneke it was not a year for the faint hearted.