The Bulgarian film Sister won the grand prize at the Cottbus Film Festival in Germany. "Director Svetla Tsotsorkova paints a visually impressive, conflict-filled family portrait," the international jury's commented. The movie won the Best Picture Award. The award is accompanied by a € 25,000 prize pool.

The festival has awarded prizes amounting around € 75,000.

30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, it reflects socially, historically and personally "the unusual viewpoints that Eastern European cinema tells its stories," program director Bernd Buder explained of film selection.

22,000 visitors attended the program events this year. More than 200 films were screened.