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COTTBUS 2020 Connecting Cottbus

connecting cottbus goes online and announces its line-up

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- The 22nd edition of the co-production market is inviting 13 projects in development and six works in progress from Eastern Europe

connecting cottbus goes online and announces its line-up
Director Roman Bondarchuk, who has been selected for cocoPITCH with The Editorial Office

The 22nd edition of the connecting cottbus co-production market once again confirms that creativity continues to blossom in the Eastern European film industry. Taking place online from 4-6 November, during FilmFestival Cottbus, the East-West co-production market has selected 13 new projects in development and six works in progress, hailing from 13 countries in Eastern Europe.

Among the projects selected for cocoPITCH, which are mostly by first-time directors, are the upcoming works by Svetla Tsotsorkova (Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Svetla Tsotsorkova
film profile
]
), who also received the Special Pitch Award at FilmFestival Cottbus 2019; Gjorche Stavreski (Secret Ingredient [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Blagoj Veselinov
interview: Gjorce Stavreski
film profile
]
); Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roman Bondarchuk
film profile
]
); and Robert Budina (A Shelter Among Clouds [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Budina
film profile
]
). Furthermore, two projects were selected at coco’s partner events, and they are the debut features by Romanian filmmaker Paul Cioran, the winner of the Transilvania Pitch Stop - coco Award in August (see the news), and Ukrainian writer-director Yelizaveta Smith, who won the MIDPOINT - coco Award (MIDPOINT Feature Launch) at Karlovy Vary Eastern Promises 2020 (see the news).

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The cocoWIP selection welcomes back two coco alumni projects by first-time filmmakers: Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dina Duma, Antonia Belazelk…
film profile
]
by Macedonian director Dina Duma and Stop-Zemlya [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kateryna Gornostai
film profile
]
by Ukraine’s Kateryna Gornostai. Also, Russian filmmaker Maria Ignatenko’s sophomore feature, Fire!, is included, after her debut, In Deep Sleep, premiered in this year’s Berlinale Forum, and Montenegro’s Nemanja Bečanović (The Ascent) is also presenting her sophomore feature, Supermarket.

All of the projects are competing for various awards, and in the cocoLAB, the participating producers and directors will receive in-depth feedback from industry experts, who will join in with proceedings online. A handful of coco alumni projects were also released this year, including Servants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Ostrochovský
film profile
]
by Ivan Ostrochovský (Berlinale Encounters) and Conference [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan I Tverdovsky
film profile
]
by Ivan Tverdovskiy (Venice Days), and there are premieres set to take place imminently for I Never Cry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Piotr Domalewski
film profile
]
by Piotr Domalewski, in San Sebastián’s New Directors, and for The Campaign [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marian Crişan
film profile
]
by Marian Crișan, in Moscow in October.

Here is the full list of projects participating in the 22nd connecting cottbus:

cocoPITCH

Only When I Laugh [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
 – Vanja Juranić (Croatia)
Producer: Damir Terešak (Maxima film)

The Editorial Office [+see also:
film review
interview: Roman Bondarchuk
film profile
]
Roman Bondarchuk (Ukraine)
Producers: Darya Bassel (Moon Man), Darya Averchenko (South Films)

FloodMartin Gonda (Slovakia)
Producers: Katarína Krnáčová, Tomáš Gič (Silverart)

Fortune TellerSvetla Tsotsorkova (Bulgaria) (FilmFestival Cottbus’ Special Pitch Award)
Producer: Svetoslav Ovcharov (Omega Films)

Honey BunnyIgor Jelinović (Croatia)
Producer: Rea Rajčić (Eclectica)

Kiril’s LuckMilena Andonova (Bulgaria)
Producers: Katya Trichkova, Rali Ralchev (Contrast Films)

Norwegian DreamLeiv Igor Devold (Norway/Poland)
Producers: Håvard Wettland Gossé (Spætt Film), Bartek Glinski (Impakt Film)

Parade [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Titas Laucius
film profile
]
Titas Laucius (Lithuania)
Producer: Klementina Remeikaite (afterschool production)

Sep & AnaPaul Cioran (Romania) (Transilvania Pitch Stop - coco Award recipient)
Producer: Claudiu Mitcu (We are Basca)

SwapsGjorche Stavreski (North Macedonia)
Producers: Gjorche Stavreski, Ivana Shekutovska (Fragment Film)

VacuumYelizaveta Smith (Ukraine) (MIDPOINT – coco Award winner)
Producer: Aleksandra Kostina (Bosonfilm)

WaterdropRobert Budina (Albania)
Producer: Sabina Kodra (Erafilm)

When You Are 17Giorgi Mukhadze (Georgia)
Producer: Nato Sikharulidze (Terra Incognita Films)

cocoWIP

EvictionMáté Fazekas (Hungary)
Producers: Gábor Osváth (Filmfabriq), Péter Fülöp (FP Films)

Fire!Maria Ignatenko (Russia)
Producers: Egor Odintsov, Konstantin Fam, Ekaterina Mikhailova (Ark Pictures)

Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dina Duma, Antonia Belazelk…
film profile
]
Dina Duma (North Macedonia/Kosovo/Montenegro/France)
Producers: Marija Dimitrova (List Production), Liridon Cahan (Added Value Films), Biljana Vušović (Videa Production), Guillaume De Seille (Arizona Productions)

Stand by MeTamara Dondurey (Russia)
Producer: Katia Filippova (Pan-Atlantic Studio)

Stop-Zemlia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kateryna Gornostai
film profile
]
Kateryna Gornostai (Ukraine)
Producers: Vitaliy Sheremetiev, Vika Khomenko, Natalia Libet, Olha Beskhmelnytsina (Esse Production House)

SupermarketNemanja Bečanović (Montenegro/Serbia)
Producers: Milena Charan (VHS), Jelena Angelovski (Tri Osmine)

Producers, sales agents, commissioning editors and other industry representatives active in the field of East-West European co-production can apply to attend without a project by 7 October 2020. connecting cottbus is supported by the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Creative Europe - MEDIA, MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and Land Brandenburg.

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