Category Archives: #Berlinale

#Berlinale, Berlin Film Festival

First Films for the Competition of the Berlinale 2017

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

The first 14 films have been selected for the Competition and Berlinale Special section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. So far ten productions and co-productions have been invited to the Competition from Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Lebanon, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Senegal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, and the USA.

As part of the official programme, Berlinale Special also presents topical works by contemporary filmmakers, documentaries and extraordinary formats. To date four productions have been invited.

Further announcements regarding programme selections will be made in the coming weeks.

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Colo

Competition

Teströl és lélekröl (On Body and Soul)
Hungary
By Ildiko Enyedi (My 20th Century, Simon the Magician)
With Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider
World premiere

Ana, mon amour
Romania / Germany / France
By Călin Peter Netzer (Child‘s Pose, Maria)
With Mircea Postelnicu, Diana Cavallioti, Carmen Tănase, Adrian Titieni, Vlad Ivanov
World premiere

Beuys – Documentary
Germany
By Andres Veiel (Black Box Germany, Addicted To Acting, If not us, Who)
World premiere

Colo
Portugal / France
By Teresa Villaverde (The Major Age, The Mutants, Trance)
With João Pedro Vaz, Alice Albergaria Borges, Beatriz Batarda, Clara Jost
World premiere

The Dinner
USA
By Oren Moverman (The Messenger, Rampart)
With Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny
World premiere

Félicité
France / Senegal / Belgium / Germany / Lebanon
By Alain Gomis (L’Afrance, Andalucia, Tey)
With Véro Tshanda Beya, Gaetan Claudia, Papi Mpaka
World premiere

The Party
United Kingdom
By Sally Potter (Orlando, Yes, Ginger & Rosa)
With Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall
World premiere

Pokot (Spoor)
Poland / Germany / Czech Republic / Sweden / Slovak Republic
By Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa, Bitter Harvest, In Darkness)
With Agnieszka Mandat, Wiktor Zborowski, Miroslav Krobot, Jakub Gierszał, Patricia Volny, Borys Szyc
World premiere

Toivon tuolla puolen (The Other Side of Hope)
Finland
By Aki Kaurismäki (The Match Factory Girl, I Hired A Contract Killer, Juha, Le Havre)
With Sakari Kuosmanen, Sherwan Haji
International premiere

Una Mujer Fantástica (A Fantastic Woman)
Chile / Germany / USA / Spain
By Sebastián Lelio (El Año del Tigre, Gloria)
With Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Küppenheim, Amparo Noguera
World premiere

Berlinale Special

Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt-Palast

La Reina de España (The Queen of Spain)
Spain
By Fernando Trueba (The Year of Awakening, Belle Époque, The Girl of Your Dreams)
With Penélope Cruz, Antonio Resines, Chino Darín, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Neus Asensi, Ana Belén
International premiere

Le jeune Karl Marx (The Young Karl Marx)
France / Germany / Belgium
By Raoul Peck (Sometimes In April, Moloch Tropical, Fatal Assistance)
With August Diehl, Stefan Konarske, Vicky Krieps, Hannah Steele, Olivier Gourmet
World premiere

Berlinale Special at the Kino International

Últimos días en La Habana (Last Days in Havana)
Cuba / Spain
By Fernando Pérez (Life Is to Whistle, Madrigal)
With Jorge Martínez, Patricio Wood, Gabriela Ramos
European premiere

Berlinale Special at the Volksbühne

Acht Stunden sind kein Tag (Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day)
Federal Republic of Germany 1972 – TV series with 5 episodes
By Rainer Werner Fassbinder
With Hanna Schygulla, Gottfried John, Luise Ullrich, Werner Finck, Irm Hermann
World premiere of the restored version

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(Source: Berlinale Press Office press release)

#Berlinale, Berlin Film Festival

The Berlin International Short Film Jury 2017

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The Berlinale Shorts International Jury consists of three filmmakers and artists with a working relationship to the short form. At home in multiple artistic and cultural fields, they each bring with them their own perspective on the way they view and evaluate the competing films: talented international directors, young artists and actors as well as short film curators and film academy directors award works that tread new cinematographic territory.

