Berlin International Film Festival

Take What You Can Carry

27 short films from will be competing at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, as well as the nomination for best short film at the European Film Awards and the first-ever EUR 20,000 Audi Short Film Award.

This year’s members of the International Short Film Jury are documentary filmmaker and curator Madhusree Dutta, Turkish artist Halil Altındere, and producer and festival director Wahyuni A. Hadi from Singapore. Screening in competition are the latest works of Nadav Lapid, Amit Dutta, Jennifer Reeder, Matt Porterfield, artist duos Daniel Schmidt & Alexander Carver, Mischa Leinkauf & Matthias Wermke in collaboration with Lutz Henke, Billy Roisz & Dieter Kovačič, among many others.

What images have the power to dispel the pleasure found by some in being a soldier? Israeli director Nadav Lapid asks himself this question and then discovers an image that is able to do exactly that in Lama? (Why?). In Japan, there’s a new term since Fukushima: “atomic divorce”. It is what the many divorces are called that have been filed all over Japan in the aftermath of the catastrophe. Christian Bau attempts to capture this phenomenon in Snapshot Mon Amour. David Muñoz visits a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon. The production of his film El Juego del Escondite (Hide & Seek) relates directly to the question of what enables a refugee to remain the subject of his or her own narrative. Then there is the quintessence of artist intervention in public space – the raising of white flags atop the Brooklyn Bridge last summer in New York City – which can be seen as either an affront or a chance: the documentary Symbolic Threats by Leinkauf, Wermke and Henke offers a number of interpretations.

Matt Porterfield’s Take What You Can Carry tells of a young woman who is a foreigner in Berlin – and in doing so portrays Generation Y, with performance group Gob Squad as its mouthpiece. Jennifer Reeder’s Blood Below the Skin gives a glimpse of the tender and tangled web of love and dependency between a mother and her daughter that goes beyond the traditional allocation of roles.

Berlinale Shorts 2015:

Architektura, Ulu Braun, Germany, 15’ (WP)
Bad at Dancing, Joanna Arnow, USA, 11’ (WP)
Blood Below the Skin, Jennifer Reeder, USA, 32’ (WP)
Chitrashala (House of Painting), Amit Dutta, India, 19’ (WP)
Däwit (Daewit), David Jansen, Germany, 15’ (WP)
Dissonance, Till Nowak, Germany, 17’ (WP)
Hosanna, Na Young-kil, South Korea, 25’ (DP)
La Isla está Encantada con Ustedes (The Island is Enchanted with You), Alexander Carver & Daniel Schmidt, USA / Switzerland / Australia, 28’ (IP)
El Juego del Escondite (Hide & Seek), David Muñoz, Spain, 23’ (WP)
Kamakshi, Satindar Singh Bedi, India, 25’ (WP)
Lama? (Why?), Nadav Lapid, Israel, 5’ (IP)
Lembusura, Wregas Bhanuteja, Indonesia, 10’ (IP)
Lo Sum Choe Sum (3 Year 3 Month Retreat), Dechen Roder, Bhutan, 20’ (WP)
maku (veil), Yoriko Mizushiri, Japan, 6’ (WP)
The Mad Half Hour, Leonardo Brzezicki, Argentina / Denmark, 22’ (WP)
Mar de Fogo (Sea of Fire), Joel Pizzini, Brazil, 8’ (WP)
Of Stains, Scrap & Tires, Sebastian Brameshuber, Austria / France, 19’ (IP)
Pebbles at Your Door, Vibeke Bryld, Denmark, 18’ (WP)
Planet Ʃ, Momoko Seto, France, 12’ (WP)
San Cristóbal, Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo, Chile, 29’ (WP)
Shadowland, John Skoog, Sweden, 15’ (IP)
Snapshot Mon Amour, Christian Bau, Germany, 6’ (WP)
Superior, Erin Vassilopoulos, USA, 16’ (IP)
Symbolic Threats, Mischa Leinkauf, Matthias Wermke & Lutz Henke, Germany, 16’ (WP)
Take What You Can Carry, Matt Porterfield, USA / Germany, 30’ (WP)
The, Billy Roisz & Dieter Kovačič, Austria, 13’ (WP)
YúYú, Marc Johnson, France / Spain / USA, 15’ (WP)

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Eleven fictional and eight documentary films have been selected to screen in the 36th Panorama program of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival taking place from February 5 to 15, 2015.  

