09/11/2013 - The 23rd edition of the festival focused on Germany and Eastern Europe rewarded The geographer drank his globe away and The Major, two Russian films. Run, Boy, Run won the Prize of the Public

There were only two Russian films amongst the 11 titles competing at the 2013 edition of the Cottbus Festival and they left with the most important awards: the Lubina for Best Film for The geographer drank his globe away by Aleksandr Veledinsky and the Lubina for Best Director for Yury Bykov and his excellent The Major.

Already noticed during the presentation of the film in Karlory Vary, the amateur actress Michaela Bendulová won the Best Actress Award for her powerful performance in Miracle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Juraj Lehotský. As for men, Emir Hadžihafizbegović was honoured by the jury with the Best Actor Award for his role as a father in Chefurs Raus!, a coproduction between Slovenia and Croatia directed by Goran Vojnović.

The parallel competition named U18, which brought together 6 German or Polish children’s films, rewarded German production The Dam by Thomas Sieben.

The student jury gave its prize for Best First Film to The Girl From The Wardrobe [+see also:
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interview: Bodo Kox
film profile] by Polish director Bodo Kox.

The Prize of the Public went to Run, Boy, Run [+see also:
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making of
film profile] by Pepe Danquart, a coproduction between Germany and France, while the FIPRESCI jury decided to reward a coproduction between Romania and Moldavia: The Unsaved [+see also:
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film profile], the first film by Igor Cobileanski.

This 23^rd edition of the festival reached records in terms of attendance with close to 20,300 spectators over the 5 days of screenings. The festival presented 150 films from 38 countries.  

For the complete winners’ list, check out the website of the Cottbus Film Festival.

(Translated from French)