New Niche Channels Launch in Romania
Film channels FilmBox Family (www.filmbox.eu), FilmBox Extra, and the action channel FightBox HD will also be launched in Romania in a few months, said Piotr Reich, CEO of SPI International…
Romanian Cable Direct in Deal with Sony
Romanian company Cable Direct has signed a deal with Sony Pictures Television giving Sony a majority stake in the advertising sales company. Cable Direct handles ad sales for several Romanian…
FNE 2010 Visegrad Special: Poland
The last year of the decade marks a great turn-around for Polish cinema, which overcame an initial fall in production in 2000-2004 and maintained a constant growth despite the international…
FNE at IFF Bratislava: Bulgaria, Romania Share Best Director Award
The main jury at the Bratislava Film Festival (www.iffbratislava.sk ) awarded a double best director prize to Bulgarian director Dragomir Sholev for Shelter (Podslon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Romanian director Constantin Popescu…
FNE at Bratislava IFF: The Housemaid Wins First FNE Visegrad Documentary Prix
The Housemaid, a documentary about a young Slovak woman working for a elderly couple abroad, received the first FNE Visegrad Prix for a documentary film at the IFF Bratislava (www.iffbratislava.sk)…
Hungarian Media Bill Could Limit TV Expansion
A new Hungarian media bill now being drafted would limit commercial TV corporations to a 35% share of the viewing market, according to a local news reports. Index.hu says a…
Hungary launches first on-line series
MAB, the first series created directly and only for internet broadcast in Hungary is set for launch (trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogInq8enG8I&feature=related). The project was initiated by Ádám Horgas, a director of alternative…
PRODUCTION: Escaping Riga in Development
Director Davis Simanis and producer Liga Gaisa are in development with a Latvian full-length documentary, Escaping Riga, a "docu-fiction" about Riga-born film director Sergei Eisenstein who emigrated to Russia and…
FNE at Bratislava IFF: Kornel Mundruczo on the Current State of Hungarian Film
BRATISLAVA: Hungarian filmmaker Kornel Mundruczo, speaking with FNE at the Bratislava IFF (www.iffbratislava.sk) where he received a five-film retrospective, said the uncertain future of the MMK (Motion Picture Public Foundation…
CEE Film Funds Reach out to Coproductions
COTTBUS: Film funders from some of CEE's lesser known film production countries met during a panel discussion at Connecting Cottbus (www.connecting-cottbus.de), CEE's leading pitching forum which took place during the…
PRODUCTION: Seven Acts Of Mercy in Preproduction
BUCHAREST: The Italian documentary and short film directors Gianluca and Massimiliano De Serio are in Bucharest for the final stage of the casting the lead actress of their first feature,…
PRODUCTION: A Film for Friends in post-production
Director/screenwriter Radu Jude is currently in post-production with a low-budget 60-minute film A Film for Friends/Film pentru prieteni which he produced and self-financed. Jude, whose first feature The Happiest Girl…
FNE Visegrad 2010: Coproductions in Hungary
Hungary has become one of Europe's international coproduction hubs over the past six years, following the passage of important legislation that set up a tax rebate system that allows producers…
Kościukiewicz Wins Cybulski Prize
WARSAW: The Cybulski Prize (www.nagrodacybulskiego.pl), an annual award for best performance from a Polish actor under age 35, was given to Mateusz Kościukiewicz for his role in Mother Teresa of…
European Coproduction Forum in Łódź
The XVth European Cinema Forum CINERGIA 2010 in Łódź hosted a special discussion panel devoted to the development of film co-productions in Europe. The panel "European co-productions - europudding or…
PRODUCTION: Romanies Go To Elections in Production
The Slovak/Czech documentary Romanies Go To Elections from one of the new Slovak documentary directing stars, Jaro Vojtek (Slovak Oscar candidate The Border), is currently in production with 50% of…
PRODUCTION: Sweet Smoke finishes shooting in Lithuania
Director Masha Novikova has completed filming her documentary triptych under the working title Sweet Smoke (OF FATHERLAND/ OF HOMELAND) in Lithuania. The release of the film is planned for 2011.
FNE 2010 Visegrad Special: Hungary
Hungary began a transition in its film funding and administration system in 2010 which is expected to have a complete overhaul in 2011. FNE looks at the film and TV…
FNE Visegrad Prix nominations for best documentary announced
WARSAW: Nominations for the first-ever FNE Visegrad Prix for best documentary coproduction from a Visegard country have been announced. The films are all screening in the International Bratislava Film Festival…
PRODUCTION: We Will Meet in our Dreams in Development
Slovak production company Arina (www.arinafilm.sk) is in development with director Juraj Nvota (Muzika) on We Will Meet in our Dreams. The 1.5 million euro story of thwarted love was presented…