East Asia will again make a strong showing in 2015. Already confirmed are significant works by renowned directors from Taiwan and South Korea. With Paradise in Service, director Doze Niu Chen-Zer from Taiwan presents a difficult chapter of East Asian history that has hardly ever been dealt with before: the establishment of brothels to keep up the morale of armed forces in the battle “against Mao”. And with JK Youn’s epic Ode to My Father, South Korea, half of a still divided country, investigates the repercussions of the Korean War and their impact on today.

The USA’s presence will also be felt: After Henry Fool and Fay Grim (Panorama 2007), cult filmmaker Hal Hartley, an iconic figure from the golden days of 1980s US-independent film, has concluded his trilogy with a masterpiece: Ned Rifle. And Justin Kelly provides an unusual directorial debut with I Am Michael, which was co-produced by Gus Van Sant. In it James Franco portrays a gay activist during the so emancipating 1980s, who then tries to turn straight in the 1990s. From the same decade, but set in the 1980s is an example of a filmmaker’s extraordinary perseverance, even though his work was edited beyond recognition by its investors: seventeen years after the premiere of the film 54 about the legendary New York nightclub, Studio 54, director Mark Christopher is presenting his original cut 54 – The Director’s Cut to the public.

Raoul Peck will present his latest work in the Panorama: the Haitian-French-Norwegian co-production Murder in Pacot (screenplay: Pascal Bonitzer). A character piece set outdoors against the catastrophe of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince looks with bitter rage at class distinctions in Haitian society.

One film from Latin America has already been confirmed, a co-production from Uruguay and Chile: Aldo Garay’s The New Man. Here, too, recent history is explored: in the heat of the battle that Tupamaros and Sandinistas are fighting against the military dictatorships in their respective countries, Roberto, a young boy from Nicaragua, suddenly finds himself with foster parents in Uruguay. When he then decides to change his gender, he is also confronted with the limits of tolerance in leftist society.

Child abuse is the subject in several works, including the aforementioned The New Man, and films from Austria (The Last Summer of the Rich by Peter Kern), Switzerland (Dora or the Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents by Stina Werenfels), Canada (Chorus by Francois Delisle) and the Czech Republic (Daniel’s World by Veronika Liskova). Evidently the time is ripe to broach this difficult topic again and in so doing take even greater risks.

The Norwegian fictional film Out of Nature by Ole Giæver and Marte Vold is a zeitgeisty parable about a man, and his search for identity and joy in life. The young father needs a break from parental bliss: he retreats to the mountains to rethink what he wants from life.

In the Swedish contribution Dyke Hard by Bitte Anderson, all the stops have been pulled on what makes indie cinema so entertaining. A zany, quasi musical of post-punk-lesbo-rock-‘n’-roll calibre: this is underground fun at its purest.

Five other films (besides The New Man, The Yes Men and Daniel’s World) have already been confirmed for Panorama Dokumente:

B-Movie – Lust & Sound in West-Berlin by Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck and Heiko Lange also embraces this rediscovered pleasure in the 1980s: a cornucopia of unbridled creativity spurts from this period in Berlin, which is revealed here to have been a highpoint. Alongside almost forgotten gems are tracks by Gudrun Gut, Blixa Bargeld and Nick Cave, among others.

Scandal at the Zoo Palast: R.W. Fassbinder’s conquest of the Berlinale began with Love Is Colder than Death in the 1969 Competition. In Fassbinder – To Love without Demands, Danish filmmaker Christian Braad Thomsen opens his archive and generously gives us a contemplative afternoon in a hotel room in Cannes with this unendingly inspiring filmmaker.

Kenya is among those African countries where, under the influence of evangelical organisations from the United States, hatred has been ignited against homosexuals. In Stories of Our Lives, Jim Chuchu lets a whole range of brave people talk. Banned in its country of origin, the film also presents pre-Christian rites that respect self-determination much more than society today.

In his 162-minute 3D documentary Iraqi Odyssey, Iraqi-Swiss filmmaker Samir masterly depicts the latest, highly complex history of Iraq as revealed by events in a family.

