Berlin International Film Festival

27 films from 22 countries will be competing for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear Jury Prize, the DAAD Short Film Award and a short film nomination for the European Film Prize.

German actress Sandra Hüller, Palestinian artist Emily Jacir as well as filmmaker David OReilly will be picking the winners in 2012:

International Short Film Jury:

Sandra Hüller (Germany)
After ten years in the business, renowned and prize-winning actress of the screen and stage Sandra Hüller already boasts a remarkably wide repertoire of roles. She has performed regularly in theatres since 2006, in both classic and modern pieces. For her first major film role in Hans-Christian Schmid’s Requiem she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlinale in 2006 as well as the German Film Prize. In 2011 she performed in two Berlinale films: Brownian Movement (2010, directed by Nanouk Leopold – Forum); and Über uns das All (Above Us Only Sky, 2011, directed by Jan Schomburg – Panorama).

Emily Jacir (Palestine)
Emily Jacir, one of the Arab world’s leading contemporary artists, works in a variety of media, including installation, performance, social intervention, photography, film and video. She has exhibited her works throughout the world and been honored many times for her artistic achievements including a Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice Biennale. Jacir is currently leading the Home Workspace in Beirut where she has created the curriculum and programming for 2011-2012. She is also preparing a new work for the dOCUMENTA (13) that opens this June.

David OReilly (Ireland)
The Irish-born filmmaker, now based in California, is known for his groundbreaking contemporary 3D animation. He has received over 75 awards for his short films that have been shown worldwide at more than 200 festivals. His first festival was at the Berlinale 2008, where he presented RGB XYZ. At the 2009 Berlinale he won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film with Please Say Something. His latest short film, The External World, screened at Venice (2010) and Sundance (2011), and went on to win numerous awards.

Berlinale Shorts 2012:

Ad balloon, Lee Woo-jung, Republic of Korea, 24’ (IP)
An das Morgengrauen, Mariola Brillowska, Germany, 3’ (WP)
Ein Mädchen Namens Yssabeau, Rosana Cuellar, Germany / Mexico, 18’ (DP)
Enakkum Oru Per, Suba Sivakumaran, USA / Sri Lanka, 12’ (WP)
Erotic Fragments No. 1, 2, 3, Anucha Boonyawatana, Thailand, 7’ (IP) Gurehto Rabitto, Atsushi Wada, France, 7’ (WP)
impossible exchange, Mahmoud Hojeij, Lebanon, 10’ (WP)
Karrabing! Low Tide Turning, Liza Johnson, Elizabeth A. Povinelli, Australia, 14’ (WP)
La Santa, Mauricio López Fernández, Chile, 14’ (WP)
LI.LI.TA.AL., Akihito Izuhara, Japan, 8’ (WP)
Licuri Surf, Guile Martins, Brazil, 15’ (IP)
Loxoro, Claudia Llosa, Spanien / Peru / Argentine / USA, 19’ (IP)
Mah-Chui, Kim Souk-young, Republic of Korea, 23’ (IP)
Nostalgia, Gustavo Rondón Córdova, Venezuela, 30’ (WP)
Panchabhuta, Mohan Kumar Valasala, India, 15’ (WP)
PUSONG WAZAK! Isa Na Namang Kwento Ng Pag-ibig Sa Pagitan Ng Isang Kriminal at Isang Puta, Khavn De La Cruz, Philippines, 15’ (WP)
Rafa, João Salaviza, Portugal / France, 25’ (WP)
Say Goodbye to the Story (ATT 1/11), Christoph Schlingensief, Germany, 23’ (WP)
Shi Luo Zhi Di, Zhou Yan, People’s Republic of China, 25’ (WP)
Strauß.ok, Jeanne Faust, Germany, 5’ (WP)
The End, Barcelo, France, 17’ (WP)
The Man that Got Away, Trevor Anderson, Canada, 25’ (WP)
Utsikter, Marcus Harrling, Moa Geistrand, Sweden, 12’ (WP)
Uzushio, Naoto Kawamoto, Japan, 6’ (WP)
Vilaine Fille Mauvais Garçon, Justine Triet, France, 30’ (IP)
Yi chang ge ming zhong hai wei lai de ji ding yi de xing wei, Sun Xun, People’s Republic of China, 12’ (WP)
zounk!, Billy Roisz, Austria, 6’ (WP)


