Festivalblog: Wednesday

The first full day of the 34th FilmFestival Cottbus has started. Here you can find all the news, information and updates about the festival.

The documentary film AURORA'S SUNRISE (DE/AM, 2022, 97 min) will provide insights into recent Armenian history at 1 pm in the Kammerbühne. The screening will be followed by a masterclass with director Inna Sahakyan at 3 pm, moderated by Bernd Buder. Sahakyan's moving documentary MEL (Inna Sahakyan, Paul Cohen AM, NL, 2023, 76 min) about an Armenian weightlifter who faces hostility after coming out as transgender in Armenia will be screened at 10.30 am in the Kammerbühne.

The Eco East section continues with the film LIFE AND DEATH OF A CHRISTMAS TREE (LT/GE/DK, 2023, 84 min), at 3 pm in the Gladhouse. The documentary shows the lives of underpaid workers in the Georgian Tlughi forest who harvest pine cones there.

The world premiere of HIGH SCHOOL THIEVES (RO, 2024, 120 min) is a coming-of-age comedy about school graduates in Romania who want to realise their dreams. The film will be screened in the Kammerbühne at 5 pm, followed by a film talk.

In the evening, there will be a live radioeins film talk with Knut Elstermann from 7 to 8 pm in the Stadthalle. And for networking and a party atmosphere, there's the 7Sachen networking evening at the Bunten Bahnhof from 7pm, followed by table tennis and techno!

Let's start with a few impressions of yesterday evening:

Christian Matthée as presenter at yesterday's festival opening in the Staatstheater.

The leading actress and screenwriter of the opening film MY LATE SUMMER, Anja Matković.

The management of the FFC with the former Minister President of Brandenburg Matthias Platzeck, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of the State of Brandenburg Prof. Dr. Jörg Steinbach and Mayor of Cottbus Marietta Tzschoppe.

 For information: The exhibition ‘Ukraine - Everyday Life in War’ can be found in the Stadthalle until the end of the festival. In keeping with this, Saturday is also ‘Ukrainian Day’, when more Ukrainian films will be shown. Special: All people with a Ukrainian identity document get free entry.

Also worth mentioning is the concert today by Paul Geigerzähler at Galerie Fango, starting at 8.00 pm. Be sure to drop by.

What's on the programme now?

Arrived at the second half of the day and we still have a tight film programme.

Stadthalle:

Are you interested in our country focus ‘Armenia’? Well, we still have ‘The Backstage’ for you at 7.00 pm. The last screening is ‘Scarborn’ in the ‘Midnight Madness’ section. Action-packed Wild West story in Tarantino style. We are excited.

Kammerbühne:

The festival day at the Kammerbühne is completed by the teenage gangster ballad "KILL THE CHILDREN FIRST ’ (8.00 pm), which offers a Tarantino-worthy final shootout. Tarantino? Yes again, Tarantino ...

Glad-House:

If you hurry, you can still catch the second screening from the Ecoeast section. "DRY SEASON ’ is set in idyllic Moravian Tuscany, which is plagued by drought in times of climate change. At 5.30 pm.

The film ‘ÁRNI’ can be seen afterwards at 8.30 pm . An outsider - inside and outside a circus. But he also wants to be in the limelight. Very interesting.

Obenkino:

‘THE FAMILY APPROACH’, showing at 6.30 pm. ‘You can't choose your parents.’ All about this question in the film.

The last film, ‘HER DRUNKEN DIARY’, starts at 9.00 pm. The Czech box office hit is a psychological drama that tells of the vicious circle of alcohol addiction and a way to break it.

My dear recipients: Make the most of the evening that has just begun!

This article will no longer be updated, this day.