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As the Federal Government and the German States extended the measures aimed at combating the coronavirus pandemic on November 25th, 2020 and cinemas will also remain closed, therefore, the film screenings of the 30th FilmFestival Cottbus planned between the December 8th to 13th, 2020 in the cinemas cannot take place. Nevertheless, from December 8th to 31st, 2020, 150 films will be available as a nationwide streaming offer on the festival website.

"The health of our visitors from near and far is our top priority in the times of pandemic. As regrettable as the cancellation of our physical anniversary festival is for us, the more are we pleased about an extensive digital offer with 150 films and further content in a stream – via our website and with our partner Pantaflix, in a live stream on our YouTube channel and via our social media channels", emphasises Andreas Stein, managing director of the FFC’s organiser pool production.
"After initially postponing the 30th FilmFestival Cottbus, which was planned in a dual form, - in the hope of being able to take place with face-to-face events after all – we will not postpone the festival again, but instead, we will put all our energy into the digital realisation of the festival". 
The FFC’s programme director Bernd Buder adds: "Our nationwide streaming offer, available via the festival website, offers a very special opportunity to get to know, rediscover and enjoy Eastern European cinema. We show the films from the 15 programme sections in their original language and provide either German or English subtitles."

In addition to the film programme, online talks with filmmakers, panel discussions and talk rounds with representatives from the fields of culture, science and politics will provide an insight into the film industry as well as the historical, cultural and political context of the film programme. 
All talk formats will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of the FilmFestival Cottbus (www.youtube.com/FilmFestivalCottbus). 

Information on FFC tickets 
The streaming offer of the 30th FilmFestival Cottbus will be available on the festival website from December 8th to 31st, 2020. Tickets can be booked through the respective film entry link. The films are streamed in their original language version, optionally German or English subtitles are available. As there is a limited contingent of tickets for the films offered online, it is recommended to book them in good time.
The tickets for the streaming offer that have been already booked, remain valid. Rented films can be watched as often as desired within the 24 hours after the first start of the film. The film starts by entering the ID number of the previously purchased ticket.

Tickets for in-the-venues film screenings which were purchased in the sales points can be returned in the same spot. Tickets booked online via reservix can be returned via the portal.
 

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The FilmFestival Cottbus would like to thank its sponsors and partners, who have stood by the festival even in these difficult conditions. Special thanks go to the Land Brandenburg, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH, the city of Cottbus, Creative Europe – MEDIA and the Federal Foreign Office. 
In addition, we would like to thank the Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrechten (GWFF), Big Cinema, the Sparkasse Spree-Neiße and the Gebäudewirtschaft Cottbus, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the Bundesstiftung zur Aufarbeitung der SED-Diktatur, the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg, the Stiftung für das sorbische Volk, the Stiftung für deutsch-polnische Zusammenarbeit, the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfond, the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung as well as all our other loyal partners and supporters and our media partners. 

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About the FilmFestival Cottbus
The 30th FilmFestival Cottbus will take place in a nationwide online format: from December 8th to 31st, 2020. In four competitions and numerous side sections, the FFC will show approximately 150 films competing for prizes with a total value of 72,000 Euros and the prestigious sculpture prize LUBINA (Sorbian: the Lovely). For the first time, not only the laureates of the Feature Film Competition, but also the winners of the Short Film and the U18 Youth Film Competitions, will be honoured with the LUBINAs. Over 22,000 spectators have visited the Festival of Eastern European Film in Cottbus over the last few years.
The 30th FFC is significantly supported by the State of Brandenburg, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH, the City of Cottbus, the German Foreign Office and the Creative Europe MEDIA Program of the European Union.