Artist and professor at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design Christian Jankowski; curator and social media manager at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art Kimberly Drew; and the artistic director of SANFIC (Santiago International Film Festival) Carlos Núñez make up the 2017 International Short Film Jury. They will award the Golden and the Silver Bear, as well as the Audi Short Film Award. In addition, the Jury will nominate one film for Best Short Film at the European Film Awards.

Maike Mia Höhne, curator of Berlinale Shorts, comments on the 2017 Jury:

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Maike Mia Hohne, curator of Berlinale Shorts (Photo via AG Kurzfilm)

“The top-notch biographies of Jankowski, Drew and Núñez give us a jury for 2017 that combines three highly accomplished and very different points of view. I’m very pleased!”

 

Christian Jankowski (Photo credit: Jorg Reichardt)

Christian Jankowski (Germany)
Jankowski works in the area of concept and media arts using film, video, photography and performance, as well as painting, sculpture and installations. His special focus is on the performative interaction between the artist and an audience far removed from the professional art world. His works are exhibited in numerous museums and collections, and have been shown at the Venice Biennale in 1999 and 2013, among other events. In 2016, he curated the European Biennial of Contemporary Art in Zurich, “Manifesta 11”. Christian Jankowski also holds a professorship in sculpture at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design.

 

Kimberly Drew (Photo credit: Naima Green)

Kimberly Drew (USA)
Kimberly Drew is a curator, writer and the social media manager at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Her blog “Black Contemporary Art”, founded in 2011, and her Instagram channel “museummammy” are among the most influential digital platforms for African and African-American art worldwide. She has been awarded the AIR Gallery Feminist Curator Award and the Gold Rush Award by the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation for her curatorial work. Kimberly Drew studied art history and African-American studies with an emphasis on museum studies at Smith College in Northampton, USA.

 

Carlos Nunez (Photo Credit: Nicolas Tello)

Carlos Núñez (Chile)
Festival programmer and film producer Carlos Núñez is the co-founder and artistic director of SANFIC, the Santiago International Film Festival, an important forum for Chilean and Latin American film. In addition, he is the director and co-founder of the production and distribution company Storyboard Media. Among other films, he has co-produced La Mujer de Barro by Sergio Castro San Martín, which screened in Forum at the 2015 Berlinale. Carlos Núñez is also a university lecturer and a member of Cinema23, a platform for the promotion of film culture in Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

 

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(Source: http://www.berlinale.de)

#Berlinale, #BIFF, Berlin Film Festival

Paul Verhoeven Appointed Jury President of the Berlinale 2017

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Posted  by Larry Gleeson

The Dutch director and screenwriter Paul Verhoeven will serve as jury president of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Berlinale-“With Paul Verhoeven as jury president, we have a filmmaker who has worked in a variety of genres in Europe and Hollywood. His creative, multifaceted boldness and his willingness to experiment are reflected in the spectrum of his works,” says Dieter Kosslick, director of the Berlinale.

The Berlinale welcomed the acclaimed filmmaker in 2013 at the Berlinale Talent Campus (today’s Berlinale Talents). At the panel “Follow Your Instincts: Filmmaking According to Paul Verhoeven” he gave insight into his work methods and his perspective on production landscapes in the US and Europe.

Following studies in mathematics and physics, Paul Verhoeven turned his attention towards film in the mid-1960s, and began his directing career in 1969 with the successful Dutch television series Floris. After his feature film debut Business is Business in 1971, about two prostitutes who dream of a conventional middle-class life, came the erotic thriller Turkish Delight in 1973, a big hit in the Netherlands that also garnered a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1974 Academy Awards. Following his international breakthrough Soldier of Orange (1977) – which was nominated for a Golden Globe – and The Fourth Man (1983), Paul Verhoeven moved to Hollywood to focus on an evolution of style in his work.

Large productions featuring lots of action and special effects, like RoboCop (1987), and especially Total Recall (1990), were big box-office hits that revolutionized the science fiction film genre while maintaining credibility as author’s films.

The provocative, erotic thriller Basic Instinct (1992) saw Paul Verhoeven return to themes prevalent in his Dutch works. Basic Instinct shot Sharon Stone to stardom, and was nominated for two Academy Awards. In 1997 and 2000, he once again focused on science fiction with Starship Troopers and Hollow Man.