Last not least, news of a celebration! On February 13, 2014, the Teddy Awards will be presented for the second time at the Komische Oper Berlin. The Special Teddy 2015 will go to Udo Kier. Almost no other actor has crossed, fused, redrawn and extended the many boundaries of cinematic art with such ease.

54: The Director’s Cut 
USA
By Mark Christopher
With Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Mike Myers, Sela Ward, Mark Ruffalo
World premiere

Chorus 
Canada
By François Delisle
With Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Geneviève Bujold
European premiere

Der letzte Sommer der Reichen (The Last Summer of the Rich) 
Austria
By Peter Kern
With Amira Casar, Nicole Gerdon, Winfried Glatzeder
World premiere

Dora oder Die sexuellen Neurosen unserer Eltern (Dora or The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents) 
Switzerland / Germany
By Stina Werenfels
With Victoria Schulz, Jenny Schily, Lars Eidinger, Urs Jucker
International premiere

Dyke Hard 
Sweden
By Bitte Andersson
With Alle Eriksson, Peggy Sands, M. Wågensjö, Iki Gonzales Magnusson, Lina Kurttila
International premiere

Gukje Shijang (Ode to My Father)
Republic of Korea
By JK Youn
with Hwang Jung-min, Kim Yunjin
International premiere

I Am Michael
USA
By Justin Kelly
With James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts
International premiere

Jun Zhong Le Yuan (Paradise in Service) 
Taiwan 
By Doze Niu Chen-Zer
With Ethan Juan, Wan Qian, Chen Jianbin, Chen Yi-Han
European premiere

Meurtre à Pacot (Murder in Pacot)
France / Haiti / Norway
By Raoul Peck
With Alex Descas, Ayo, Thibault Vinçon, Lovely Kermonde Fifi, Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin
European premiere

Mot Naturen (Out of Nature) 
Norway
By Ole Giæver, Marte Vold
With Ole Giæver, Marte Magnusdotter Solem, Rebekka Nystadbakk, Ellen Birgitte Winther, Sievert Giaever Solem
European premiere

Ned Rifle (Ned Rifle) 
USA
By Hal Hartley
With Liam Aiken, Martin Donovan, Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey, Thomas Jay Ryan
European premiere

Panorama Dokumente

B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 
Germany
By Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck, Heiko Lange
With Mark Reeder, Marius Weber
World premiere

Danieluv svet (Daniel’s World) 
Czeck Republic
By Veronika Liskova
International premiere

El hombre nuevo (The New Man) 
Uruguay / Chile
By Aldo Garay
World premiere

Fassbinder – lieben ohne zu fordern (Fassbinder – To Love without Demands) 
Denmark
By Christian Braad Thomsen
With Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Irm Hermann, Harry Baer, Lilo Pempeit
World premiere

Iraqi Odyssey 
Switzerland
By Samir
European premiere

Stories of Our Lives 
Kenya
By Jim Chuchu
With Kelly Gichohi, Paul Ogola, Tim Mutungi, Mugambi Nthinga, Rose Njenga
European premiere

The Yes Men Are Revolting 
USA
By Laura Nix, Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno
European premiere

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Cinderella

The first seven films for the 65th Berlin International Film Festival Competition program have been selected, and include former Berlinale bear winners Andreas Dresen (Nightshapes 1999,Grill Point 2002) and Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line 1999) with their newest films. Frequent Berlinale Forum guest Peter Greenaway will participate in this year’s Competition. The directorial debut by Jayro Bustamante, simultaneously Guatemala’s debut in Competition, a feature film by former Generation participant Andrew Haigh, and the newest work by Russian director Alexey German are also among the first selected Competition films.  The live action film adaptation Cinderella by Kenneth Branagh will screen out of competition. 

