Bathory producers fend off bankruptcy petition
A Prague city court has rejected a motion to declare bankrupt the production company owned by Juraj Jakubisko and his wife Deanna Jakubisková, after the couple presented evidence they had…
Wajda to start shooting new film
Polish film icon Andrzej Wajda, whose film Katyn has been nominated for an Academy Award, will start shooting in May or June a film based on "Tatarak," a story by…
Estonia reviewing VAT rates on tickets
The Estonian government is reviewing the issue of VAT rates on tickets to cultural events following a high court ruling that found the current reduced 5% rate unconstitutional. The lower…
Six new EU states have lower VAT rates for culture
European Union laws permit reduced VAT rates for cultural activities, and half of the 12 new EU member states apply them. Here is a listing of VAT rates on audiovisual…
Competition launched for new Solidarity film
The European Solidarity Centre and the Polish Film Institute have launched an open competition for a script about the Solidarity movement and its international impact. The prize for the winning…
Time to Die travels to US, Europe
Dorota Kędzierzawska's and Arthur Reinhart's newest film Time to Die is being showcased this week at its fourth international film festival in a month. The film will have three showings…
ScripTeast participants prepare for Berlinale session
Participants in the second edition of the ScripTeast scriptwriting workshops are gearing up for the next stage to be held Feb. 9-12 at the Berlin International Film Festival during which…
Czech Republic back on U.S. anti-piracy Watch List
The Czech Republic has been put back on the U.S. Trade Representative's Watch List after eight years, amid concerns about a lack of progress in efforts to fight piracy. Among…
IRIS Merlin legal database becomes more user-friendly
Filmmakers now have several new ways to obtain legal information on the audiovisual sector in Europe. According to analysts at the European Audiovisual Laboratory, part of the Council of Europe…
Saviours Square wins top honours in Trieste
Saviour's Square (Plac Zbawiciela), a contemporary Polish drama by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, took top honours at the Trieste International Film Festival which closed Thursday (Jan. 24). The jury…
Hungarian Film Week announces competition
Eighteen titles are competing for the Golden Reel Award during the 39th Hungarian Film Week which kicks off Jan. 29. The festival, which runs through Feb. 5, will also host…
International shoot about Russian dissident starts in Poland
Within the Whirlwind, an international production directed by Oscar laureate Marleen Gorris, began shooting Jan. 24 in Poland. The movie's screenplay is based on the bestselling autobiography of famous Russian…
Czech cinema sales, attendance figures for 2007
Among Czech distributors, Falcon a.s. (www.falcon.cz) was the leader in 2007 with 394.3 million crowns (€15 million) in sales, according to figures provided by the Czech Film Distributors' Association. Second…
Unique documentary Citizen Havel opens Jan. 31
One of the most original and unusual entries in the 2008 Czech film portfolio is the full-length documentary Citizen Havel, an intimate portrait of the former Czech president that was…
Roosters Breakfast tops 140,000 admissions
The director of Rooster's Breakfast, the biggest Slovenian box office hit in the last four years, says he's surprised by the film's success. Director Marko Nabersnik picked up the Great…
Krakow introduces Regional Film Funds concept
Krakow is hosting the first international congress devoted to Regional Film Funds in Poland today and tomorrow (Jan. 24-25). The National Chamber of Audiovisual Producers (KIPA) and the Polish Film…
Czech cinemas had record sales in 2007
Czech cinemas took in an all-time record 1.2 billion crowns in sales in 2007, according to Czech Film Distributors ' Association (www.ufd.cz), and attendance was the highest since 1994. About…
Katyn gains Oscar nomination (update)
Katyń, a personal odyssey for famed Polish director Andrzej Wajda about the massacre of 20,000 Polish officers and citizens during World War II, has captured one of the five nominations…
New film about murdered pro-Solidarity priest
Filming is under way for a biopic about Jerzy Popiełuszko, the popular pro-Solidarity priest who was murdered by Poland's communist secret police in 1984. Agnieszka Holland's To Kill a Priest…
Katyn gains Oscar nomination
Katyń, a personal odyssey for famed Polish director Andrzej Wajda about the massacre of 20,000 Polish officers during World War II, has captured one of the five nominations for an…
