Dear filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts,

As the director of EnergaCAMERIMAGE International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, I would like to make an unusual appeal to you. We seek your advice based on your professional know-how and expertise. As you might already know, we received funding in the amount of approximately 160 million USD for the construction of the European Film Center CAMERIMAGE. We intend to design one of the screening rooms in the venue based on “ the screening technologies of the future”. For a long time, we have considered the need to embrace the IMAX format as part of our festival. I would like to hear your opinion on this matter. Should we build an IMAX cinema in our center, or would you rather see other cutting-edge cinema projection technologies that would take the quality of our audience experience to the next level? If so, what are those technologies? What solutions should we look for?

We want to predict and embrace the future of cinematic image projection based on both reliable and innovative technologies. We have to start designing the building at the beginning of the new year, that is why I am asking you to share your thoughts and comments with us now. We plan to have the main screening room for our Main Competition and four screening rooms dedicated to other competitive sections and special screenings. The building itself will also feature a large foyer, a 2000 m2 market area, education center, a 700 m2 motion picture studio and a museum of film and design.

The only unknown for us now is whether we need an IMAX cinema or should we rather seek other screening technologies of the future. If so, what are those? If you have any ideas, please share your recommendations of manufacturers or users of such technologies, with whom we would then get in touch to discuss this ambitious project of ours. Let’s build our cinematic future together!

Please send your comments and suggestions to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you so much for your support in this matter.

Marek Żydowicz
EnergaCAMERIMAGE festival director

AnimatekaPRO is the Animateka festival platform for animation professionals and students. It was conceived as a place where one can learn about the latest trends, be updated on the latest developments, and meet exciting film professionals while exploring the fantastic world of animated film!

Even though the festival is moving online this year, we will preserve our traditional breakfasts with filmmakers, or, rather, replace them with evenings with filmmakers. For the fourth consecutive year, the AnimatekaPRO Pitch competition for projects in development will give an insight into the state of animation in ex-Yugoslav countries.

We will also present local projects in development and, with the help of HAVC (Croatian Audiovisual Centre), we have Croatia Visiting. Don’t miss your chance to discover the vibrant Croatian animation scene (funding possibilities, producers’ insights and other opportunities for connecting with the Croatian animation industry).

We are excited to be launching a new collaboration project, CEE Animation Experience @AnimatekaPRO. The programme we curated together with CEE Animation Experience consist of presentations of two animated feature films with live Q&As. This is followed by a keynote and case studies from the field of hybrid animation. Throughout this day, a special emphasis will be given to the development of projects in the programme.

The last day of AnimatekaPRO will be dedicated to VR in animation, to see why and how artists use VR tools in their creative processes.

All AnimatekaPRO content is available free of charge subject to free registration on the festival platform.

You can see the schedule here.

We are looking forward to your company!

Czech branch of HBO Europe grants again a financial award at MIDPOINT TV Launch 2020, held online within the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event of the Tallinn Black Nights FF.

After six months of training, the TV Launch program peaked with the Season Finale pitching presentation held on Thursday, November 26, 2020. Nine series projects in development coming from Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Serbia and Ukraine were presented online to a pool of industry professionals.

BRNO/PRAGUE/Czech Republic – Fans of films about the environment will be able to watch most of the competition films of the 46th edition of the EKOFILM festival online. They will find them from December 4th to December 7th on the website www.ekofilm.cz thanks to the support of the internet TV service MALL.TV. After intensive negotiations, the organizers of EKOFILM have been able to secure all necessary licenses for the majority of the competition films. The film festival will thus take place, although the state of emergency that was prolonged until December 12th suspended all public film screenings. The already postponed film screenings should have happened this Friday and Saturday, November 27th and 28th, in Brno, but cinemas have to remain closed.

On November 26, Industry @ Tallinn & Baltic Event rewarded the best projects after an exciting week full of online presentations, networking, panel discussions and meetings attracting more than 850 guests from all around the globe. 

Ten Awards were given out to projects in different stages of scriptwriting, development or post-production, two Awards went to promising producers 

Czech branch of HBO Europe grants again a financial award at MIDPOINT TV Launch 2020, held  online within the Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event of the Tallinn Black Nights FF.  

After six months of training, the TV Launch program peaked with the Season Finale pitching  presentation held on Thursday, November 26, 2020. Nine series projects in development coming  from Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Serbia and Ukraine were presented  online to a pool of industry professionals. 

As the Federal Government and the German States extended the measures aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic on November 25th, 2020 and cinemas will also remain closed, therefore, the film screenings of the 30th FilmFestival Cottbus planned between the December 8th to 13th, 2020 in the cinemas cannot take place. Nevertheless, from December 8th to 31st, 2020, 150 films will be available as a nationwide streaming offer on the festival website.

