The 22^nd 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 [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Svetla Tsotsorkova
scheda film]), who also received the Special Pitch Award at FilmFestival Cottbus 2019; Gjorche Stavreski (Secret Ingredient [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Blagoj Veselinov
intervista: Gjorce Stavreski
scheda film]); Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Roman Bondarchuk
scheda film]); and Robert Budina (A Shelter Among Clouds [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Robert Budina
scheda film]). 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).

(L'articolo continua qui sotto - Inf. pubblicitaria)

The cocoWIP selection welcomes back two coco alumni projects by first-time filmmakers: Sister [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Dina Duma, Antonia Belazel…
scheda film] by Macedonian director Dina Duma and Stop-Zemlya [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Kateryna Gornostai
scheda film] 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ivan Ostrochovský
scheda film] by Ivan Ostrochovský (Berlinale Encounters) and Conference [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ivan I. Tverdovsky
scheda film] by Ivan Tverdovskiy (Venice Days), and there are premieres set to take place imminently for I Never Cry [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Piotr Domalewski
scheda film] by Piotr Domalewski, in San Sebastián’s New Directors, and for The Campaign [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Marian Crişan
scheda film] by Marian Crișan, in Moscow in October.

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

cocoPITCH

Only When I Laugh [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] – Vanja Juranić (Croatia)
Producer: Damir Terešak (Maxima film)

The Editorial Office [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Roman Bondarchuk
scheda film] – Roman Bondarchuk (Ukraine)
Producers: Darya Bassel (Moon Man), Darya Averchenko (South Films)

Flood – Martin Gonda (Slovakia)
Producers: Katarína Krnáčová, Tomáš Gič (Silverart)

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

Honey Bunny – Igor Jelinović (Croatia)
Producer: Rea Rajčić (Eclectica)

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

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

Parade [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Titas Laucius
scheda film] – Titas Laucius (Lithuania)
Producer: Klementina Remeikaite (afterschool production)

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

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

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

Waterdrop – Robert Budina (Albania)
Producer: Sabina Kodra (Erafilm)

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

cocoWIP

Eviction – Máté Fazekas (Hungary)
Producers: Gábor Osváth (Filmfabriq), Péter Fülöp (FP Films)

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

Sister [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Dina Duma, Antonia Belazel…
scheda film] – 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 Me – Tamara Dondurey (Russia)
Producer: Katia Filippova (Pan-Atlantic Studio)

Stop-Zemlia [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Kateryna Gornostai
scheda film] – Kateryna Gornostai (Ukraine)
Producers: Vitaliy Sheremetiev, Vika Khomenko, Natalia Libet, Olha Beskhmelnytsina (Esse Production House)

Supermarket – Nemanja 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.