Since 2012, the FFC has been cooperating with the Kozzi Film and Theatre Festival in the Lubuskie region in Western Poland.
Founded in Kargowa, the birthplace of crime film actor Maciej ‘Kozzi’ Kozłowski, it has been held in Cottbus' Polish twin city Zielona Góra since 2015.
This year, it also returned to Kargowa. In addition to current Polish films and tributes to the actors Jan Nowicki, Marek Hłasko and Kozłowski, a selection of US films curated by the American Film Festival in Wrocław was also screened. The ‘Cinema on the Border’ series presented, in co-operation with the FilmFestival Cottbus, four current German films, from Oscar nominee THE TEACHER'S ROOM to the current Wim Wenders cult film PERFECT DAYS.
The competition jury awarded five prizes. Eleven current Polish films ranging from arthouse to action films had been nominated. Sławomir Fabicki's ANXIETY, which was made in 2023 with the support of the German-Polish Film Fund, won Best Film. The psychologically sophisticated drama shows the final journey of two sisters together, the older of whom is suffering from cancer and seeks euthanasia in Switzerland. A prize of the Youth Jury and the Audience Award completed the awards list.
The jury consisted of Andrzej Buck (Artistic Director of the organising Norwid City and Regional Library), Beata Dzianowicz (director), Radosław Domke (historian at the University of Zielona Góra), Lech Dyblik (actor), Andrzej Draguła (theologian), Łukasz Maciejewski (film critic) and Bernd Buder (FFC Programme Director).
Buder on the long-standing cooperation: „I am very pleased to have been working with our partners in Zielona Góra for so long. It's a small festival that gives you time and space to really discover the films shown here and also the region, which makes you feel quite at home in the Polish wine town. The festival provides a good overview of current Polish film production and very good opportunities for networking.“