Berlinale Shorts Special 2012:

Magyarország 2011, András Jeles, Ágnes Kocsis, Ferenc Török, Simon Szabó, Márta Mészáros, Péter Forgács, László Siroki, György Pálfi, Bence Fliegauf, András Salamon, Miklós Jancsó, Ungarn, 75′ (IP)
presented by Béla Tarr

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[caption id="attachment_2280" align="alignnone"]Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank) [/caption]

The 42nd Berlinale Forum will be showing 38 films in its main program, including 26 world premieres and 8 international premieres.

Ann-Kristin Reyels’ film Formentera follows a young couple on holiday who run into the ’68 ideals of their parents’ generation and come to realise the extent to which their own ideas about life diverge from one another. Sleepless Knights by Stefan Butzmühlen and Cristina Diz is also set in Spain, telling a story of gay love in the provinces and presenting the co-existence of different generations as an alternative to urban dislocation.

Beziehungsweisen (Negotiating Love) by Calle Overweg also explores the complicated set of compromises involved with living together on a daily basis, blending documentary means and staging techniques to observe different clients attending couples’ therapy. What Is Love by Ruth Mader tackles a similar theme, tracing the various different manifestations of love in five vignettes from the Austrian provinces.

Present-day nomads form the focus of two films in this year’s program: Habiter / Construire (Living / Building) by Clémence Ancelin, which documents a road construction project in Chad and the effect it has on the local desert population, and Hiver nomade (Winter Nomads) by Manuel von Stürler, a portrait of two shepherds in French-speaking Switzerland in the depths of winter.

The Jordanian film Al Juma Al Akheira (The Last Friday) by Yahya Alabdallah tells the story of a taxi driver in Amman who is forced to bring some level of order into his failed existence. The documentary Bagrut Lochamim (Soldier / Citizen) confronts us with the uncompromising views of young Israelis about their Arab compatriots and neighbours. Mani Haghighi’s Paziraie Sadeh (Modest Reception) is an intelligent provocation in which a rich couple distributes plastic bags full of money in the Iranian provinces – a handout aimed purely at degradation.

Rodrigo Plá’s moving Uruguayan film La demora (The Wait) tells the story of a woman driven by her desperate situation to abandon her senile father. Mariano Luque’s directorial debut Salsipuedes is a visionary look at domestic violence that serves as a calling card for the new generation of young filmmakers working in Córdoba in Northern Argentina. For its part, the documentary Escuela normal (Normal School) by Celina Murga observes a secondary school in Buenos Aires where the pupils imitate the political structures of the adult world.

American independent cinema also has a strong presence in this year’s Forum program. David Zellner’s fairytale-like Kid-Thing explores the day-to-day life and fantasies of a neglected little girl. Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine follows a shy woman (played by Oscar-winning actress Melissa Leo) recently released from jail and her overwhelming affinity for animals. And So Yong Kim’s For Ellen shows the final attempts made by a neglectful rock-musician (played by Paul Dano) to build a relationship with his young daughter.

Three films from Japan deal with the tsunami of 11 March 2011 and the meltdown at Fukushima nuclear power station. In No Man’s Zone (Mujin chitai), Fujiwara Toshi advances like a Tarkowskian Stalker into the contaminated zone around the nuclear reactors and evokes images of an invisible apocalypse. Iwai Shunji discusses the political, economic and social situation of a country in a state of dependence in friends after 3.11. And Funahashi Atsushi’s Nuclear Nation creates a portrait of a mayor without a town, who is desperately trying to keep together a community scattered across different emergency shelters in the Tokyo suburbs and is brought to question old certainties in the process.

