Diversity in focus: Cottbus Film Festival impresses with 138 works!

Diversity in focus: Cottbus Film Festival impresses with 138 works!

The 35th Film Festival in Cottbus opened its doors on November 12, 2025 and promises an impressive spectacle for film enthusiasts. Like the editorial team of Friday reports, the festival is known for presenting a colorful mix of Eastern European film art that extends into the deepest corners of social reality. With 138 films from 41 countries, everyone gets their money's worth, from magical realism to historical fantasies.

What is particularly noticeable is the strong focus of young directors, who often look back on the past in their works while largely ignoring the present. With “Wrooklyn Zoo”, Krzysztof Skonieczny stages an impressive piece that illuminates the “baseball bat years” in Wrocław in the 1990s. Such topics show how important it is to use art as a tool to engage with history.

Variety of films

In the “Homeland” section, special attention is paid to Sorbian-Wendish filmmaking, while the “Close-up” 2023 section is dedicated to Baltic Estonia. Both feature films and short films are featured here, taking the audience into the creative world of the small state. Mayor Tobias Schick caused a few smiles in the audience with his reference to Estonia's digital administration - a small swipe at the bureaucracy that was met with bittersweet laughter.

The competition entries are diverse and vary greatly in style and content. Films like “Ida Who Sang So Badly Even the Dead Rose up and Joined Her in Song” from Slovenia show humorous childhood memories of the 1980s, while Ukrainian director Walentyn Wassjanowytsch with “To the Victory!” a post-war future is imagined. Such works reflect not only individual fates, but also collective memories and challenges.

Award winners and special highlights

A special highlight of the festival is the Hungarian film “Mayflies”, which sets an optimistic tone despite a difficult topic. In another remarkable work, Goran Stankovics' “Our Father” sheds light on the violent methods used in an Orthodox priest's rehab therapy.

Queer Yugoslavian history comes to life in Ivona Juka's “Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day,” which has won several awards and impressively focuses on the physical experiences of its protagonists. Such films show that diversity is not just a slogan, but is actively realized in the filmmakers' stories.

The festival events impressively illustrate how Eastern European cinema has grown and continues to develop. The exchange of ideas and stories across borders is not only a beautiful event, but also a valuable opportunity for the audience to immerse themselves in the spiritual and cultural depths of this region.

The festival runs for several more days, and if you have the chance, you shouldn't miss some of the performances. More information about the program and the films can be found on the official websites, but anyone who feels like they have missed something can quickly keep up to date, for example via the platform Comenity.