Films confirmed in Competition to date (in alphabetical order):

45 Years
United Kingdom
By Andrew Haigh (Weekend)
With Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay
World premiere

Als wir träumten (As We Were Dreaming)
Germany / France
By Andreas Dresen (Grill Point, Cloud 9, Stopped on Track)
With Merlin Rose, Julius Nitschkoff, Joel Basman, Marcel Heuperman, Frederic Haselon, Ruby O. Fee
World premiere

Cinderella
USA
By Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet)
With Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Derek Jacobi und Helena Bonham Carter
International premiere – Out of competition

Eisenstein in Guanajuato
The Netherlands / Mexico / Belgium / Finland
By Peter Greenaway (The Tulse Luper Suitcases)
With Elmer Bäck, Luis Alberti
World premiere

Ixcanul (Ixcanul Volcano)
Guatemala / France
By Jayro Bustamante
With María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Antún, Justo Lorenzo, Marvin Coroy
World premiere – Debut feature

Knight of Cups
USA
By Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line)
With Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman
World premiere

Pod electricheskimi oblakami (Under Electric Clouds)
Russian Federation / Ukraine / Poland
By Alexey German (Paper Soldier)
With Lui Frank, Merab Ninidze, Viktoriya Korotkova, Chulpan Khamatova, Anastasiya Melnikova, Piotr Gasowski
World premiere

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Thirteen feature films produced and co-produced in twelve countries (Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Denmark, India, USA, Turkey, Australia and Ireland) have already been invited to the two Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions of the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival. Many of the so far selected works are set in what the festival describes as hermetic environments where young people who are coming of age experience diverse situations that threaten their very existence. 

Generation 14plus

The Beat Beneath My Feet – Great Britain
By John Williams
Tom (Nicholas Galitzine) is a shy teenager whose biggest dream is to play rock guitar. When he finds out that his new, cantankerous neighbour (Luke Perry) is a former superstar, Tom seizes his chance. A gritty rock and blues track sets the beat of this gripping directorial debut.
International premiere

Corbo – Canada
By Mathieu Denis
Quebec in the 1960s: Young Jean is trying to figure out who he is. The stories of his father’s immigration and social climb don’t provide the answers. He then discovers his calling in the FLQ, a radically left separatist organization. Gradually he comes to believe that the only path open is violence.
European premiere

Flocken (Flocking) – Sweden
By Beata Gårdeler
Jennifer’s claim of having been raped by a classmate lies heavily on this idyllic village in the Swedish provinces. In chilling images, the director portrays how this fourteen-year-old and her family are brutally shunned by the close-knit community. 
World premiere

Nena – Netherlands / Germany
By Saskia Diesing
Summer ’89 – the world is in turmoil, inside and out: Nena (rising star: Abbey Hoes) is 16. She is in love and embraces life with unbridled joy. In contrast, her paraplegic father (brilliant: Uwe Ochsenknecht) finds his life increasingly pointless. 
International premiere

Short Skin – Italy
By Duccio Chiarini
Eduardo has all the normal longings and desires of an adolescent. And he does not lack opportunities to live them out. If it weren’t for that little medical problem. A coming-of-age drama about friendship, yearnings and a too-tight foreskin. 
International premiere

 

Generation Kplus

Cykelmyggen og Minibillen (Mini and the Mozzies) – Denmark
By Jannik Hastrup and Flemming Quist Møller 
Mini the Beetle, and her friends are off on another adventure. With their inimitable, charmingly executed style, masters of Danish animation Jannik Hastrup and Flemming Quist Møller have again teamed up to continue their exciting animal saga.
European premiere

Dhanak (Rainbow) – India
By Nagesh Kukunoor
Pari has decided to help her little blind brother Chotu get his eyesight back. So she sets out with him on a magical journey through Rajasthan where they encounter all sorts of colourful characters. More than anything they want to meet Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, who on a poster has promised his viewers “new eyes”. 
World premiere

Dorsvloer vol Confetti (Confetti Harvest) – Netherlands
By Tallulah Schwab
Being the only girl in a seven-sibling family, nobody pays much attention to twelve-year-old Katelijne. While other children her age are having fun discovering what it means to become a teen, her strict protestant parents and village community see only the temptations of the devil.
International premiere

Golden Kingdom – USA
By Brian Perkins
In elegiac images, this film captures the meditative life of four novice monks in Myanmar. When they are suddenly left on their own, their world begins to unravel and lose its everyday rhythm. The boys are faced with some of the toughest challenges of their young lives. Then gunshots ring out from the valley far below. 
World premiere

Kar Korsanları (Snow Pirates) – Turkey
By Faruk Hacıhafızoğlu
Turkey 1981: on their daily search for bits of coal, three friends defy the bitter cold and poverty by telling each other their hopes and dreams. Their friendship and unwavering courage are stronger than any dangerous obstacle they may encounter. 
World premiere