Main Program

Al Juma Al Akheira (The Last Friday) by Yahya Alabdallah, Jordan/United Arab Emirates – IP

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank (The Woman in the Septic Tank) byMarlon N. Rivera, The Philippines Avalon by Axel Petersén, Sweden

Bagrut Lochamim (Soldier / Citizen) by Silvina Landsmann, Israel – WP

Bestiaire by Denis Côté, Canada/France

Beziehungsweisen (Negotiating Love) by Calle Overweg, Germany – WP

La demora (The Wait) by Rodrigo Plá, Uruguay/Mexico/France – WP

Escuela normal (Normal School) by Celina Murga, Argentina – WP

Espoir voyage by Michel K. Zongo, France/Burkina Faso – IP

For Ellen by So Yong Kim, USA – IP

Formentera by Ann-Kristin Reyels, Germany – WP

Francine by Brian M. Cassidy/Melanie Shatzky, USA/Canada – WP

friends after 3.11 by Iwai Shunji, Japan – IP

Habiter / Construire (Living / Building) by Clémence Ancelin, France – WP

Hemel by Sacha Polak, The Netherlands/Spain – WP

Hiver nomade (Winter Nomads) by Manuel von Stürler, Switzerland – WP

Jaurès by Vincent Dieutre, France – WP

Kashi (Choked) by Kim Joong-hyun, Republic of Korea – IP

Kazoku no kuni (Our Homeland) by Yang Yonghi, Japan – WP

Kid-Thing by David Zellner, USA – IP

Koi ni itaru yamai (The End of Puberty) by Kimura Shoko, Japan – IP

Die Lage (Condition) by Thomas Heise, Germany – WP

No Man’s Zone (Mujin chitai) by Fujiwara Toshi, Japan/France – IP

Nuclear Nation by Funahashi Atsushi, Japan – WP

Parabeton – Pier Luigi Nervi und römischer Beton (Parabeton – Pier Luigi Nervi and Roman Concrete) by Heinz Emigholz, Germany – WP

Paziraie Sadeh (Modest Reception) by Mani Haghighi, Iran – WP

Príliš mladá noc (A Night Too Young) by Olmo Omerzu, Czech Republic/Slovenia – WP

Revision by Philip Scheffner, Germany – WP

Salsipuedes by Mariano Luque, Argentina – WP

Sekret (Secret) by Przemyslaw Wojcieszek, Poland – WP

Sleepless Knights by Stefan Butzmühlen/Cristina Diz, Germany – WP

Le sommeil d’or (Golden Slumbers) by Davy Chou, France/Cambodia

Spanien (Spain) by Anja Salomonowitz, Austria – WP

Tepenin Ardi (Beyond the Hill) by Emin Alper, Turkey/Greece – WP

Tiens moi droite (Keep Me Upright) by Zoé Chantre, France – WP

Toata lumea din familia noastra (Everybody in Our Family) by Radu Jude, Romania/The Netherlands – WP

What Is Love by Ruth Mader, Austria – WP

Zavtra (Tomorrow) by Andrey Gryazev, Russia – WP

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[caption id="attachment_2195" align="alignnone"]Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present[/caption]

The documentary lineup is almost complete for the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.  On February 10, 2012, the Panorama Dokumente will open with The Reluctant Revolutionary by British director Sean McAllister. The film is about a Yemenite tourist guide who slowly abandons his professional distance towards the political “spring” in his country. His experiences with a customer, one of the last tourists in these turbulent times, politicize him.

Panorama Dokumente

Anak-Anak Srikandi (Children of Srikandi) by the Children of Srikandi Collective, Germany/Indonesia – WP

Angriff auf die Demokratie – Eine Intervention (Democracy Under Attack – An Intervention) by Romuald Karmakar, Germany – WP

Audre Lorde – The Berlin Years 1984 to 1992 by Dagmar Schultz, Germany – WP

Brötzmann – Da gehört die Welt mal mir (Brötzmann – That’s When The World Is Mine) by Uli M Schueppel, Germany – WP
with Caspar Brötzmann, Eduardo Delgado Lopez, Danny Lommen

Call Me Kuchu by Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright, USA – WP

Detlef by Stefan Westerwelle, Jan Rothstein, Germany
with Detlef Stoffel, Anneliese Stoffel, Gustav-Peter Wöhler, Lilo Wanders, Corny Littmann – WP

Herr Wichmann aus der dritten Reihe (Henryk from the back row) by Andreas Dresen, Germany – WP

In the Shadow of a Man by Hanan Abdalla, Egypt – WP

König des Comics (King of Comics) by Rosa von Praunheim, Germany – WP
with Ralf König, Joachim Król, Hella von Sinnen, Ralph Morgenstern

