The 36th edition of the FilmFestival Cottbus (3–8 November 2026) kicks off today, bringing eight Slovak films. Two Slovak projects will also take part in the industry programme connecting cottbus (coco).
This year’s special section, entitled Spectrum: Transformation Without End? – Cinematic Perspectives on the Fall of the Berlin Wall and Its Aftermath, has selected two Slovak films: Invalid (d. Jonáš Karásek, 2023) and On the Beautiful Blue Danube (d. Štefan Semjan, 1994, pictured). Through these titles, the section aims to highlight the social transformation of Eastern European countries, which are at the heart of the festival’s focus.
In the GenNext competition, the festival will present Martina Buchelová’s successful debut Lover, Not a Fighter, which won the Proxima Grand Prix at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In the short film competition, the thriller Raklo (d. Petr Simon) will compete for the award and will have its premiere in Cottbus.
The Cottbus Masters section, which showcases films by established directors straight from major international film festivals, will screen Only Beautiful Things to Look At by Ivan Ostrochovský. The award-winning film Flood (d. Martin Gonda) has been selected for the EcoEast section. The Spectrum section will showcase the minority co-production Wirbel (d. Tomáš Hubáček, SK co-prod. sentimentalfilm). Within the Kids Cinema section, three films will be screened for young audiences, including the feature adventure comedy Extraordinary (d. Marina Andree Škop and Vanda Raýmanová, SK co-prod. objectif).
As part of the connecting cottbus industry programme (4–6 November), the upcoming film White Gypsy (d. Katarína Gramatová, prod. D.N.A. Production) will be presented among the cocoPITCH projects. The cocoWIP has selected Slovak drama Interest (d. Hana Hančinová, prod. escadra), which is currently in post-production stage.
More information at the festival and industry programme websites
