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Films from Serbia, Ukraine and Poland were among the winners at the 34th edition of FilmFestival Cottbus and the parallel East-West co-production market connecting cottbus in Germany at the weekend.

Serbian director Iva Radivojević received the main award with a cash prize of €15,000 in the feature film competition for her second narrative feature When The Phone Rang which also garnered the Fipresci jury prize.

The international jury, comprised of Armenian director-producer Inna Sahakyan, Croatian actress-screenwriter Anja Matković and sales agent Xavier Henry-Rashid of Film Republic, praised Radivojevic’s film ‘for its authentic narrative of a country falling apart and its unique,...

Maja arrives on a picturesque Croatian island seeking answers about her family history. What she finds instead is a lively community with colorful characters and natural beauty that could easily distract from her mission.

There’s the charming and eccentric Mayor Icho, whose love for his small island home is matched only by his passion for mischief. Ancient stone buildings dot the island, along with winding paths that invite exploration.

Maja soon learns the simple pleasures of island life, from leisurely strolls along the coastline to gatherings with close-knit locals, led by boisterous songs. Her duties at the mayor’s harborside pub place her at the lively heart of the island.

But amidst these summer charms, darker secrets also lurk concerning the family she never truly knew. When an attraction grows between Maja and a charming visiting writer, complications arise that could undo the sense of belonging she has started to find.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has selected My Late Summer, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Danis Tanović, as its official submission for the 2025 Oscar race in the best international feature film category.

The comedy-drama, which debuted as the opening film at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival, follows Maja, a feisty 30-something (played by Anja Matković), who journeys to a remote island to resolve a family inheritance dispute only to be confronted with unresolved issues from her past. What starts as a quest for material wealth transforms into a deeper search for identity and forgiveness as she falls in love with the charming island and its quirky locals, and an unexpected romance blooms.

Propeler Film produced My Late Summer in co-production with Tangaj Production, Obala Art Centar, Bas Celik and Tramal Films.

While best known for his Bosnian films, Tanović has also tried his hand at English-language features, including the 2020 crime thriller The Postcard Killings...

The 30th Sarajevo Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina will open on Aug. 16 with the world premiere of “My Late Summer” by local filmmaker Danis Tanović, who won an Oscar with “No Man’s Land.”

The comedy-drama centers on a young woman, Maja, who travels to a remote island to sort out her family’s inheritance. In a whirlwind of emotions and surprising situations, she faces questions from her past. The search for inheritance becomes a search for her own identity, but also for forgiveness.

The film will be screened simultaneously in Sarajevo at the National Theatre, at the Coca-Cola Open Air Cinema, at the Stari Grad open air cinema and at the Centar Safet Zajko open air cinema, and its premiere will also kick off the festival’s screenings in Mostar, at the Bh Telecom Open Air Cinema Mostar, and in Tuzla, at the Bingo Open Air Cinema Tuzla.

Tanović...

The world premiere of Danis Tanovic’s My Late Summer will open the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival on Friday, August 16.

Tanovic’s new film is a comedy-drama about a young woman who comes to a remote island to solve her family inheritance issues. The screening will play simultaneously in the National Theatre and three open-air cinemas in Sarajevo, as well as beginning the festival’s satellite screenings in the Bosnian towns of Mostar and Tuzla.

My Late Summer was produced by Croatia’s Propeler Film, co-produced by Romania’s Tangaj Production, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Obala Art Centar (the organisation...

Lecturers include Finland’s Juho Kuosmanen, US producer Peter Spears.

US duo Frances McDormand and Joel Coen will be ‘masters’ for the second edition of Ponta Lopud Film Festival, on the island of Lopud near Dubrovnik, Croatia.

McDormand and Coen will give invite-only masterclasses to directors, actors and cinematographers from Southeast Europe, in the festival from June 22 to 27.

Ponta Lopud was started last year by Miro Purivatra, founder and long-time director of Sarajevo Film Festival; and Tilda Grossel Bogdanovic.

The festival will also host lectures from Juho Kuosmanen, Finnish director of Compartment No. 6; Peter Spears, US producer of titles including...