La Vierge, les Coptes et Moi (The Virgin, the Copts and Me) by Namir Abdel Messeeh, France/Qatar/Egypt

Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present (Marina Abramovic The Artist is Present) by Matthew Akers, USA

Olhe pra mim de novo (Look at me again) by Kiko Goifman, Claudia Priscilla, Brazil

The Reluctant Revolutionary by Sean McAllister, Great Britain

The Summit by Franco Fracassi, Massimo Lauria, Italy – WP

Ulrike Ottinger – die Nomadin vom See (Ulrike Ottinger – nomad from the lake) by Brigitte Kramer, Germany – WP
with Ulrike Ottinger, Ingvild Goetz, Irm Hermann, Ulrich Gregor

Unter Männern – Schwul in der DDR (Among Men – Gay in East Germany) by Markus Stein, Rösener Ringo, Germany – WP
with Eduard Stapel, Frank Schäfer, Jürgen Wittdorf, John Zinner, Helwin Leuschner

Vito by Jeffrey Schwarz, USA

Words of Witness by Mai Iskander, USA – WP


Feature films

Diaz – Don’t Clean Up This Blood by Daniele Vicari,
Italy/Romania/ France – WP
with Elio Germano, Alessandro Roja, Claudio Santamaria

Sharqiya (Central Station) by Ami Livne, Israel/France/Germany – WP
with Adnan Abuwadi, Naisa Abel El Haidi

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[caption id="attachment_2022" align="alignnone"]Young Adult[/caption]

Twelve more films have been confirmed for this year’s Berlinale Special programme. Besides Werner Herzog’s documentary film series Death Row and Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut In The Land Of Blood And Honey, these films include the documentaries Althawra… Khabar (Reporting … A Revolution) by Bassam Mortada, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry by Alison Klayman, Hijos de las Nubes by Alvaro Longoria, Anton Corbijn Inside Out by Klaartje Quirijns as well as Chris Kenneally’s Side by Side, with Keanu Reeves.

At a matinée, the film The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger will be presented in a newly restored version.

Film director Mark Cousins will be showing his 900 minute-long documentary The Story Of Film: An Odyssey as a European premiere.

The Berlinale Special will also be keeping its traditional venues Kino International and the Friedrichstadt-Palast, where the Berlinale Special Gala Screenings will again be presented.


Berlinale Special Gala screenings at the Friedrichstadt-Palast:

Young Adult
USA
By Jason Reitman (Up In The Air, Juno, Thank You for Smoking)
With Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, Elisabeth Reaser
German premiere

Already announced:
Don – The King Is Back (India/Germany) by Farhan Akhtar
Marley (Great Britain/USA) – documentary by Kevin Macdonald
La chispa de la vida (Spain/France) by Álex de la Iglesia


Berlinale Special screenings at the Kino International:

Glück (Bliss)
Germany
By Doris Dörrie (Naked, Am I Beautiful?, Cherry Blossoms, The Hairdresser)
With Alba Rohrwacher, Vinzenz Kiefer, Matthias Brandt, Oliver Nägele
World premiere

I, Anna
Great Britain/Germany/France
By Barnaby Southcombe (Feature debut)
With Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Marsan
World premiere

Matineé
The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943)
Great Britain
By Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus)
With Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook
Restored version

Already announced:

Keyhole (Canada) by Guy Maddin


Berlinale Special screenings at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele:

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry – Documentary
USA
By Alison Klayman
International premiere

Althawra… Khabar (Reporting … A Revolution) – Documentary
Egypt
By Bassam Mortada
International premiere

Anton Corbijn Inside Out – Documentary
Netherlands
By Klaartje Quirijns
World premiere

Hijo de las nubes, la última colonia (Sons Of The Clouds, The Last Colony) – Documentary
Spain
Alvaro Longoria
World premiere

Side by Side – Documentary
USA
By Chris Kenneally (Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating)
World premiere

Already announced:
Death Row (USA) – documentary series by Werner Herzog
In The Land Of Blood And Honey (USA) by Angelina Jolie


More Berlinale Special presentations:

To celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the film journal “Positif”:
Der Fangschuss (Le coup de grâce, 1975)
Germany
By Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum, Germany in Autumn, The Legend of Rita)
With Matthias Habich, Margarethe von Trotta, Rüdiger Kirschtein, Mathieu Carriere, Valeska Gert

The Story of Film: An Odyssey – Documentary
Great Britain
By Mark Cousins (The First Movie, The New Ten Commandments)
European premiere


Special Screening:

For the “50th Anniversary of the Oberhausen Manifesto”:
Abschied von den Fröschen (Farewell to the Frogs) – Documentary
Germany
By Ulrike Schamoni

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[caption id="attachment_2219" align="alignnone"]Comes A Bright Day[/caption]

A total of 58 short and full-length films from 32 countries have been selected for the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions for 2012 Berlin International Film Festival.

Eleven children from Berlin between the ages of eleven and 14 as well as seven young adults have been invited to be on the Children’s and Youth Juries. They will award Crystal Bears for the best short and feature-length films.

Generation 14plus

Comes A Bright Day (Great Britain, by Simon Aboud) – Against the backdrop of an armed robbery at a London jewellers, much more is at stake than money. Where diamonds are involved, love is not far. Cast: Craig Roberts, Imogen Poots, Kevin McKidd, Timothy Spall and others. World Premiere

Lal Gece (Night of Silence, Turkey, by Reis Çelik) – When the groom lifts the bride’s veil, he is looking into the face of a 14-year-old girl. As tradition has it, a night in the bridal chamber seals the marriage. Cast: Ilyas Salman, Dilan Aksüt and others. World Premiere

Maori Boy Genius (New Zealand, by Pietra Brettkelly, documentary) – A young Maori, Ngaa Rauuira, is the chosen one. He fights with all his heart for the cultural concerns of his people. And they see Aotearoa’s (New Zealand’s) next Premiere Minister in him. World Premiere

Nosilatiaj. La Belleza (Beauty, Argentina, by Daniela Seggiaro) – Yolanda is a housemaid for a “Criolla” family. In the Wichi culture from which the girl comes, beautiful long hair has great meaning. The film tells about a painfully cutting experience. World Premiere

Snackbar (Netherlands, by Meral Uslu) – Ali’s snack bar is a refuge for a gang of local youth of Moroccan descent. They quarrel, laugh and fight there every day. When it gets out of hand, Ali intervenes. World Premiere

Two Little Boys (New Zealand, by Robert Sarkies) – Friends since early childhood, nothing can separate Deano and Nige, not even death. Until the tragic accident with a Norwegian football star. Cast: Bret McKenzie, Hamish Blake and others. World Premiere

Una Noche (One Night, USA/Cuba/Great Britain, by Lucy Mulloy) – Florida is their last hope. Only 90 miles separate life in Havana from the freedom they long for. Elio and Raul build a raft, but then Lila joins them. That was not the plan. World Premiere

As announced earlier, the programme also includes the following films:

Electrick Children (USA, by Rebecca Thomas) – WP
Joven & Alocada (Young & Wild, Chile, by Marialy Rivas) – EP
Kronjuvelerna (The Crown Jewels, Sweden, by Ella Lemhagen) – IP
Magi I Luften (Love Is In The Air, Denmark/Sweden, by Simon Staho) – IP
Mustafa’s Sweet Dreams (Greece/Great Britain, by Angelos Abazoglou) – WP
ORCHIM LeREGA (Off White Lies, Israel/France, by Maya Kenig) – EP
Un Mundo Secreto (A Secret World, Mexico, by Gabriel Mariño) – WP
Wandeukyi (Punch, Republic of Korea, by Han Lee) – EP


Generation Kplus

ARCADIA (USA, by Olivia Silver) – In Arcadia, California, everything is going to be fine, Tom promises his children. He loads them into the car and travels across the entire country. More than anything else, 12-year-old Greta hopes to see her mother again. Cast: Ryan Simpkins, John Hawkes and others. World Premiere

GATTU (India, by Rajan Khosa) – The sky is full of kites and none flies as high or fast as Kali. In order to beat the black kite, Gattu has to reach for the sky. International Premiere

Isdraken (The Ice Dragon, Sweden, by Martin Högdahl) – Whales cry when they lose their herds. Banished by the youth welfare office to northern Sweden, Mike knows the feeling. It’s only when he meets the very cool Pi that the ice begins to melt. World Premiere

