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connecting cottbus (coco) is an East West co-production market and a networking platform focusing on Eastern European cinema during the FilmFestival Cottbus.
We select 13 feature film projects in development and 6 works in progress / post-production. These are presented to a professional audience of experienced producers, buyers, commissioning editors, world sales and financiers. Projects must have a connection to Eastern Europe in subject or production context.
The 26th edition of coco will take place on 6-8 November 2024 in Cottbus, Germany.
Aside from offering industry participants the chance to discover new projects and discuss possible partnerships, coco’s framework programme gives insights into current trends and challenges in film financing, production and distribution. The industry topics are explored in the form of panels, round-table discussions, lectures and workshops. Various networking events bring together project representatives and industry participants and also give an opportunity to meet filmmakers from the parallel running FilmFestival Cottbus.
The cocoPITCH project presentations are public to all registered coco participants, while the screenings of cocoWIP (works in progress) are reserved for an audience of sales agents, distributors and other industry experts only. During the closed cocoLAB on the market‘s first prep day, project representatives receive feedback in tailor-made consultancy sessions. The last day of coco is all about the one2one meetings with projects.
Please find our current press releases below.
For general press enquiries contact us via
presse@connecting-cottbus.de
For previous coco press releases, have a look at our archive.
The industry audience will vote for the best public presentation of a project during the pitch session. The cash prize of €1.500 goes to the producer of the awarded project.
The producer of a cocoPITCH project will receive the “Producers Network Award”, free accreditation to the Producers Network at the Marché du Film in Cannes the following year.
www.marchedufilm.com
The production arm of the renowned Romanian post-production facility Avanpost will offer the “Avanpost Pitch Packaging Award”, in-kind services up to €15.000 which may include financing strategy consulting, the project look-book as well as production/post- production for a proof of concept.
www.avanpost.co
The Croatian Audiovisual Centre presents a €5.000 cash award towards the further development of one cocoPITCH project.
www.havc.hr
Three projects in development selected for cocoPITCH will receive an in-depth script consultancy online with a MIDPOINT expert. The winners will be determined by MIDPOINT.
www.midpoint-institute.eu
A jury of film industry professionals will present the “D-Facto Motion WiP Award” to a Work in Progress project after the cocoWIP session, consisting in €35.000 in-kind services plus €5.000 granted for additional expenses, sponsored by D-Facto Motion, the renowned post-production studio with branches in six major German cities and the latest high-end technology.
www.d-facto-motion.de
We are happy to announce a new award for our cocoWIP section, the Studio Beep Sound Post-Production Award, €6.000 in-kind services sponsored by the high-end studios based in the centre of Prague, covering the full spectrum of sound and music solutions.
www.studiobeep.cz
The cocoLAB offers in-depth prep meetings to our selected projects, together with group sessions to explore relevant industry topics. The aim of the cocoLAB is to actively support and strengthen each project and the makers behind them.
As an added value to their participation, selected cocoPITCH and cocoWIP representatives receive advice and preparation to pitch their projects in front of our industry audience. In closed cocoLAB sessions, projects also receive individually tailored consultancy from experts in the fields of script development, financing strategies, sales, marketing, training opportunities and funding. Prior to the market, all promotional material will be edited with the project representatives for publication in our catalogue.
Download our logos, brands and credit screens below. Need any help or looking for something that isn‘t there? Contact us at info@connecting-cottbus.de.
Founded in 1999, coco was the first co-production market facilitating co-production specifically for the Eastern European region and resulted in notable collaborations that are still thriving to the present day. We are proud that well over half of the projects pitched at coco have been realised as of now, and 68% of them have had an A-festival premiere.
Acclaimed alumni projects include the Academy Award-nominated TANGERINES (2013) by Zaza Urushadze, Radu Jude’s feature film debut THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD (Berlinale 2009), Ognjen Glavonić’s THE LOAD (Cannes, Toronto 2018) and the Sundance-premiered KLONDIKE (2022) by Maryna Er Gorbach.
Recent festival successes were THE EDITORIAL OFFICE by Roman Bondarchuk (Ukraine/Germany/Slovakia/Czechia), which premiered at this year’s Berlinale Forum, as well as FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE by Ivan Marinović (Montenegro/Serbia/Czechia/Croatia/North Macedonia/Slovenia), presented as part of the official competition of Tallinn Black Nights 2023. At the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, Assel Aushakimova’s BIKECHESS (France/Kazakhstan/Norway) will screen in the international competition.
For a list of all completed coco alumni projects click here.
For press releases, lists of selected projects per year as well as an overview of completed alumni projects, have a look at our archive.