After nearly 20 years in Hollywood, Paul Verhoeven returned to the Netherlands in 2006 to film Black Book (2006), based on the story of a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II.

Starting in 2007, he moved his attention to writing. He returned to the cinema in 2016, celebrating his comeback with the French-German production Elle. In Elle, Paul Verhoeven continues his focus on familiar themes in a surprising new way. Isabelle Huppert plays a woman whose forays through the depths of sado-masochism help her transcend childhood trauma.

Elle, set to open in German cinemas on February 2, 2017, is nominated for the European Film Awards in three categories, as well as in two categories for the US Critics’ Choice Awards.
Press Office
December 9, 2016

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(Source:www.berlinale.de)

#Berlinale, #TIFF, North American Premiere

Toronto: Natalie Portman Biopic ‘Jackie’ Nabbed by Fox Searchlight

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Tatiana Siegel

Fox Searchlight has acquired U.S. rights to Jackie, which sees Natalie Portman star as former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy.

In an otherwise sleepy Toronto market, the deal marks the first significant sale of a finished film. Searchlight will release the historical drama on Dec. 9, giving it a prime awards-season birth.

Jackie, directed by Pablo Larraín, takes place in the days after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, focusing on Theodore H. White’s Life magazine interview with the widow at Hyannis Port.

Noah Oppenheim wrote the original script, which won best screenplay at this year’s Venice  Film Festival.

“Pablo Larraín’s Jackie is a daring, one-of-a-kind cinematic portrayal of a beloved icon,” said Searchlight presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley. “Led by an indelible performance from Natalie Portman and supported by a richly talented ensemble of actors and artists, the film is one we are thrilled to bring to audiences later this year.”.

Larraín will now have two potential awards-season contenders this year, as The Orchard will be pushing his Neruda, which is also playing at the Toronto Film Festival, in the foreign-language category.

Added Larraín: “[Searchlight’s] movies have been an important influence on me as a filmmaker, and it is a personal achievement for me to have them bring this very special story of a beautiful, sophisticated and mysterious woman to the world. Jackie was the most unknown of the known women of the 20th century.”

Darren Aronofsky produced Jackie along with Juan de Dios Larraín, Mickey Liddell, Scott Franklin and Ari Handel. Pete Shilaimon, Jennifer Monroe, Jayne Hong, Wei Han, Lin Qi, Josh Stern executive produced.

The film made its North American premiere in the Platform section of the festival.

Searchlight had first and last rights to negotiate on the film, which was repped by CAA.

 

See what Natalie, Noah Oppenhiem and Pablo Larrain have to say about Jackie:

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http://players.brightcove.net/769341148/E1zVmpNYx_default/index.html?videoId=5120087968001

*Featured photo courtesy of ASAC Images/Stehphanie Branchu

(Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com)

#Berlinale

A Touching Close to the Record-Setting #Berlinale 2016

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Producer and Director Gianfranco Rosi accepts the 2016 Berlinale Golden Bear for Best Film: Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea). (Photo credit: Richard Hubner – Berlinale 2016)

On Saturday, the 66th Berlinale drew to a splendid close with the award ceremony. The event turned out to be a touching evening not least because of the Golden Bear awarded to Fuocoammare by Gianfranco Rosi. It reflected the political spirit that had been perceptible throughout the festival.

For eleven days the Berlinale demonstrated the creative power and diversity of cinema, as well as welcomed guests and the public at many panel discussions and talks on the seventh art. With 337,000 tickets sold a new attendance record in the 66-year history of the festival was achieved.

The 67th Berlin International Film Festival Berlin will be held from February 9 to 19, 2017. (Berlinale Press Office)

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The #Berlinale Camera Award

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Since 1986 the Berlin International Film Festival has presented the Berlinale Camera to film personalities or institutions to which it feels particularly indebted and wishes to express its thanks.

At the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, three personalities were awarded the Berlinale Camera: producer, cinema operator and film distributor Ben Barenholtz (USA); actor, director, writer and producer Tim Robbins (USA); and cinema operator Marlies Kirchner (Germany).