Kikoeteru, furi wo sita dake (Just Pretended to Hear, Japan, by Kaori Imaizumi) – Her spirit will protect you! After her mother’s death, Sachi’s only hope is spiritual comfort. But what if there’s no such thing as ghosts? International Premiere

Pacha (Bolivia/Mexico, by Hector Ferreiro) – A shoeshine boy gets caught up in the turmoil of the Bolivian “gas war”. In the streets the Indigenous population is protesting for their rights, while in his dreams the boy is walking the paths of his culture. World Premiere

Zarafa (France/Begium, by Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie, animation) – Maki has only just made friends with Zarafa, when the orphaned baby giraffe is given to the King of France as a gift. A richly illustrated adventure, from Africa to Paris. International Premiere

As announced in the first press release, the programme also includes the following films:

Kauwboy (Netherlands, by Boudewijn Koole) – WP
Die Kinder vom Napf (The Children from the Napf, Switzerland, by Alice Schmid) – IP
Lotte ja kuukivi saladus (Lotte and the Moonstone Secret, Estonia/Latvia, by Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits) – IP
The Mirror Never Lies (Indonesia, by Kamila Andini) – EP
Nono (Philippines, by Rommel Tolentino) – EP
Patatje Oorlog (Taking Chances, Netherlands, by Nicole van Kilsdonk) – IP


Out of Competition

Vierzehn (Fourteen, Germany, by Cornelia Grünberg, documentary) – Soon their lives revolve around diapers, not parties. Four 14-year-old girls and their babies. An exciting new phase is beginning before they have had time to live out the last one. World Premiere

The Monkey King – Uproar in Heaven 3D (People’s Republic of China, by Da Su and Chen Zhihong) – 130,000 hand-painted water colours and voices from the Peking Opera are brought back to life in the elaborately restoration of this famous classic. A wonderfully entertaining animation film: now in 3D. International Premiere

Short Films Generation 14plus

663114 (Japan, by Isamu Hirabayashi, Berlinale Shorts 2010: Aramaki) – GP
Banga Inte (Unruly, Sweden, by Fanni Metelius) – IP
Berlin Recyclers (Germany, by Nikki Schuster) – WP
Broer (Brother, Netherlands, by Sacha Polak) – IP
CRAZY DENNIS TIGER (Germany, by Jan Soldat, Berlinale Shorts 2010: Geliebt) – WP
Hiljainen Viikko (All Hallow’s Week, Finland, by Jussi Hiltunen) – GP
Jeunesses Françaises (French Kids, France, by Stephan Castang) – IP
Kiss (Australia, by Alex Murawski) – GP
Lambs (New Zealand, by Sam Kelly) – WP
Levis hest (Levi’s Horse, Norway, by Torfinn Iversen) – IP
Meathead (New Zealand, by Sam Holst) – GP
Nani (USA, by Justin Tipping) – IP
Supermarket Girl (Great Britain, by Matt Greenhalgh) – WP
The Wilding (Australia, by Grant Scicluna) – WP


Short Films Generation Kplus

Bara lite (Just a Little, Sweden, by Alicja Björk Jaworski) – WP
Bardo (Macedonia, by Marija Apchevska) – WP
Being Bradford Dillman (Great Britain, by Emma Burch) – IP
B I N O (Australia, by Billie Pleffer) – WP
Caochang (Playground, People’s Republic of China, by Qi Wang) – IP
Chinti (Russian Federation, by Natalia Mirzoyan) – WP
Corrida (Latvia, by Janis Cimermanis) – WP
Der kleine Vogel und das Blatt (The Little Bird and the Leaf, Switzerland, by Lena von Döhren) – WP
Hazenpad (The Path of a Hare, Netherlands, by Lotte van Elsacker) – IP
Hjältar (Heroes, Sweden, by Carolina Hellsgård) – WP
Julian (Australia, by Matthew Moore) – WP
L (Brazil, by Thais Fujinaga) – EP
Layla Bahir (Bright Night, Israel, by Li At Glik) – WP
Papa’s Tango (Netherlands, by Michiel van Jaarsveld) – IP
The Quiet One (Sweden, by Emelie Wallgren, Ina Holmqvist, documentary) – GP
Rising Hope (Germany, by Milen Vitanov) – WP
Snow in Paradise (New Zealand, by Justine Simei-Barton, Nikki Si’ulepa) – WP

