Among the 12 films selected for the competition, three films were originally presented at the sister industry event, connecting cottbus. The festival's director Bernd Buder pointed out that half of the competition films are by female directors and many have a female protagonist at their core.
Along with the main competition, Cottbus has a long-standing short film competition and a newer competition of films for youth.
The list of films in the main competition follows:
Ayka (Russia, Germany, Poland, Kazakhstan)
Directed by Sergey Dvortsevoy
Produced by Pallas Film GmbH
Coproduced by Otter Films, KNM, Kinodvor, Eurasia, Juben Pictures
Supported by the Russian Ministry of Culture, Eurimages, the Polish Film Institute, Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung
The Delegation (Albania, France, Greece, Kosovo)
Directed by Bujar Alimani
One Day (Hungary)
Directed by Zsófia Szilágyi
Year of the Monkey (Macedonia, Serbian, Slovenia, Kosovo)
Directed by Vladimir Blazevski
Produced by Pank Film Production
Coproduced by Kiselo Dete, Strup Produkcija
Supported by Eurimages, SEE Cinema Network, the Macedonian Film Agency, Film Center Serbia, Kosovo Film Centre and the Slovenian Film Centre
Irina (Bulgaria)
Directed by Nadejda Koseva
Produced by Art Fest
Supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, Creative Europe – MEDIA, SEE Cinema Network, ScripTeast
Crystal Swan (Belarus, Germany, US, Russia)
Directed by Darya Zhuk
Trash on Mars (Czech Republic)
Directed by Benjamin Tuček
Produced by Nyasa Film Productions
Coproduced by Sound Square
Supported by the Czech Film Fund
Rejected (Kazakhstan)
Directed by Zhanna Issabayeva
Jumpman (Russia, Ireland, Lithuania, France)
Directed by Ivan I. Tverdovsky
Produced by New People Company
Coproduced by Film and Music Entertainment, Tremora, Arizona Production
Supported by the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the Lithuanian Film Center, Eurimages
The Load (Serbia, France, Croatia, Iran, Qatar)
Directed by Ognjen Glavonić
Produced by Non-Aligned Films
Coproduced by Cinéma Defacto, Kinorama,Three Gardens Film
Supported by Aide aux cinémas du monde — CNC, Eurimages, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Visions Sud Est, Film Center Serbia, Hubert Bals Fund, Doha Film Institute, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
Via Carpatia (Poland, Macedonia, Czech Republic)
Directed by Klara Kochańska, Kasper Bajon
Produced by MD4
Coproduced by Chimney Poland, Kijora Film, Sound Mind – Michał Fojcik, Sektor Film Skopje (www.sektor.com.mk), Heaven’s Gate (Czech Republic – no website)
Supported by Polish Film Institute
Take It or Leave It (Estonia)
Directed by Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo
Produced by Allfilm
Supported by the Estonian Film Institute