The competition section of goEast - Festival of Central and Eastern European Film,  

consisting of 16 was supposed to take place from May 5-10 2020, was postponed to  November due to Corona. Thanks to the commitment of the festival team and the support  of sponsors and funders, the 20th edition of goEast was able to take place beyond the  actual festival period. The presentation of opening film SERVANTS / SLUŽOBNÍCI (Director:  Ivan Ostrochovský) was also postponed to November. As a sign of solidarity, the 33rd  exground filmfest had adopted the section in its entirety. However, due to continuing travel  restrictions and event bans, the films could only be shown online, accompanied by pre recorded film talks with the filmmakers. The audience was able to vote online for their  favourite film. 

Antoneta Kastrati won the goEast Audience Award with her film ZANA (Kosovo, Albania  2019). In this personal film, the filmmaker links traumas of the Kosovo war to the intimate  story of her protagonist. In a visually convincing way, Antoneta Kastrati succeeds in making  a film about the impact of history on contemporary Kosovo as well as the story of her protagonist's emancipation, an Impressive role by Adriana Matoshi.  

Axel Imholz, head of the cultural department of the state capital of Wiesbaden, accepted  the prize on behalf of the city and expressed his thanks to the teams of both festivals: "It is  wonderful to see that the amazing festivals in our city do not see each other as competitors but as partners in the effort to create a great and special cinema culture in Wiesbaden. I  would like to thank everyone involved for this team spirit".  

The trophy, the Silver Lily, was designed by artist Joachim Harbut. The goEast Audience  Award, which is being presented for the first time, is endowed with a cash prize of 1,500  euros. 

Head of Festival Heleen Gerritsen is delighted about the opportunity to award the prize in  this special anniversary year: "In May we divided all goEast prizes between the competition  participants in a spirit of solidarity - the main prizes were thus only awarded symbolically.  An exception was the audience award, which was financed through crowdfunding. I had  very much hoped to be able to present the prize in person at exground, but this year, with  no cinema, no parties and no guests, we are nevertheless happy about any support we can  give to filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe, some of whom are having to fight the  pandemic harder than we here". 

The Audience Award was made possible through a successful crowdfunding campaign,  which was awarded by "kulturMut", the joint crowdfunding platform of the Aventis  

Foundation and Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain. 

Should it be possible by then, exground filmfest plans to present their programme in  Wiesbaden's cinemas between 11 and 20 December 2020, including the goEast competition. 

The main jury awards were already awarded online during the goEast festival week in May,  with the prize money being divided equally among the filmmakers in the competing sections. 

The 21st edition of goEast - Festival of Central and Eastern European Film will take place  from 20 to 26 April 2021. 

An overview of prize-winners of the 20st goEast - Festival of Central and Eastern  European Film: 

Golden Lily for Best Film 

ROUNDS / V KRAG, Bulgaria, Serbia,France, 2019, directed by Stephan Komandarev 

Award of the City of Wiesbaden for Best Director 

NOVA LITUANIA, Lithuania, 2019, directed by Karolis Kaupinis 

Award of the Federal Foreign Office for Cultural Diversity 

IMMORTAL / SUREMATU, Estonia, Lithuania, 2019, directed by Ksenia Okhapkina

Honourable Mention 

IVANA THE TERRIBLE / IVANA CEA GROAZNICĂ, Romania, Serbia 2019, directed by  Ivana Mladenović 

International Film Critic's Award – FIPRESCI (fiction feature) 

ROUNDS / V KRAG, Bulgaria, Serbia, France 2019, directed by Stephan Komandarev 

International Film Critic's Award – FIPRESCI (documentary film) 

STATE FUNERAL / PROSHANIE SO STALINYM, Netherlands, Lithuania, 2019, directed by  Sergei Loznitsa 

Open Frame Award 

WHISPERS, Poland, 2019, directed by Jacek Nagłowski, Patryk Jordanowicz 

Open Frame Award – Honourable Mention 

BABYN JAR, VIRTUAL MEMORY, Ukraine, 2020, directed by Alona Stulii 

RheinMain Short Film Award 

IN BETWEEN / NË MES, Kosovo, 2019, directed by Samir Karahoda 

RheinMain Short Film Award – Honourable Mention 

VIRAGO, Estonia, 2019, directed by Kerli Kirch Schneider 

Renovabis Research Grant for documentary film projects with a human rights focus 

HOME IS WHERE THE FILMS ARE, Kosovo, directed by More Raça 

goEast Development Award 

SHUT THE FUCK UP!, Ukraine, directed by Taisiia Kutuzova  

You can find photo materials in our download section: 

www.filmfestival-goeast.de/de/presse/downloads.php

goEast – Festival of Central and Eastern European Film is hosted by DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut &  Filmmuseum and made possible with the support of numerous partners. Primary funding partners are  the State Capital Wiesbaden, the Hessen State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts,  Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, Renovabis, BHF BANK Foundation, Adolf und Luisa Haeuser-Stiftung  für Kunst und Kulturpflege, the German Federal Foreign Ministry, the Federal Foundation for the Study  of Communist Dictatorship in East Germany and Deutsch-Tschechische Zukunftsfonds. Media partners  include 3sat, Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.