05/07/2005

“Focus New Cinema from Hungary” will be the main theme of this year’s 15th edition of Film Festival Cottbus, Germany, November 8-12, the organizers of the event announced during the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, on July 4. At least 15 feature films, as well as selected short films and artistic media works from the Hungarian production of the last 16 years will be presented.

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“The retrospective will concentrate on two periods which mark a change in recent Hungarian filmmaking: debutants from the time of political and social changes between 1989 and 1991, some of who disappeared from the cinema scene shortly after and films by the most recent dynamic generation of directors from 2000 onwards. The latter will include early films by now familiar names such as Kornél Mundruczó, Gyorgi Palfi or Janós Szás and another look at András Mész Monory's Meteo, the main prize-winner of the 1st festival in 1991” explains Roland Rust, the Cottbus festival director and member of the jury of the “East of the West” in Karlovy Vary 2005.
According to Rust the Hungarian cinema of the last 15 years is fascinating because of the large number of directorial debuts with original artistic styles and unconventional stories. This phenomenon, which was also acknowledged in the European cinemas with films like Hukkle or Kontroll [+see also:
trailer
film profile] after their success in Cottbus, will be given a wider platform for the first time in this year's Focus.

The industry forum “Connecting Cottbus”, November 10-11, will also have a Hungarian taste as the new pioneering film law for foreign investors and co-producers' additional financial incentives passed in Hungary late last year is of particular relevance in this context. The Focus takes place in cooperation with Magyar Filmunió and the specialist for Hungarian cinema Karin Fritzsche and is being supported by the Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb).
Ever since its inception Cottbus has been associated with offering a taste of the cinematography of 27 countries of the so-called former communist block countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union while its focus is always one of the said countries in transition. Last year’s festival turned an eye on Czech Republic, with EU members in waiting Bulgaria and Romanian cinema taking the relay for the festival’s 16th edition next year.