COTTBUS: FNE spoke with FilmFestival Cottbus’ Programme Director Bernd Buder and Programmer Joshua Jádi about AI, emerging filmmaking trends, the future of arthouse cinema and the international prospects of Central and Eastern European films as the 36th FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) came to an end on 8 November 2026.

COTTBUS: Vikki Bardot’s AI-driven feature film A Woman Asleep premiered internationally in the Main Competition of the 36th FilmFestival Cottbus (3 – 8 November 2026), bringing the debate around artificial intelligence as an artistic medium in filmmaking to the festival.

COTTBUS: The 36th edition of FilmFestival Cottbus (FFC) announced its awards with Florin Șerban’s You Don’t Belong Here receiving the Main Prize for Best Film. The Romanian drama follows a single father struggling to reconnect with his teenage son as he faces increasingly difficult moral decisions. The award is worth 15,000 EUR and sponsored by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

COTTBUS: The second part of FNE’s coverage of the 28th connecting cottbus cocoPITCH showcases projects exploring female identity, social expectations, family ties and political change. From the magical realism of Polish Teresa and Wild Gooseberry to the coming-of-age punk story Tongues and Armenian comedy drama Virgin Mary, the selection brings together distinctive voices and bold perspectives.

COTTBUS: Part One of FNE’s coverage of the 28^th connecting cottbus cocoPITCH presents projects exploring identity, historical trauma and family ties, from Turkish psychological drama to Kazakhstani supernatural stories and Ukrainian wartime narratives.

COTTBUS: The 28th edition of coco - connecting cottbus, the East-West coproduction market at FilmFestival Cottbus, announced the winners of its cocoPITCH and cocoWIP awards during its closing ceremony. The prizes were selected from 13 cocoPITCH projects in development and six cocoWIP projects.

GDYNIA: Through the Wall by Maciej Sobieszczański won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 51st Polish Film Festival (PFF) in Gdynia, which closed on 26 September 2026 at the Musical Theatre in Gdynia.

BERLIN: Wajda School New Talents | Berlin brought six projects in development together with international film industry professionals on 11 September 2026, creating a focused space for filmmakers and potential partners to discuss projects at an early stage of their international journey.

GDYNIA: The Main Competition of the 51st Polish Film Festival in Gdynia (21 – 26 September 2026) features 16 films, including new works by Academy Award winner Paweł Pawlikowski, Jan Komasa, Agnieszka Smoczyńska, Kasia Adamik, Piotr Domalewski, Janusz Zaorski, and Łukasz Palkowski, alongside films by emerging directors.

COTTBUS: The 27th edition of connecting cottbus (coco) revealed this year’s winners in its cocoPITCH and cocoWIP sections.