The FilmFestival Cottbus was first held in 1991 in the immediate post-reunification era and is regarded as one of the most important festivals of East European Cinema worldwide. The host city of Cottbus is located 120 km southeast of Berlin and is a gateway to the east, only a few miles away from the border to Poland in the bilingual (German/Sorbian) Lusatian region in the state of Brandenburg.
Four competitions and further national and thematic programme sections offer the audience the unique opportunity to see productions from Eastern and Central Europe, which often have their world, international or German premiere in Cottbus. A total of seventeen prizes will be awarded at the FilmFestival Cottbus with a total value of more than 75,000 euros.
An international jury awards the Main Prize for Best Film, the Special Prize for Best director as well as the Awards for Outstanding Actress and Actor. In addition to the prize money, the award winners receive the prize sculpture LUBINA (Sorbian: the Lovely).
During the FilmFestival Cottbus the East-West co-production market “connecting cottbus” takes place, bringing together filmmakers, producers and potential financiers. It even pushes some projects from the first idea to the actual film.
The festival is firmly established in the city and region as the largest international cultural event. Last year, 22,000 visitors – one in five Cottbus citizens – did not miss the opportunity to get a representative overview of current film production of the Central and Eastern European region with a festival programme with more than 200 films from 45 countries.