36th FilmFestival Cottbus 2026: Six Days of Cinema, Culture, and Discoveries
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36th FilmFestival Cottbus 2026: Experience cinema from Central and Eastern Europe up close
From November 3 to 8, 2026, the 36th FilmFestival Cottbus will once again transform Lusatia into a meeting point for film art, cultural exchange, and cinematic discoveries. The focus is on the diversity of Central and Eastern European cinema – featuring current feature and short films, new voices, powerful stories, and a festival experience that extends far beyond the cinema hall.
Six days of festival atmosphere in Cottbus
When the doors of the Cottbus venues open in November, a special festival atmosphere emerges: Conversations about films move from the foyer into the city center, premieres create excitement, and the audience experiences cinema as a communal event. The FilmFestival Cottbus has been held since 1991 and is one of the prominent European festivals for Eastern European film.
Line-up between competition, discovery, and dialogue
The program connects international competitions with curated series and special events. In the feature film competition, current productions from young directors compete; the short film competition offers space for concentrated cinematic ideas. The line-up is complemented by sections like Spectrum, Specials, Hits, Heimat | Domownja | Domizna, and offerings for a young audience.
Festival center and special venues
The Cottbus City Hall at Berliner Platz serves as the festival center. Other well-known venues of the FilmFestival include the Filmtheater Weltspiegel, the Kammerbühne, the Obenkino in Glad-House, and the Staatstheater Cottbus. This turns the entire city into a stage for film discussions, premieres, panels, readings, exhibitions, and encounters.
More than cinema: culture, talent, and co-productions
The festival combines film screenings with expert discussions, workshops, and events from the international film industry. Furthermore, the connecting cottbus East-West co-production market is part of the festival’s surroundings. There, filmmakers, producers, sponsors, and distributors meet to develop new projects and perspectives for European cinema.
A festival with history and impact
The organizer pool production GmbH conducts the FilmFestival Cottbus in collaboration with sponsors and partners from Brandenburg and the city of Cottbus. The Lubina award symbolizes the close connection of the festival to Lusatia and is one of the characteristic prizes of the competition. Throughout its history, the festival has developed into an important forum for cinematic exchange between Western and Eastern Europe.
Conclusion: Cottbus becomes a meeting point for film culture
The 36th FilmFestival Cottbus promises six days full of discoveries, discussions, and moving moments of cinema. Anyone wanting to experience new cinematic languages, meet international guests, and feel the special community atmosphere of a renowned film festival will experience Cottbus most intensely on-site in November 2026.
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