Min lilla syster (My Skinny Sister) – Sweden / Germany
By Sanna Lenken
For Stella (brilliant: Rebecka Josephson), her big sister Katja is beautiful and a divine figure skater. When Stella realizes that Katja vomits nearly everything she eats, she is forced to choose between her concern and her loyalty. At the same time she has her own private worries to deal with. 
International premiere

Paper Planes – Australia
By Robert Connolly
Eleven-year-old Dylan’s paper planes fly higher and farther than anyone else’s. With this extraordinary talent, he qualifies to compete in the world championships in Tokyo. But Dylan (outstanding: Ed Oxenbould, who also stars in Julian and The Amber Amulet / Crystal Bear winners Generation 2012, 2013) has first to help his father (Sam Worthington) conquer his depression. A marvellous, uplifting family film.
European premiere

You’re Ugly Too – Ireland
By Mark Noonan
After her mother’s death, Stacey (Lauren Kinsella) moves with her uncle Will (Aiden Gillen) to a remote region in the Irish midlands. As the two cautiously get to know each other, they have to deal with the dark shadows of the past. An astute character-driven study on the need to regain footing and let go, told with a good dose of Irish humour. 
World premiere

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(BAI RI YAN HUO) BLACK COAL, THIN ICE by Diao Yinan

The winners of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival were announced on Saturday and the Chinese thriller (BAI RI YAN HUO) BLACK COAL, THIN ICE by Diao Yinan is the big winner, taking home the Golden Bear for Best Film. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL by Wes Anderson took second place, winning the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. The public cast its votes and DIFRET won the Audience Award for Best Fiction Film, and DER KREIS (THE CIRCLE) for Audience Award for Best Documentary.

GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM 
Bai Ri Yan Huo
Black Coal, Thin Ice
by Diao Yinan

SILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel
by Wes Anderson

SILVER BEAR ALFRED BAUER PRIZE for a feature film that opens new perspectives
Aimer, boire et chanter
Life of Riley
by Alain Resnais

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Richard Linklater for
Boyhood (Boyhood)

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS
Haru Kuroki in
Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House) by Yoji Yamada

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR
Liao Fan in
Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice) by Diao Yinan

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST SCRIPT
Dietrich Brüggemann, Anna Brüggemann for
Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) by Dietrich Brüggemann

SILVER BEAR FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION
in the categories camera, editing, music score, costume or set design
Zeng Jian for the camera in
Tui Na (Blind Massage) by Lou Ye

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD, 
Güeros
Güeros
by Alonso Ruizpalacios

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY

GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST SHORT FILM
Tant qu’il nous reste des fusils à pompe
As long as shotguns remain
by Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel

SILVER BEAR JURY PRIZE (SHORT FILM)
LABORAT
LABORAT
by Guillaume Cailleau

BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
Taprobana
Taprobana
by Gabriel Abrantes

DAAD SHORT FILM PRIZE
Person to Person
Person to Person
by Dustin Guy Defa

PRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION

Children’s Jury Generation Kplus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
Killa
The Fort
by Avinash Arun

SPECIAL MENTION
Hitono Nozomino Yorokobiyo
Joy of Man’s Desiring
by Masakazu Sugita

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Sprout
Sprout
by Ga-eun Yoon

SPECIAL MENTION
Sepatu Baru
On Stopping the Rain
by Aditya Ahmad

International Jury Generation Kplus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film,
Ciencias Naturales
Natural Sciences
by Matías Lucchesi

SPECIAL MENTION
Killa
The Fort
by Avinash Arun

THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film,
Moy lichniy los’
My Own Personal Moose
by Leonid Shmelkov

SPECIAL MENTION
el
away
by Roland Ferge

Youth Jury Generation 14plus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
52 Tuesdays
52 Tuesdays
by Sophie Hyde

SPECIAL MENTION
ärtico
arctic
by Gabri Velázquez

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Mike
Mike
by Petros Silvestros

SPECIAL MENTION
Emo (the musical)
Emo (the musical)
by Neil Triffett

International Jury Generation 14plus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film,
Violet
Violet
by Bas Devos

SPECIAL MENTION
Einstein and Einstein
Einstein and Einstein
by Cao Baoping

THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film,
Vetrarmorgun
Winter Morning
by Sakaris Stórá

