The 28th edition of the connecting cottbus (coco) co-production market will take place from 4-6 November as an integral part of the 36th FilmFestival Cottbus (3-8 November). The projects are divided into two categories: cocoPITCH, for those in development; and cocoWIP, for works in progress. All of the selected filmmakers also take part in cocoLAB, where they will get in-depth feedback from various experts from the film industry, while producers, sales agents, commissioning editors and other representatives can apply until 6 October if they want to participate without a project.

The connecting cottbus co-production market otherwise has a solid track record: over half of the projects pitched since the platform’s launch in 1999 have been completed, most of them enjoying a premiere at a big-name festival and securing international distribution. As always, the focus for both the festival and its industry event is the cinema of Central and Eastern Europe, but this year’s distinctive feature is that 63% of the selected projects are helmed by female filmmakers.

Apart from new works by established directors Andrei Cretulescu, Agnieszka Zwiefka and Onur Saylak, most of the projects in the cocoPITCH section come from first-timers in the feature-length format. The section offers a wide array of topics and genres, taking in crime-comedy, melancholic horror, coming of age and magical realism. The cocoWIP selection of works in progress features brand-new projects in post-production, homing in on lovers during the apocalypse, MMA fighters, a dominatrix freezing her eggs, and female kinship in various shapes and forms. Here, works by Barbora Chalupová, Hana Hačinová and Jernej Kastelec, among others, will be presented.

Here is the complete list of projects:

cocoPITCH

Purple Sun – Dana Alimjanova (Kazakhstan)
Producers: Aruzhan Dossymkozha, Julia Kim-von Den Dreich
Production company: Art East Films

Teresa – Jan Bujnowski (Poland)
Producer: Marcin Malatynski
Production company: Studio Filmowe Indeks

Aventura – Andrei Cretulescu (Romania)
Producers: Carmen Rizac, Corduta Cretulescu
Production companies: Avanpost Media, Kinosseur Productions

White Gypsy – Katarina Gramatová (Czech Republic/Slovakia) – Special Pitch Award, FilmFestival Cottbus
Producers: Katarina Gramatová, Rast’o Šesták
Production companies: džanes, DNA Production

Something Wild – Zsuzsanna Konrad (Hungary/Ireland)
Producers: Patricia D’Intino, Maya Korn, Lili Horvát, Dóra Csernátony
Production companies: Good Kids, MHK Productions, Poste Restante

Virgin Mary – Lilit Movsisyan (Armenia)
Producer: Inesa Mkrtchyan
Production company: Motif Films

Cargo to the South – Veno Mušinović (Croatia)
Producer: Aleksandar Arsovski
Production company: Wolfgang & Dolly

No Place for Me in Heaven – Viktorie Novotná (Czech Republic)
Producers: Lara Stoilova, Eva Váchová
Production company: Bratři

Svetlana – Vera Pirogova (Estonia)
Producers: Evelin Penttilä, Kirsten Aigro
Production company: Stellar Film

Adem and the Others – Onur Saylak (Turkey)
Producers: Kerem Çatay, Nadir Öperil, Irem Akbal
Production companies: Ay Yapim, Liman Film

Reminiscence – Anastasiia Tykha (Ukraine) – MIDPOINT coco Award
Producer: Darya Bassel
Production company: Moon Man

Tongues – Tīna Zariņa (Latvia)
Producer: Alise Gelze
Production company: White Picture

Wild Gooseberry – Agnieszka Zwiefka (Poland)
Producers: Izabela Igel, Alba Sotorra
Production company: Chilli Productions

cocoWIP

Madam – Barbora Chalupová (Czech Republic)
Producers: Eva Rejc, Pavla Klimesova
Production company: Helium Film

Switched Stance – Dániel Füzes (Hungary)
Producers: Ádám Farkas, Zoltán Mártonffy, Marcell Szy
Production companies: CineSuper, Forcodes

This Is It, the Apocalypse – Balahan Gürel (Turkey/France)
Producers: Okan Üzey, Solal Coutard, Aysun Karaman
Production companies: Kalavara Film, Collective Cinema, Rename Media

Interest – Hana Hančinová (Slovakia/Czech Republic)
Producers: Katarína Tomková, Ivan Ostrochovský, Tomáš Michálek, Martina Netíková
Production companies: escadra, Cinémotif Films

Horses – Jernej Kastelec (Slovenia)
Producer: Ida Weiss
Production company: Bela Film

Pivot – Melisa Önel (Turkey/Greece)
Producers: Alara Hamamcıoğlu Bayraktar, Konstantina Stavrianou, Rena Vougioukalou
Production companies: Vigo Film, Graal