The pitching session was opened on November 3rd, 2011 by the winner of the CoCo Special Pitch Award 2010, a prize underscoring the synergies between the film festival and the co-production market by enabling the main prize-winner of the FilmFestival Cottbus to pitch their newest project at Connecting Cottbus the following year. Last year saw Vladimir Perisic presenting the idea for his new film THE WORKER'S SEA (producer: Trilema Film).

The main prize of the 2010 FilmFestival Cottbus went to WHITE, WHITE WORLD, directed by Oleg Novkovich (Serbia, Germany, Sweden, 2010) In emulation of an antique tragedy and with powerful impact, director Oleg Novkovic tells a fatal love story set in the Serbian mining town of Bor.

So Oleg Novkovich was invited as the winner of the CoCo Special Pitch Award to pitch his newest project in Cottbus 2011. (Claritta Kratschowil from the German co-producing film production firm OSTLICHT, Weimar accepted the award on behalf of the director.)

2011 once again saw the participants of Connecting Cottbus competing for the CoCo Best Pitch Award. All of the projects were presented in Cottbus were automatically in the running for this prize. The best pitch was   voted on by the professional audience following the event, and the winner of the Award was announced during an evening reception by Medienboard and MDM at the restaurant "Zelig" in Cottbus on Thursday, November 3, 2011.

For the first time the Berlin-based post production company "The Post Republic" was donating color correction services and the production of a DCP for a suitable project. The winner was chosen by a jury of three film professionals.