BUDAPEST: Renowned Hungarian film director and producer László Vitézy died at the age of 83. He had received the Grand Prize of the Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival for Peacetime / Békeidö (1980).

BERLIN: The online market for short films T-Port has announced that the lauded film curator and distribution expert Nikolaj Nikitin is joining their team as Head of Finance & Operations.

WARSAW: In a significant move, the Polish Filmmakers Association (SFP) has reported a suspected crime related to Mateusz Morawiecki's government's failure to adopt the EU directive on internet royalties. This makes Poland the last EU country yet to implement the copyright directive, impacting filmmakers and their rightful remuneration.

Berlin, February 1, 2024: T-Port - the online market for short films is pleased to announce that the lauded film curator and distribution expert Nikolaj Nikitin is joining their team as  Head of Finance & Operations. Meanwhile, after six years as Managing Director, Co-Founder Niv Fux is stepping down to focus on his role as Festival Director of Leiden Shorts and on curatorial work.

JOIN US FOR A DIVE IN THE ONLINE MARKET! The post-pandemic economy and consumption patterns are still challenging for independent films and finding a profitable balance, especially online, is not an easy win. This panel considers the complex subtleties of the VOD market which varies enormously from one market to another, and the subsequent need to develop a better understanding of the current state of play of online distribution.

PODGORICA: The halls of cultural centres in Podgorica (KIC "Budo Tomović"), Tuzi (Malesia Culture Center), Danilovgrad (Culture Center Danilovgrad) and the first summer scene in Montenegro within the Bar Cultural Center will be digitalised by the Film Centre of Montenegro together with the Ministry of Culture and Media of Montenegro and local authorities.

BUDAPEST: The National Film Institute-Hungary (NFI) plans to organise a series of 10 free film clubs in 180 rural communities by the summer of 2024 under the programme Moziklub – National Film Club Network, launched in cooperation with the Hungarian Institute for Culture.

TRIESTE: The Ukrainian/German/Polish/Slovak coproduction Stepne directed by Maryna Vroda received the Trieste Prize for Best Feature Film at the 35th edition of the Trieste Film Festival, which took place 19 – 27 January 2024.

TBILISI: FNE spoke to Salome Alexi-Meskhishvili, president of the Georgian Film Institute (GFI) and David Vashadze, executive director, about the general goals and activities of the organisation, which has recently been established in Georgia.