The Rotary Club Cottbus and the FilmFestival Cottbus have agreed to extend their partnership in preparation for the 35th festival year. The Rotary Club will thus continue to sponsor the DIALOG Prize for Understanding between Cultures at the FFC for the next three years and has increased the prize money by EUR 500 to EUR 2,000 as part of the extension of its commitment.
Gerrit Fester, President of the Rotary Club Cottbus 2024/25, comments on the Rotarians' motivation: “As a Rotarian community, we are committed to promoting understanding between people and the Cottbus Film Festival has been doing just that for years. It creates an understanding of Eastern Europe, its history and current challenges. It is one of the most important cultural events in the region. It is therefore important for the Rotary Club of Cottbus to continue sponsoring the Dialogue Award for Understanding between Cultures for the next three years and to support filmmakers and their messages.”
“We are very happy about the partnership with the Rotary Club Cottbus and the extension that has now been granted, which emphasizes the importance of our FilmFestival Cottbus in and for Cottbus and the whole of Lusatia,” says Managing Director Andreas Stein. “On the other hand, it is also the result and reward of our many years of good work, starting with an attractive annual overview of current filmmaking in Central and Eastern Europe, through various educational programs for children, young people and adults, to the deep integration and rooting of the FFC in regional society, business and politics. It only works together! That's what the individual members of the Rotary Club Cottbus stand for, that's what the FFC stands for and, of course, that's what the DIALOG Award for understanding between cultures stands for.”