The FilmFestival Cottbus was first held in 1991 in the immediate post-reunification era and is regarded as the most important festival of Eastern European Cinema worldwide. Every year filmmakers, producers and actors from Eastern and Central Europe meet in Cottbus. FilmFestival Cottbus is a hallmark as a consumer and industry meeting alike.With a representative overview of the current film production of the entire Central and Eastern European region, it has developed continuously into the leading festival for East European Cinema. According to leading industry magazine VARIETY (2007) Cottbus is “a must-attend global event” and was even listed among the “50 most important film festivals worldwide”. A varied programme of lectures, exhibitions and concerts, workshops, seminars, panels and film talks makes the festival a unique forum for an identity-building dialogue between cultures. In 2013 almost 20,300 visitors gathered in Cottbus for the festival. This record-breaking number included 600 accredited guests and more than 100 journalists from over 30 countries. The FilmFestival Cottbus regularly dedicates sections to the two most cinematographically active countries of the East. On "Russian Day”, notable Russian productions of the past year are shown. The "Polish Horizons” on the other hand were created as a result of a cooperation with the largest Polish festival "NoweHoryzonty” which takes place in Wroclaw. This part of the event also presents productions from Nova Sol based festival “Solanin” and the latest productions from Cottbus` twin town Zielona Gora, with its lively alternative film scene. In the youth film competition called U18, the everyday life in Germany and neighbouring Poland is a major subject. A bi-national panel of young people expertly nominates the best cinematic discovery.All together, the FilmFestival Cottbus presents four competitions andeighteen awards, which are endowed currently with a total value of almost € 72, 500.