Ben Barenholtz

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Ben Barenholtz, center, a 2016 Berlinale Camera recipient, is flanked by Coen Brothers, Joel, left and Ethan, right. (Photo Credit: Ali Ghandtschi)

Born in Eastern Poland, now part of Ukraine, Ben Barenholtz became one of the most important figures in the American indie film scene. He immigrated to the US in 1947 and began his career as an assistant manager of the RKO Bushwick movie theatre in New York in 1959. From 1966 to 1968, he managed the Village Theater, which became an important venue for the counterculture and anti-Vietnam protests. It also featured many jazz giants of that period, such as Nina Simone and John Coltrane, as well as bands like The Who and Cream. In 1968, he opened the Elgin Cinema, which became a key venue for independent filmmakers and repertory cinema. It provided a home for the early film works by luminaries such as Jack Smith, Andy Warhol, Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorsese, and the revival of the Buster Keaton films. He invented the legendary “midnight movie” format, with the screening of El Topo (D: Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970), which helped raise underground filmmaking to cult status. In 1972, Barenholtz founded the distribution company Libra Films, which released films such as Just Before Nightfall (D: Claude Chabrol, 1971), Cousin Cousine (D: Jean-Charles Tacchella, 1975) and Eraserhead (D: David Lynch, 1977). In 1984, he joined Circle Releasing as President, distributing such films as 36 Fillette (D: Catherine Breillat, 1988), Tales from Gimli Hospital (D: Guy Maddin, 1988), Thérèse (D: Alain Cavalier, 1986), and Blood Simple (1984), the Coen brothers’ first feature film.

Barenholtz began his involvement in film production with the Coen brothers, serving as executive producer on Raising Arizona (1987), Miller’s Crossing (1990), and Barton Fink (1991), which swept the three top prizes at the Cannes film festival. He went on to produce many successful films, such as Georgia (D: Ulu Grosbard, 1995) and Requiem for a Dream (D: Darren Aronofsky, 2000). In 2008, he was invited to join the Jury for the Best First Feature Award at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival. He made his directorial debut, Music Inn, about the famous music venue, in 2005, which was followed by Wakaliwood: The Documentary (2012), shot entirely in Kampala, Uganda.

Ben Barenholtz was awarded the Berlinale Camera on Friday, February 12, 2016 in the cinema at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, with the Coen brothers in attendance. A Q&A moderated by Michael Barker followed a screening of the work-in-progress documentary Perseverance, which was produced by Polish Television, and deals with Barenholtz’s life.
The Berlinale Camera award to Ben Barenholtz kicked off a new tradition of honouring an outstanding producer with the prestigious award each year as part of the European Film Market.

Tim Robbins

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American actor, writer, director and producer Tim Robbins with 2016 Berlinale Camera Award Trophy during Berlinale 2016. (Photo Credit: Richard Hubner)

 American Tim Robbins has been a successful working actor, director, writer and producer in Hollywood for almost 40 years. He won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Mystic River (D: Clint Eastwood, 2003), and a Best Actor Award at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival for his role in Robert Altman’s The Player (1992). His additional acting credits include such films as Bull Durham (D: Ron Shelton, 1988), Robert Altman’s Short Cuts (1993), The Shawshank Redemption (D: Frank Darabont, 1994), The Hudsucker Proxy (D: Joel & Ethan Coen, 1994), Isabel Coixet’s The Secret Life of Words (2005) and Fernando León de Aranoa’s A Perfect Day (2015.)

Robbins wrote and directed the 1992 political satire, Bob Roberts, and the 1999 film, Cradle Will Rock, which earned a nomination for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won two Gran Angular Awards – Best Film and Best Director – at the Sitges Film Festival (Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya.) The death row drama, Dead Man Walking, won several prizes at the 1996 Berlin International Film Festival, including a Silver Bear for lead actor Sean Penn, and went on to earn four Academy Award nominations, with Susan Sarandon winning for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Robbins attended the Berlinale once again in 2013 as a member of the International Jury.

