This month we speak with Barbora Kucsa Prágerová, the manager and programmer of Kino Metro 70 in Prostějov, Czech Republic.

BUCHAREST: Brigitte Drodtloff is in development with her debut feature Chopin's Wunderkind, a biopic of piano prodigy Carl Filtsch, who was born in today’s Romania and became the protégé of Chopin at a very young age. The film is a Romanian/German/US coproduction produced by Gabriela Suciu through Atelier de Film Romania. The project has already been approved for the cash rebate in Romania.

BUCHAREST: Romania’s Tangaj Production, which is working in the independent sector, is currently in postproduction with Bogdan Theodor Olteanu’s sophomore feature Mia Misses Her Revenge and Andra Tarara’s long documentary Us Against Ourselves. Mia Misses Her Revenge is being presented as part of the Works in Progress section of connecting cottbus, running through 8 November 2019.

BUCHAREST: The US independent production Violence of Action directed by Tarik Saleh and starring Ben Foster, Chris Pine and Gillian Jacobs will be shot in Romania starting November 2019. The film is serviced in Romania by Icon Film SRL/Stillking Films and will receive the biggest cash rebate approved so far in Romania in 2019.

BUCHAREST: Bogdan Gheorghiu has been named the new Minister of Culture in Romania, as a transitional cabinet led by the National Liberal Party leader Ludovic Orban was approved by the Parliament on 4 November 2019. Parliamentary elections are due in 2020.

BUCHAREST: Radu Ciorniciuc’s documentary Home/ Acasă and Ruxandra Ghițescu’s debut feature Otto the Barbarian / Otto barbarul are the winners of the Works in Progress section at the 10th edition of the festival Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, which wrapped on 27 October 2019. The festival initiated by Cristian Mungiu brought more than 100 films to 10 Romanian cities.

BUCHAREST: The Romanian/French coproduction The Oak / Balanța (1992) by Lucian Pintilie is the first Romanian film restored in the 4K digital format by BRD – Groupe Société Générale and Fundația9 through the Lucian Pintilie Cinema Fund launched in 2018.

BUCHAREST: Marcian Lazăr from Axel Film has been selected to participate in the 2020 Emerging Producers programme for documentary film producers, which kicks off at the 23rd edition of the Ji.hlava IDFF, taking place 24-29 October 2019. FNE spoke with Marcian Lazăr about the issues facing documentary film producers.

BUCHAREST: The Polish short film Acid Rain directed by Tomek Popakul received the Animest Trophy at the 14th edition of Animest International Film Festival, held in Bucharest from 4 to 13 October 2019.