WP = World Premiere, IP = International Premiere, EP = European Premiere, GP = German Premiere

 

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[caption id="attachment_2180" align="alignnone"]This Ain’t California by Marten Persiel[/caption]

With 13 films, including three full-length documentaries and four full-length fictional films as well two sets of three medium-long films each, the programme of the 2012 Perspektive Deutsches Kino is complete . Section director Linda Söffker sums up the selection: “The GDR was colourful, adolescents are critical and good films end in our minds.”

West Berliner Michael Schöbel and East Berliner Ronald Vietz launched Wildfremd Productions in 2011 so as to make a film such as had never been seen on the screen before about teenagers in the GDR in the 1980s. Under the direction of Marten Persiel, they revived the weird and strange world of “Rollbrettffahrer”, as skateboarders were called in the GDR, using a veritable treasure trove of footage from super-8 films they had dug up from the period. This Ain’t California is Persiel’s first full-length documentary.

Unlike the skateboarders in the GDR, today’s young slam poets rebel with rhymes and verses, political and socio-critical visions or just plain nonsense. Marion Hütter’s documentary Dichter und Kämpfer accompanies four word-acrobats from Berlin, Leipzig, Bochum and Stuttgart with a camera for a year and shows how they enjoy giving their audiences food for thought.

Jan Speckenbach’s dffb graduation film, DIE VERMISSTEN with André M. Hennicke in the lead, envisions parents’ fears when their children are missing. Have they disappeared against their will because something happened to them? Or have they disappeared because they wanted to rebel against their parents and find a life different from theirs? Jan Speckenbach, whose short film Gestern in Eden screened in the Cinefondation in Cannes in 2008, plays with a threatening scenario in his debut film.

In their self-financed production Karaman, Tamer Yigit and Branka Prlic also tell a story that ends differently in each viewer’s mind. Zehra (Isilay Gül) wants to immigrate to Germany. But as a Muslim woman, can she leave an Islamic country for the West? The family are against it. Karaman is the second full-length feature by directing duo Yigit and Prlic.

Four medium-long films round off the programme:
The 43-minute fictional film Trattoria (directed by Soleen Yusef), produced at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg; the 26-minute fictional film Ararat by Engin Kundag made at the ifs köln; the 32-minute fictional work about the pleasure of idleness, Sometimes we sit and think and sometimes we just sit (directed by Julian Pörksen), produced by Credofilm (Berlin); and Alice Gruia’s self-produced 53-minute documentary, Rodicas, about two friends of the same name.


An overview of all the films in Perspektive Deutsches Kino:

Ararat by Engin Kundag

Dichter und Kämpfer (Rhymers and Rivals) by Marion Hütter (documentary)

DIE VERMISSTEN (REPORTED MISSING) by Jan Speckenbach

Gegen Morgen (Before Tomorrow) by Joachim Schoenfeld

Karaman by Tamer Yigit and Branka Prlic

Man for a Day by Katarina Peters (documentary)

Rodicas by Alice Gruia (documentary)

Sometimes we sit and think, and sometimes we just sit by Julian Pörksen

Sterben nicht vorgesehen (Dying Not Planned For) by Matthias Stoll (documentary)

Tage in der Stadt (Out Off) by Janis Mazuch

This Ain’t California by Marten Persiel (documentary)

Trattoria by Soleen Yusef

Westerland by Tim Staffel

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[caption id="attachment_2178" align="alignnone" width="550"]In the Land of Blood and Honey[/caption]

An additional ten world premieres will be screening in the Competition programme of the Berlinale 2012. Directors Billy Bob Thornton, Christian Petzold, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Benedek Fliegauf, Hans-Christian Schmid, Matthias Glasner, Miguel Gomes, Alain Gomis, Ursula Meier and Spiros Stathoulopoulos will all be competing for this year’s Berlinale Bears.

On the first weekend of the Festival, Angelina Jolie will be presenting her directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, in the Haus der Berliner Festspiele’s new cinema.