In addition to his work on film, Robbins is founder of The Actors’ Gang, a theatre ensemble based in Los Angeles where he has served for over 30 years as Artistic Director. The Gang has been touring throughout the US and internationally with productions of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, George Orwell’s “1984”, “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine” and “Embedded”.
Additionally, the Actors’ Gang Prison Project works to help California prison inmates rehabilitate themselves through the arts, with acting members of the Gang, including Robbins, working with inmates in several California Prisons. To date more than 500 inmates have participated in The Prison Project, which recently received the endorsement of the California Department of Corrections and the U.S. Justice Department.
In 2014, Robbins was honored with the National Guild for Community Arts Education Leadership Award, recognizing his innovative and socially conscious work as a film and theater artist, his passionate commitment to equity and social justice, as well as his steadfast advocacy and support for arts education. The Guild noted that “The Prison Project at The Actors’ Gang is an inspiring, national model for our field which demonstrates the power of arts participation to unlock human potential and creativity, heal, and transform lives.”

The Berlinale Camera was awarded to Tim Robbins on Saturday, February 13, 2016 in the Kino International cinema, with Catalan director Isabel Coixet giving the honorific speech and German actor Louis Klamroth presenting. The award ceremony was followed by a screening of Dead Man Walking (1995).

Marlies Kirchner

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Berlinale Festival Director Dieter Kosslick, left, with 2016 Berlinale Camera Award recipient Marlies Kirchner, center, and Andreas Rost, right. (Photo Credit: Andreas Teich)

Cinema operator Marlies Kirchner has been dedicated to film for more than 40 years. She first worked for distributor Neue Filmkunst at Cannes, before becoming co-owner of the arthouse Theatiner Filmkunst in Munich. She initially ran it together with her husband, Walter Kirchner, before becoming sole operator in 1975. The cinema, in a listed building, opened in 1957 with the Italian comedy Cops and Robbers starring Totò and, over the years, has become a Munich institution and mecca for movie devotees. The cinema has always presented a programme of high-quality films. From films banned in the Nazi era to avant-garde films, and European auteur cinema, usually shown in their original language with subtitles, the repertory offers Munich’s moviegoers a diverse and sophisticated selection of films. The distribution arm, Neue Filmkunst, supplements that with discoveries from film festivals. The film theatre’s contribution to keeping art films alive and Marlies Kirchner’s endeavours in sustaining high quality cinema in the Bavarian state capital have been honoured several times with the city’s prize for cinemas (“Kinoprogrammpreis”), most recently in 2015. The Munich film festival also dedicated its 1999 homage to her.

Marlies Kirchner was awarded the Berlinale Camera on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at the Berlinale Lunch Club.

The Trophy

Berlinale Camera

The Berlinale Camera has been awarded since 1986. Until 2003, it was donated by Berlin-based jeweller David Goldberg. From 2004 through 2013, Georg Hornemann Objects, a Dusseldorf-based atelier, sponsored the trophy, which goldsmith Hornemann redesigned for the Berlinale in 2008: Modelled on a real camera, the Berlinale Camera now has 128 finely crafted components. Many of these silver and titanium parts, such as the swivel head and tripod, are movable. (Berlinale Press Office)

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#Berlinale 2016: The Panorama Audience Awards go to Junction 48 and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?

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(Photo Credit: © Amnon Zalait)  (Photo Credit: © Heymann Brothers Films

The public has cast its votes: the 18th Panorama Audience Awards – presented by the Berlinale Panorama section in collaboration with radioeins, Berlin-Brandenburg’s public radio and television station (rbb), go to Junction 48 by Udi Aloni for best fiction film and Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? by Tomer and Barak Heymann for best documentary.

Udi Aloni may be called a loyal friend of the Berlinale – since 2003 he has presented all of his films at the festival. Junction 48 was the sixth production to premiere in the Panorama section. For Tomer Heymann it is the second Panorama Audience Award – his film Paper Dolls won in 2006. This time he shares the award: Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? was co-directed by the brothers Tomer and Barak Heymann.
In both the fiction and documentary categories, the winning films took the lead relatively early on and were able to hold this position until all votes were counted.

The official award ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 21, at 5.00 pm in CinemaxX 7 at Potsdamer Platz. The awards will be presented by Panorama curator Wieland Speck and radioeins programme manager Robert Skuppin. Radioeins film expert Knut Elstermann will host the event. Directly after the ceremony, the Panorama Dokumente winner will be shown. The winning fiction film will be screened at 8.00 pm, also in CinemaxX 7.