SPECIAL MENTION
Søn
Son
by Kristoffer Kiørboe

INDEPENDENT JURIES

PRIZES OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY
Competition Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) by Dietrich Brüggemann
Special Mention ’71 (’71) by Yann Demange

Panorama Calvary (Calvary) by John Michael McDonagh
Special Mention Triptyque (Triptych) by Robert Lepage, Pedro Pires

Forum Sto spiti (At Home) by Athanasios Karanikolas

PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY
Competition Aimer, boire et chanter (Life of Riley) by Alain Resnais
Panorama Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks) by Daniel Ribeiro
Forum Forma (Forma) by Ayumi Sakamoto

PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ART HOUSE CINEMAS
Boyhood (Boyhood) by Richard Linklater

CICAE ART CINEMA AWARD
Panorama Kuzu (The Lamb) by Kutluğ Ataman
Forum She’s Lost Control (She’s Lost Control) by Anja Marquardt

LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS
Blind (Blind) by Eskil Vogt

TEDDY AWARD
Best Feature Film Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks) by Daniel Ribeiro
Best Documentary/
Essay Film Der Kreis (The Circle) by Stefan Haupt
Best Short Film Mondial 2010 (Mondial 2010) by Roy Dib
Teddy Jury Award Pierrot Lunaire (Pierrot Lunaire) by Bruce LaBruce

MADE IN GERMANY – PERSPEKTIVE FELLOWSHIP, endowed with € 15,000
funded by Glashütte Original
Sandra Kaudelka for Intershop

EX AEQUO
Sebastian Mez for 274

FGYO-AWARD DIALOGUE EN PERSPECTIVE, endowed with € 5,000
funded by the French-German Youth Office
Anderswo (Anywhere Else) by Ester Amrami

SPECIAL MENTION
nebel (fog) by Nicole Vögele

CALIGARI FILM PRIZE
Das große Museum (The Great Museum) by Johannes Holzhausen

NETPAC PRIZE
Cheol-ae-kum (A Dream of Iron) by Kelvin Kyung Kun Park

EX AEQUO
Non-fiction Diary (Non-fiction Diary) by Jung Yoon-suk

PEACE FILM PRIZE
We Come as Friends (We Come as Friends) by Hubert Sauper

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM PRIZE
Al midan (The Square) by Jehane Noujaim

CINEMA FAIRBINDET PRIZE
Concerning Violence (Concerning Violence) by Göran Hugo Olsson

HEINER CAROW PRIZE
Meine Mutter, ein Krieg und ich (My Mother, a War and Me) by Tamara Trampe, Johann Feindt

THINK:FILM AWARD, funded by the Allianz Kulturstiftung
Provenance (Provenance) by Amie Siegel

READERS’ JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARDS

PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARD – fiction film
Difret (Difret) by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari

PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARD – documentary film
Der Kreis (The Circle) by Stefan Haupt

BERLINER MORGENPOST READERS’ JURY AWARD
Boyhood (Boyhood) by Richard Linklater

TAGESSPIEGEL READERS’ JURY AWARD
Zamatoví teroristi (Velvet Terrorists) by Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský, Peter Kerekes

ELSE – SIEGESSÄULE READERS’ JURY AWARD
52 Tuesdays (52 Tuesdays) by Sophie Hyde

PRIZES BERLINALE CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & BERLINALE TALENTS

ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE, endowed with € 6,000
Emir Baigazin (Kazakhstan)
for The Wounded Angel

VFF HIGHLIGHT PITCH AWARD, endowed with € 10,000
Bavo Defurne (Belgium)
for Souvenir

DOLBY® ATMOS POLICY TRAILER
Yulia Glukhova (Russian Federation)

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“Untitled New York Review Of Books Documentary” directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi has been added to the 64th Berlin International Film Festival Berlinale Special, where it will be shown as a work in progress, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers and key contributors.

From the outset, the publication has been ahead of the mainstream thinking on political and social currents and upheavals. NYREV has been a source for intelligent and controversial thinking about the issues of our time: human rights, racial discrimination, the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the woman’s movement, and revolution in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. Making use of rare footage and photographs to provide historical context, the film includes writers like James Baldwin, Susan Sontag, Noam Chomsky and Norman Mailer; along with new footage of Joan Didion, Michael Chabon, Mary Beard, and Timothy Garton Ash; giving us a portrait of a magazine that has been on the vanguard of provocative ideas and commentary for over 50 years.

