First Estonian entry picks up main Venice prize
To the delight of the Estonian film community, the country's first-ever entry in the Venice Biennale's official lineup, Autumn Ball by debutant director Veiko Õunpuu, walked away with the main…
Polish Film Institute celebrates success in Venice
The Polish Film Institute is celebrating in Venice this year with five of the films it backed being selected for screening in the Biennale.
Wajda film Katyn opens Polish film festival in Gdynia
A screening of Andrzej Wajda's long-awaited film Katyń will be featured at the grand opening of the 32nd Polish Film Festival in Gdynia.
Hungary submits Taxidermia for Oscar nomination
A Hungarian committee of film officials has selected Taxidermia, a controversial film dealing with "three stories, three ages, three men" and directed by György Pálfi, for consideration for the Academy…
UPC Czech Republic integrates Karneval
Czech cable company UPC Czech Republic, part of the U.S. group Liberty Global Inc., has completed the integration of Karneval Media.
Czech President Klaus offers some support for film sector
Czech President Vaclav Klaus, not known as an avid supporter of Czech cinema, now says he would be in favor of "modest support" for the film sector - an opinion…
Premiere of big-budget Bathory film postponed
The planned October release of Slovak director Juraj Jakubisko‘s big-budget film Bathory, the most expensive film yet originating in Central and Eastern Europe, has been delayed due to post-production problems
CME secures 60 percent ownership of Ukrainian broadcaster
Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (www.cetv-net.com), which operates TV networks in six Central and East European countries, announced it has secured a 60% ownership in Ukraine's Studio 1+1, completing a…
Warsaw film fest to feature four competitive sections
About 150 films from all over the world will be screened at the 23rd Warsaw International Film Festival in October, including the Polish premieres of several films to be unveiled…
Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky buys into CME
Ukrainian billionaire Igor Kolomoisky has invested $110 million (€80.7 million) to acquire an interest in broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (www.cetv-net.com), which operates TV networks in six Central and…
Naming of new Agora chief signals move beyond press sector
Polish media company Agora SA (www.agora.pl) has named broadcast executive Marek Sowa as the new president of its management board in a move that signals a shift in focus toward…
Estonian cash reserve kickstarts production of historical epic
The Estonian government has released €640,000 from its contingency reserve to finance the production of a patriotic epic, a highly unusual step in a country with well-established national film funds.
Polish, British museums launch joint historical film project
Warsaw's newest museum, the Polish History Museum, has launched a joint project with a London museum to bring the modern history of Poland to the public through the medium of…
Filmgoing trends in Western Europe a sharp contrast to Central Europe
Box office in Western Europe is forecast to increase by 17% over the next five years, according to a new survey by U.K.-based cinema industry analysts Dodona Research that found…
Barrandov Studio to split in two
Prague's Barrandov Studio (www.barrandovstudio.cz), one of the largest and oldest film companies in Central Europe, has announced it will split in two different companies.
Romania hopes to trump its Cannes prize with an Oscar
Romanian officials hope the film that won the prestigious Palme d'Or this year will be one of the nominations for best foreign film at the Academy Awards in February 2008.
Polsat reports lowered net income due to investments
Commercial Polish television broadcaster Polsat reported net income for the first half of 157.4 million zloty (€40.4 million), down about 10% from the same period in 2006, due to increased…
Four Polish films in main competition at Venice Film Festival
For the first time, Poland will be represented in the main competition at the Venice Film Festival (www.labiennale.org) by four films, all co-produced by the Polish Film Institute. The festival…
Zwick starts shooting of Defiance in Lithuania
Veteran Hollywood director Edward Zwick began shooting his new film Defiance in Lithuania last week. The film is budgeted at about $50 Million (€36.6 million).
Eurimages finances controversial film Nazis and Blondes
"They were young. They were beautiful. They looked like Germans." A film with a logline like that is bound to raise some eyebrows. But the European Council co-production fund Eurimages…