The Panorama Audience Award has been given since 1999. Since 2011, not only the best fiction film but also the best documentary film have received awards. During the festival, moviegoers are asked to rate the films shown in Panorama on voting cards after the screenings. In 2016 a total of 30.000 votes were cast and counted.

This year Panorama presented 51 feature-length films from 33 countries, of which 17 screened in the Panorama Dokumente series.

Panorama Audience Award Winner Fiction Film 2016:

Junction 48
Israel / Germany / USA 2016
By Udi Aloni

2nd place Panorama Audience Award Fiction Film 2016
Grüße aus Fukushima (Fukushima, mon Amour)
Germany 2016
By Doris Dörrie

3rd place Panorama Audience Award Fiction Film 2016
Shepherds and Butchers
South Africa / USA / Germany 2016
By Oliver Schmitz

Panorama Audience Award Winner Panorama Dokumente 2016:

Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?
Israel / Great Britain 2016
By Tomer & Barak Heymann

2nd place Panorama Audience Award Panorama Dokumente 2016
Strike A Pose
Netherlands / Belgium 2016
By Reijer Zwaan, Ester Gold

3rd place Panorama Audience Award Panorama Dokumente 2016
WEEKENDS
Republic of Korea (South Korea) 2016
By Lee Dong-ha

(Berlinale Press Office)

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Prizes Awarded During #Berlinale Talents

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Once again, prizes were awarded to filmmakers during Berlinale Talents.

Within the framework of the “Talent Project Market”, the 10,000 Euros VFF Talent Highlight Pitch Award went to the project Tank, which had been presented by producer Max Serdiuk from the Ukraine. Cash prizes endowed with 1,000 Euros each were awarded for the nomination of their projects to the Argentinian producer Cecilia Salim and the Norwegian producer Gary Cranner.

The Robert Bosch Stiftung awarded during Berlinale Talents film prizes to promote international cooperation between German and Arab filmmakers, endowed with a maximum of 70,000 Euros each:

Animation: Four Acts for Syria by directors Waref Abu Quba and Kevork Mourad, Syria / producer Eva Illmer, Germany.
Documentary: Miguel’s War by director and producer Eliane Raheb, Lebanon / producers Lissi Muschol and Margot Haiböck, Germany.
Short Film: Tshweesh by director Feyrouz Serhal, Lebanon / producers Lara Abou Saifan, Lebanon and Stefan Gieren, Germany. (Berlinale Press Office)

(Photo Credit: Peter Himsel © Berlinale Talents 2015)

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#Berlinale Talents 2016: A Tribute to Talent in Today’s World of Film

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On Thursday evening, February 18, the 14th edition of Berlinale Talents came to a successful close with the master class of Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney. During the six-day event, 300 film creatives and over 150 internationally renowned experts turned the HAU Hebbel am Ufer into a hub for networking, intercultural exchange and discussing the latest trends in film.

Under its theme “The Nature of Relations”, Berlinale Talents explored the inner connections of cinematic storytelling and new ways of collaborative working in production and distribution. In over 100 events the Talents met internationally noted authorities from the world of film, among them Meryl Streep, Brigitte Lacombe, Lars Eidinger, Alba Rohrwacher, Alex Gibney, Thomas Vinterberg, Denis Côté, Michael Ballhaus, Roy Andersson, Michel Franco and many others…

This year’s edition was also a tribute to the success of Berlinale Talents, together with the other programme sections of the Berlinale, in discovering, supporting and developing talent in film. 111 alumni participated with 84 films at the Berlin International Film Festival, with many also invited to the summit as experts. With over 50 Talents already having had films at previous Berlinale editions, the participants were also lead to assume a more active role and contributed with their experience in many new formats. “The level of experience was outstanding. Talents, alumni and experts met at eye-level. We are delighted that Berlinale Talents as a leading talent development programme for exchanging ideas and developing film projects was received so enthusiastically” said the heads of Berlinale Talents Christine Tröstrum and Florian Weghorn.

