By Alison Frank on December 10, They are also international festivals, showing films from across the globe, but they naturally develop good relationships with neighboring countries. As a result, these festivals always screen highlights of contemporary Eastern European cinema: perhaps not as extensive a selection as Cottbus, but just as judiciously chosen. Festivals that take place in smaller cities usually benefit from buzz: with little else going on, the festival can take over.
Cottbus sidewalks were cleverly painted with long blue stencils of a film strip, which visitors could follow from one festival venue to the next. Although locals flocked to actual screenings, the streets of the city were all but deserted.
The 22nd edition of Cottbus, meanwhile, hosted retrospectives of Branko Schmidt and Helke Misselwitz, relative unknowns outside their home countries Croatia and Germany respectively. But the festival failed to take full advantage of their presence to host a greater variety of events, like lectures, debates and master classes.
Although none won me over entirely, all the films were of decent quality and presented at least one interesting or surprising element. Kolka is the name of a small Latvian village, and the film revolves around a group of young people with nothing to do.
Rather than a caricature of provincial boredom, the film portrays Kolka as a place almost mystically suspended in time: with nothing else happening, every movement, every word takes on a strange power. Another surprising combination of artistry and entertainment was Kokoko , directed by Avdoyta Smirnova. A theft on the overnight train to St. Petersburg throws Vika together with Lisa, a quiet, cultured academic.
