NICOSIA: Cypriot production house AMP Filmworks had a big break-through when its feature film Smuggling Hendrix directed by the company’s founder Marios Piperides had its world premiere and won the Best International Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival and was picked up by German sales agent The Match Factory. Now the 14-year-old company is developing a slate of four feature films to keep the momentum going.

PRAGUE: The Czech production company Bionaut is collaborating with partners to set up companies in Poland and Slovakia to work on coproductions.

VILNIUS: Moonmakers producer/director Giedre Zickyte, who participated in Emerging Producers at the recent Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, is completing her film The Jump, a Lithuanian/Latvian/French/US coproduction, at the end of December 2018. She is also producing a second film, the Lithuanian/Estonian coproduction Gentle Warriors directed by Marija Stonyte, which has moved into post-production for completion at the end of 2019.

COTTBUS: The differences in marketing films from CEE territories versus Western Europe have largely disappeared.

COTTBUS: Producers Anamaria Antoci and Ana-Maria Voicu of Tangaj Production and Papillon Film pitched the Romanian project Men of Deeds directed by Nicolae Constantin Tanase at the 20th edition of Connecting Cottbus, which took place 8-9 November 2018. The project won the Best Pitch award at Connecting Cottbus.

COTTBUS: Producer Marija Razgute of M-Films and director Andrius Blazevicius presented their second feature film together Paralysis, one of two Lithuanian films selected for the 20th edition of Connecting Cottbus, which took place 8-9 November 2018.

COTTBUS: The Russian/German/Polish/Kazakh/Chinese coproduction Ayka directed by Sergei Dvortsevoy won the main prize for best film at the 28th Cottbus Film Festival, which concluded on 11 November 2018. The award carries a prize of 25,000 EUR.

COTTBUS: Producer Michal Kracmer of Analog Vision and director Piaayu Xie presented the Czech/Slovak project The Ugly Mandarine at the 20th edition of Connecting Cottbus, which took place 8-9 November 2018.

COTTBUS: Cyprus makes a rare appearance at the 20th edition of Connecting Cottbus, taking place 8-9 November 2018, with producer Janine Teerling of AMP Filmworks and director Petros Charalambous pitching the project Patchwork.

COTTBUS: The Best Pitch Award of the 20th edition of the East-West coproduction market Connecting Cottbus (8 and 9 November 2018) went to the Romanian project October from director Cristian Pascariu and producer Oana Giurgiu of Libra Film Production. The award, voted on by the market participants, carries a cash prize of 1,500 EUR and accreditation to the Producers Network at the Cannes 2019 film market.