Kickstarter and Berlinale Talents join forces in a network partnership to promote Talents and alumni around the world and help them to bring projects to life. Film professionals with interest in crowdfunding receive exclusive mentorship by the Kickstarter team…

The new co-partner Nespresso has launched the vertical video contest “Nespresso Talents 2016”. The competition is open for entries March 7 through April 10, 2016, on www.nespresso.com/talents. Winners will be announced on May 12, 2016 and receive 6,000 Euros each and a trip to the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. (Berlinale Press Office)

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WRAPPING UP ANOTHER DAZZLING BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

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There was no shortage of highlights at the 2016 Berlinale. First up was a glamorous kick-off with the opening film Hail, Caesar! attended by directors Joel and Ethan Coen, along with stars George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Josh Brolin, Channing Tatum and Alden Ehrenreich. That was followed by the gala premieres of film greats and, not least of all, the award of an Honorary Golden Bear for his life’s work to legendary German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus.

 

Ballhaus_1Festival Director Dieter Kosslick, left,  and the awardee Michael Ballhaus in the Berlinale Palast. (Photo Credit: Ali Ghandtschi © Berlinale 2016)

There were standing ovations for jury president Meryl Streep who – with jurors Lars Eidinger, Nick James, Brigitte Lacombe, Clive Owen, Alba Rohrwacher and Małgorzata Szumowska – will award the Berlinale’s main prizes.

Star guests on this year’s red carpet included Pernilla August, Susanne Bier, Daniel Brühl, Daniel Burman, Nick Cannon, Don Cheadle, Isabel Coixet, John Cusack, Gérard Depardieu, Doris Dörrie, Kirsten Dunst, Trine Dyrholm, Colin Firth, Greta Gerwig, Alex Gibney, Brendan Gleeson, Tom Hiddleston, Isabelle Huppert, Julia Jentsch, Nick Jonas, Hugh Laurie, Denis Lavant, Jude Law, Spike Lee, Laura Linney, Dominik Moll, Julianne Moore, Cynthia Nixon, Guy Pearce, Michael Peña, Tim Robbins, Gianfranco Rosi, James Schamus, Michael Shannon, Alexander Skarsgård, André Téchiné, Emma Thompson, Thomas Vinterberg, Wayne Wang and many more.

This year, the Berlinale could look proudly on a host of activities aimed at refugees. In cooperation with the BBZ Beratungs- und Betreuungszentrum für junge Flüchtlinge und Migranten (support centre for young refugees and migrants), 18 refugees had the opportunity to visit and observe various areas behind the scenes in the festival offices. With the participation of 953 people, the “sponsored cinema visit” project organised with Berlin’s non-profit refugee aid organisations was also a success. And for the first time in Berlinale history, the festival specifically urged visitors to make a donation, with 25,000 euros collected so far.

And the Berlinale once again lived up to its reputation as the largest audience festivals around. As of yesterday evening (Thursday, Feb 18), visitors to the Berlinale had bought 310,000 tickets.

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Sunday, February 21, 2016 is Berlinale Publikumstag, another special treat for the public. Many of the festival films from various sections will be screened again at Berlinale venues.

The third year of the Berlinale Open House and Berlinale Lounge Nights at the Audi Berlinale Lounge drew crowds as well. About 7,200 visitors attended the 30 events.

The European Film Market was another success of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. There was a notable increase over last year in the number of participants – in both the market and the individual initiatives – for the international trade fair at the Berlinale, which was held at the Martin Gropius Bau and the new Gropius Park, along with the Marriott Hotel. Exhibitors and buyers enjoyed great interest, a lively exchange and plenty of deal-making. There was also an extremely good response to the new platforms “Drama Series Days”, “EFM Startups”, “EFM Asia” and the “EFM Producers Hub”. Altogether, this year’sEFM marked a good start to the year, providing strong momentum for the industry.

With the Award Ceremony at 7 pm on Saturday, Feb 20, the 66th Berlin International Film Festival draws to a spectacular close. The winners of the Golden and Silver Bears and the Audi Short Film Award, as well as the Best First Feature Award will be announced at the festive gala. Directly after the ceremony there will be a screening of a winning film.

Anke Engelke will host the event, which will be broadcast live by ZDF/3sat at 7 pm. The Award Ceremony will also be available via live stream at www.berlinale.de. (Berlinale Press Office)