Romania introduces new tax on copyright income
Romanian writers and artists are objecting to a pending law on social security contributions based on copyright income, which is expecte to be passed into law in February
Bulgaria establishes film Academy
Bulgaria's national film awards will be decided by a newly created Academy beginning with the 2010 awards.
Bathory celebrates Hungarian premiere
Juraj Jakubisko's historical epic movie Bathory had a gala premiere in Hungary January 14, with star Franco Nero in attendance.
Bulgarian film on Oscar foreign film short list
Stephan Komandarev's Bulgarian-German-Hungarian-Slovenian co-production, The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner, is among nine films vying for an Oscar nomination for the best foreign language film.
Zero 2 premieres in Lithuania
Emilis Velyvis' second feature film Zero 2 (www.zero2.lt) premieres on January 20 in Vilnius, with nation-wide distribution beginning on January 22.
Romania sees surge in box office, admissions
2009 was a record-breaking year for Romania, with admissions growing 43% compared to 2008, and box office up by 60%.
Musicals draw Hungarian audiences, box office up
Hungarian viewers made box office successes of two domestic musical films in 2009: Gábor Herendi's A Kind of America 2 and Made in Hungaria from Gergely Fonyó.
Czech Lion nominations set
The nominations for the Czech Lion awards, the national "Oscar" ceremony, will be announced on February 6.
High Point send Protector to EFM
UK sales agent has acquired world rights for Czech Oscar foreign language entry Protector and will screen the film at the European Film Market in Berlin.
Poland considers second digital TV multiplex
Poland's Office of Electronic Communications and the National Broadcasting Council are considering a second and possibly third multiplex for transmission of digital TV channels.
Poland's top channels see drop in viewers
The three biggest Polish broadcasters have noted significant drops in the number of viewers, beginning in early 2009 and continuing into 2010.
Ticket prices fall in Estonia
The average ticket price in Estonia fell by 7% to 4.2 EUR in 2009.
Habermann's Mill takes Bavarian Film Award prizes
Habermann's Mill, a Czech-German-Austrian co-production from Slovak born Czechoslovak New Wave director Juraj Herz, won two awards at the Bavarian Film Prize ceremonies in Munich on January 15.
Strong year ahead for new Bulgarian films
Bulgaria's National Film Center (www.nfc.bg) announced that 14 new titles are expected to be produced in 2010.
Kőrösi elected as MMKA president
Writer and editor Dr. Zoltán Kőrösi 48) has been selected as the new president of the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary (MMKA).
Eastern Plays lines up theatrical releases
Kamen Kalev's festival success, Eastern Plays, will have theatrical releases in 15 countries across Europe -- including Hungary and Slovenia -- and beyond, through international sales agent Memento Films.
Mixed results at Estonian box office
Estonia's box rose in 2009, but the share for domestic films dropped sharply.
Stanchev depart Romania's Kanal D
The Bulgarian CEO of Romanian channel Kanal D, Pavel Stanchev, confirmed he will leave the station for a new position to be announced within the next three weeks.
Damjan Kozole film sold to American market
Damjan Kozole's third film Slovenian Girl has been sold to distribution company Film Movement (www.filmmovement.com) and will be shown under the title A Call Girl in American cinemas in the…
Central European films screen at NY Jewish Film Festival
Acclaimed fiction and documentary films from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania will screen at the NY Jewish Film Festival, running through January 28.