“For over 50 years, ‘The New York Review of Books’ has been one of the most interesting and sophisticated magazines on culture and politics, with content by outstanding writers and thinkers. In their wonderful documentary, Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi reveal the inner workings of the publication and its legendary editor, from its birth during the 1963 New York Times’ newspaper strike, through its continued relevance in today’s digital universe. We’re very pleased that we’ll be closing this year’s Berlinale Special with this highlight,” says Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick.

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CONCERNING VIOLENCE

The Panorama Dokumente section of the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival will present 16 films, including ten world premieres. Panorama Dokumente will open on February 7 with the world premiere of the Dutch co-production LAST HIJACK by Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting. The film depicts what motivates piracy in Somalia. 

Other films on the lineup with an African focus include the Ethiopian fictional feature DIFRET, and Swedish filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson CONCERNING VIOLENCE which World Premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. CONCERNING VIOLENCE is described by the festival as a strong commentary on Africa’s decolonization, cites Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth” – and with narration by singer Lauryn Hill. Olsson presented THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975 about the Afro-American civil rights movement in Panorama in 2011. In Thomas Allen Harris’ THROUGH A LENS DARKLY: BLACK PHOTOGRAPHERS AND THE EMERGENCE OF A PEOPLE, the history of photography is shown from an Afro-American perspective.

In IS THE MAN WHO IS TALL HAPPY?, Michel Gondry conveys what the festival describes as terrific ingenuity and loving humor his impressions from a series of talks with American linguist Noam Chomsky.

Panorama also has a tradition of music films, and continues with the British entry 20,000 DAYS ON EARTH by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, a densely poetic portrait of Australian musician, author and actor Nick Cave, whose more than 30-year career still displays a fascinating degree of artistic integrity and authenticity.

Besides Tamara Trampe and Johann Feindt’s MEINE MUTTER, EIN KRIEG UND ICH (MY MOTHER, A WAR AND ME), which traces the Second World War in the Ukraine, Annekatrin Hendel’s ANDERSON takes a look at Germany’s past by focusing on one of the most dubious figures of not-too-distant history. Sascha Anderson, charismatic pop star of the alternative literature scene in East Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg during the 1980s, was a zealous informant for the Stasi: even after more than twenty years, the wounds he inflicted on his former friends and colleagues run deep.

“Unfuck the world!” the slogan from ANOTHER WORLD by US-American filmmakers Rebecca Chaiklin and Fisher Stevens resonates in a number of Panorama fictional features, and captures an attitude towards life related to the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. This documentary gives an overview of events and how they led to many new initiatives.

With NATURAL RESISTANCE, Jonathan Nossiter takes a different approach to the same purpose: ten years after Mondovino, he provides insights into ecological vineyards, as well as developments in the other direction, the destruction of land caused by industrial wineries in Italy. Nossiter unites film history and wine production into an intelligent analysis. 

Several works revolve around emancipation: for instance, Gianni Amelio’s FELICE CHI È DIVERSO (HAPPY TO BE DIFFERENT) delivers a detailed account of queer history in Italy; or Claudia Richarz and Ulrike Zimmermann’s VULVA 3.0 gives a calm analysis and assessment of the current perception of the vulva – from education and censorship, to genital mutilation and intimate surgery.

Panorama Dokumente

20,000 Days on Earth – Great Britain
By Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
With Nick Cave
EP

Anderson – Germany
By Annekatrin Hendel
WP

Another World – USA
By Rebecca Chaiklin, Fisher Stevens
WP

Concerning Violence – Sweden / USA / Denmark
By Göran Hugo Olsson
EP

Der Anständige (The Decent One) – Israel / Austria / Germany
By Vanessa Lapa
WP

Der Kreis (The Circle) – Switzerland
By Stefan Haupt
With Marianne Sägebrecht, Anatole Taubman, Matthias Hungerbühler, Sven Schelker
WP

Felice chi è diverso (Happy to Be Different) – Italy
By Gianni Amelio
WP

Finding Vivian Maier – USA
By John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
EP

