Cottbus Film Festival: Love in space and sibling drama inspire!

Cottbus Film Festival: Love in space and sibling drama inspire!

The 34th Cottbus Film Festival caused a stir with an impressive selection of films! This year, viewers were treated to a variety of extraordinary contributions that touched hearts and lit up movie screens. Of particular note are the Ukrainian space traveler romantic comedy “U Are the Universe” and the Croatian sibling drama “Good Children,” both of which received awards at the awards ceremony on Saturday evening. But the main prize went to a film that surprised the jury.

U Are the Universe, directed by Pavlo Ostrikov, tells the gripping story of astronaut Andriy, who is trapped on a lonely mission to Jupiter's moon Callisto after the destruction of Earth. The film, made under extreme conditions in Kyiv, combines dark humor with a touching love story between Andriy and the French astronaut Catherine. The emotional depth and impressive set design make this film an absolute highlight of the festival.

A moving sibling drama

This year the festival offered a variety of films that dealt with current issues while historical material faded into the background. The Serbian film “When the Phone Rang” and the Lithuanian entry “Southern Chronicles” were some of the few exceptions that dealt with the past. However, the jury chose “When the Phone Rang” as the main prize, which caused some debate. Despite these controversies, it should be noted that this year's Cottbus Film Festival featured an impressive selection of films that both entertained and made you think.