{mosimage}STRASBOURG: Films from Romania, Hungary, Finland, Austria, and the Czech Republic are among the 18 European coproductions that have been selected for the latest round of Eurimages funding. Cristian Mungiu's new project Provizoriu was among the most hotly anticipated titles.

KARLOVY VARY: Films from Hungary, Poland and Romania are among the ten titles competing for the 2011 LUX Prize. The nominees were unveiled during the Karlovy Vary IFF (www.kviff.com).

Tangerines, an Estonian/Georgian coproduction directed by Zaza Urushadze, is in preproduction for a spring 2011 location shoot taking place primarily in Georgia with some additional filming days in Estonia. The film is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.

BRATISLAVA: Film Europe (www.filmeurope.eu), the Slovak-based media company with established distribution and sales divisions, has embarked on a major expansion that includes the recent opening of a London office and plans to open a Cannes office in early 2011, along with new TV and publication activities.

Estonia earned international acclaim for the 2009 documentary Estonian documentary Disco and Atomic War. FNE spoke wth the film's producer/co-director Kiur Aarma about the launch of his new production company, Traumfabrik, with four diverse projects in the works. One of those is The Gold Spinners, a sly look at the Soviet commercial industry based in an Estonian film studio, which was attracting attention at the East European Forum (www.dokweb.net) in Jihlava.

Prague-based Hungarian director Gyula Nemes is in preproduction with Zero, a mock-documentary stle "grotesque-anarchist drama" about the extinction of bees. The 1.8 million euro film is preparing for a mid-late 2011 shoot.

Romanian documentary The World According to Ion B. directed by Alexander Nanau is the sole contender from CEE competing for an International Emmy. The film is competing in the prestigious Arts Programming category. The award ceremony takes place in New York on 22 November 2010.

The Polish Film Institute, marking its fifth anniversary, has become a role model for film institutions across the region. This week FNE celebrates the accomplishments of the Polish Film Institute with a series of articles on the institute and a spotlight on Poland.

Mundane History, Anocha Suwichakornpong's biting critique of Thai society has won the Grand Prix (€20,000) of the NEW HORIZONS International Competition.

Central European filmmakers are the target of a regional film fund operating in northeastern Italy: the FVG Audiovisual Regional Fund headquartered in Udine, Italy. The fund operates in tandem with the Fruili Venezia Fiulia Film Commission (www.fvgfilmcommission.com), headquartered in Trieste.