Fucking different XXY – Germany
By Mor Vital, KAy Garnellen, Felix Endara & Sasha Wortzel, J.Jackie Baier, Buck Angel, Jasco Viefhues, Gwen Haworth
WP

Last Hijack – Netherlands / Germany / Ireland / Belgium
By Tommy Pallotta, Femke Wolting
WP

Meine Mutter, ein Krieg und ich (My Mother, a War and Me) – Germany
By Tamara Trampe, Johann Feindt
WP

Natural Resistance – Italy
By Jonathan Nossiter
WP

The Dog – USA
By Frank Keraudren, Allison Berg
EP

Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People – USA
By Thomas Allen Harris
IP

Vulva 3.0 – Germany
By Claudia Richarz, Ulrike Zimmermann
WP

Panorama supporting films

Mario Wirz – Germany
By Rosa von Praunheim
WP

Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy? – France
By Michel Gondry
EP

(WP = World Premiere, IP = International Premiere, EP = European Premiere)

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FINAL RECIPE by Gina Kim

The Korean film FINAL RECIPE by Gina Kim will open the Culinary Cinema program of the 64th Berlinale, Berlin International Film Festival, which will be held from February 9 to 14, 2014. “We like it hot… but don’t let it burn” is the motto of the 2014 Culinary Cinema program. In FINAL RECIPE, Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) plays the producer of an extremely glamorous cooking contest who becomes entangled in a family drama. 

Franc Aleu’s documentary El Somni (THE DREAM)

Franc Aleu’s documentary El Somni (THE DREAM) is about the Roca brothers from Girona, a Catalonian town. Since 2013, their restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, is number one on the list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. At an exclusive dinner with twelve top personalities from the fields of gastronomy, art and science, the brothers’ extraordinary dishes are put in an intercultural context through video projections and performances. 

ZONE PRO SITE: THE MOVEABLE FEAST by Chen Yu-Hsun

With ZONE PRO SITE: THE MOVEABLE FEAST, Chen Yu-Hsun presents a zany, colourful comedy about traditional Taiwanese outdoor catering chefs. 

Yuzo Asahara’s Bushi No Kondate (A TALE OF SAMURAI COOKING – A TRUE LOVE STORY)

Yuzo Asahara’s Bushi No Kondate (A TALE OF SAMURAI COOKING – A TRUE LOVE STORY) is a Japanese love story between a samurai chef, who prefers swords to kitchen knives, and his wife, who is a brilliant cook. 

In NATURAL RESISTANCE, Jonathan Nossiter documents how Italian winemakers, who rely on local traditions, battle norms set by the EU and winegrowers’ associations. He connects scenes in vineyards with archive footage from the Cineteca Bologna, and so reveals the relationship between culture and agriculture. 

Fisher Stevens’ and Robert Nixon’s film MISSION BLUE tells of the life of marine biologist and environmentalist Sylvia Earle and her “Hope Spots” project. Sanjay Rawal’s documentary FOOD CHAINS was co-produced by, among others, Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) and Eric Schlosser (Food, Inc.), and shows the current struggle of farmworkers against deplorable working conditions in Florida and California. THE FOOD GUIDE TO LOVE by Dominic Harari and Teresa de Pelegri describes the romantic relationship between an Irish omnivore and a Spanish vegetarian. In Le Semeur (THE SOWER), Julie Perron portrays a Canadian artist who unites cultivating and preserving rare seeds with inventive art performances. Diego Luna’s feature CESAR CHAVEZ (USA) provides the historical backdrop for FOOD CHAINS, showing how civil rights activist César Chávez successfully organized field workers to fight for their rights in 1960s California.

The 15th and final full-length film in the series is the Italian documentary I Cavaliere della Laguna (THE KNIGHTS OF THE LAGOON), by Walter Bencini, about a fishing cooperative on the coast of Tuscany. 

The short films EL JUEGO EN LA MESA, 3 ACRES IN DETROIT and I MACCHERONI complete the program.

On February 14, during “Youth Food Cinema”, Jacques-Rémy Girerd and Benoït Chieux’s animated film Tante Hilda! (AUNT HILDA! – France / Luxembourg) will be presented. It examines the topic of genetically modified plants in a way that is comprehensible to children and inspires debate.  

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