Less than four weeks to the start of the festival and the members of the all in all eight juries of the 26th FilmFestival Cottbus are eager to get active. Today we present the International Festival Jury that will assess the entries in the Feature Film Competition and thus has the honour of awarding the festival´s show-piece, the glass award sculpture LUBINA.
Each award sculpture is unique, being created by hand by the Lusatian glass artist Beate Bolender. The LUBINA, a popular Sorbian girl's name which translates as "the charming one" will be awarded to the winners of the following four feature film category awards: Best Film, Best Director, Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Actor.
At the award ceremony on November 12, the winner of the Best Film will be taking home not only the LUBINA, but also considerable prize money of EUR 25,000, donated by the Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten (GWFF). In 2016, the following five notable film makers are spoilt for choice:
After 15 years of reporting for the rbb broadcasting staion, Elisabeth Herrmann has solely dedicated her professional activities to writing, with a particular focus on contemporary history. Her breakthrough came with the crime novel "Das Kindermädchen" (The Sitter), with her greatest success to date provided by "Zeugin der Toten" (The Cleaner), which was awarded both the Radio Bremen and the German Crime Fiction Award. Most of her scripts are adaptations of her novels, inclusive of the Vernau series for public television broadcaster ZDF.
The breakthrough of the Croatian actress Tihana Lazović came with the leading role in Dalibor Matanić’s ZVIZDAN/THE HIGH SUN, in which she embodied three different women, and for which she won Best Actress awards at Pula, Quebec, Priština and Cottbus. In 2016, she was awarded with a European Shooting Stars award, aimed at the promotion of young European acting talent. Two episodes of the serial NOVINE/THE PAPER are featured within the framework of this year’s Spectrum programme section.
Kate Molchanova launched her international film career with the leading role in Nana Djordjadze´s film MOYA RUSALKA, MOYA LORELEY/MY MERMAID, MY LORELEI (2013). The Ukrainian actress was awarded the `One To Watch´ Angela Award at the Subtitle European Film Festival in Ireland in 2015. This year's Spectrum programme section features her in the eponymic role of MOYA BABUSYA FANNI KAPLAN/MY GRANDMOTHER FANNY KAPLAN.
Polish-born Marek Rozenbaum has produced more than 50 feature films and international co-productions to date, including award-winning films of international renown. In his capacity as a board member of the European Film Academy and the Israel Film and Television Producers Association he is regarded as one of the most experienced film producers in Israel. A Marek Rozenbaum production: HA-MASHGICHIM/GOD’S NEIGHBORS, features at this year’s Specials programme section.
Mirjana Karanović has starred in numerous leading roles in Yugoslav films since her silver screen debut in 1980. The Serbian actress has won a number of awards at festivals and a nomination for the European Film Award in 2006 for her performance as Esma in GRBAVICA (Jasmila Žbanić, 2006). DOBRA ŽENA/A GOOD WIFE is Karanović’ directing debut and will be presented at the programme section Specials.