Guests, generations and stories

In only three days, a cosmopolitan attitude and hospitality will blend once again with an informal festival atmosphere when the film industry’s ‘Who is Who’ meet with friends of Central and Eastern European cinema.

The grand opening will be presented by actor and director Axel Ranisch; notable guests include the Honorary Festival President and Academy Award winner István Szabó as well as numerous representatives from the worlds of media, politics and society. The actor Urs Rechn (roles include a part in SAUL FIA/SON OF SAUL, Academy Award 2016 for Best Foreign Language Film) is a member of the jury in the Short Feature Competition and will furthermore provide his skills as a DJ at the opening party at the FESTIVALClub Scandale.

The FilmFestival Cottbus will welcome guests not only from across various industries and many different countries, but also from different generations: the age difference between the youngest and the eldest active festival attendant is a whopping 74 years. Olivia Nike Frenzel (age 16) from Cottbus is a member of the German-Polish-Czech jury of pupils in the U 18 Youth Film Competition. Abraham Ascher, a historian and one of the protagonists in the documentary film WIR SIND JUDEN AUS BRESLAU/WE ARE JEWS FROM BRESLAU, was born in Wrocław/Breslau in 1926. The FilmFestival Cottbus brings them together – a symbol for connecting the generations and guests from all around the globe, with all their stories and films.

These amount to a total of almost 200 films, many of which have travelled a long way by courier service. They hail not only from Poland, Russia, the Baltic States and Hungary, but also from Australia, the United States, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Argentina, Turkey and South Korea. 

Be our guests - we invite you to over 145 hours of cinematic stories at the 26th FilmFestival Cottbus!