The connecting cottbus East-West co-production market (coco) has announced the award winners of its 23^rd edition, which takes place from 2-5 November. The Best Pitch Award, intended for the best pitch presentation of a project in development, and voted for by all of the industry participants, went to Poland’s She: the story of an invisible woman who starts taking increasingly radical steps to be seen. The project was presented by director Agnieszka Zwiefka and producer Izabela Igel, of Harine Films, who received a cash prize of €1,500 as well as the Producers Network Award, a free accreditation for the Producers Network at the Cannes Marché du Film in 2022.

The cocoPITCH jury, comprising Daniela Adomat (MDR – Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk), Anamaria Antoci (Tangaj Production) and Marie-Pierre Vallé (Wild Bunch), deliberated on two awards, including the Avanpost Pitch Packaging Award, given to the period drama Ortalan by Nariman Aliev and producer Anna Sobolevska (ForeFilms) from

Ukraine. It was noticed for “daring to tell an untold part of history, making us reflect on contemporary dramatic events”. Romanian post-production outfit Avanpost will provide the project with in-kind services worth up to €15,000, which may include strategy consulting, the project look-book and production/post-production for a proof of concept.

The Croatian Audiovisual Centre gave out the HAVC Project Development Award, a €5,000 cash prize that goes towards the further development of one project. It went to Virgins by Dora Šustić and producer Maja Pek-Brünjes (Antitalent) from Croatia, while the MIDPOINT Consulting Award went to three cocoPITCH projects, each receiving in-depth script consultancy during two online sessions: the aforementioned She, The Ways We Look at the Sun from Romania (directed by Ioana Țurcan, and produced by Ana Maria Pîrvan/Studioset Production and Anchor Films) and, finally, The White Mare from Slovakia (directed by Teodor Kuhn and produced by Miroslav Gerbel/Filmaari).

Sponsored by German post-production studio D-Facto Motion, the D-Facto Motion WIP Award of €35,000 in in-kind services, plus €5,000 for additional expenses, went to the work in progress The Word [+lee también:
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tráiler
entrevista: Beata Parkanová
ficha de la película] (Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia). The historical drama about a couple whose life is turned upside down with the invasion of the Soviet Army in 1968 was presented by director Beata Parkanová and one of the producers, Přemysl Martinek (love.FRAME). The project was selected by an expert jury consisting of Paolo Bertolin (Venice Film Festival), Daniela Cölle (Pluto Film) as well as Waheed Zamani and Robert Wunsch, of D-Facto Motion.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Best Pitch Award
She - Agnieszka Zwiefka (Poland)
Producers: Izabela Igel, Harine Films

Producers Network Award
She - Agnieszka Zwiefka
Producers: Izabela Igel, Harine Films

Avanpost Pitch Packaging Award
Ortalan - Nariman Aliev (Ukraine)
Producers: Anna Sobolevska, ForeFilms

HAVC Project Development Award
Virgins - Dora Šustić (Croatia)
Producers: Maja Pek-Brünjes, Antitalent

MIDPOINT Consulting Award
She - Agnieszka Zwiefka
Producers: Izabela Igel, Harine Films

The Ways We Look at the Sun - Ioana Țurcan (Romania)
Producers: Ana Maria Pîrvan, Studioset Production, Anchor Films

The White Mare - Teodor Kuhn (Slovakia)
Producers: Miroslav Gerbel, Filmaari

D-Facto Motion WIP Award
The Word [+lee también:
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entrevista: Beata Parkanová
ficha de la película] - Beata Parkanová (Czech Republic/Poland/Slovakia)
Producers: Přemysl Martinek, love.FRAME