Competition

Aujourd´hui
France/Senegal
By Alain Gomis (L´Afrance, Andalucia)
With Saül Williams, Aïssa Maïga, Djolof M’bengue
World premiere

Barbara
Germany
By Christian Petzold (Yella, Jerichow, Dreileben)
With Nina Hoss, Ronald Zehrfeld
World premiere

Cesare deve morire (Caesar Must Die)
Italy
By Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (Padre padrone, La notte di San Lorenzo, La masseria delle allodole, San Michele aveva un gallo)
With Fabio Cavalli, Salvatore Striano
World premiere

Gnade
Germany/Norway
By Matthias Glasner (The Free Will, Sexy Sadie)
With Jürgen Vogel, Birgit Minichmayr, Henry Stange
World premiere

Jayne Mansfield’s Car
Russian Federation/USA
By Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade, The King of Luck, All the pretty Horses)
With Billy Bob Thornton, Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon
World premiere

L´enfant d´en haut (Sister)
Switzerland/France
By Ursula Meier (Tous à table, Des épaules solides, Home)
With Léa Seydoux, Kacey Mottet Klein, Gillian Anderson, Martin Compston
World premiere

Metéora (Meteora)
Germany/Greece
By Spiros Stathoulopoulos (PVC-1)
With Theo Alexander, Tamila Koulieva
World premiere

Tabu
Portugal/Germany/Brazil/France
By Miguel Gomes (The Face You Deserve, Our Beloved Month Of August)
With Teresa Madruga, Laura Soveral, Ana Moreira, Carloto Cotta
World premiere

Csak a szél (Just The Wind)
Hungary/Germany/France
By Benedek Fliegauf (Dealer, Rengeteg, Tejút, Womb)
With Lajos Sárkány, Katalin Toldi, Gyöngyi Lendvai, Géza Jungwirth
World premiere

Was bleibt (Home For The Weekend)
Germany
By Hans-Christian Schmid (Storm, Requiem, Distant Lights)
With Lars Eidinger, Corinna Harfouch, Sebastian Zimmler, Ernst Stötzner
World premiere


Berlinale Special

In The Land Of Blood And Honey
USA
By Angelina Jolie (directorial debut)
With Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic, Rade Šrbedžija, Vanesa Glodjo
German premiere

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[caption id="attachment_2151" align="alignnone"]Les Adieux à la reine – – Farewell My Queen[/caption]

The 62nd Berlin International Film Festival will open on February 9, 2012 with the world premiere of the period drama Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell My Queen) starring as Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds), Léa Seydoux (Midnight in Paris) and Virginie Ledoyen (Army of Crime).

In a screen adaptation of Chantal Thomas’ prize-winning novel of the same name, French Director Benoît Jacquot (Tosca, Villa Amalia, Deep in the Woods, among others) portrays the first days of the French Revolution from the perspective of the servants at Versailles. With ironic overtones, a historical drama unfolds that also draws parallels to the present.

Versailles in July 1789. Unrest is growing in the court of King Louis the XVI. The people are rebelling – a revolution is imminent. Behind the facades of the royal palaces, everyone is thinking of fleeing, including Queen Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger) and her entourage. Among her ladies-in-waiting is Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) who as the Queen’s reader has become quite intimate with her. With great amazement, Sidonie experiences the first hours of the French Revolution.

The French-Spanish co-production Les Adieux à la reine will participate in the competition of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

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[caption id="attachment_2142" align="alignnone"]Death For Sale by Faouzi Bensaïdi[/caption]

20 films have been confirmed for the Panorama section of the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival. The Panorama section with its Main Programme, Panorama Special and Panorama Dokumente series will screen some 50 films in all.

Two works by European directors are opening the Panorama Special:

Tony Gatlif is returning to Panorama with Indignados. Inspired by Stéphane Hessel’s bestseller “Time for Outrage!” this French film allows viewers, in both enacted scenes and real situations, to see the recent protests of our times through the eyes of an illegal woman immigrant. She experiences the Occupy movement, the poverty of those who share her fate, and the dissatisfaction of a young generation of European society in revolt. Previously, Gatlif presented in Panorama his films Rue du départ in 1987 and Swing in 2002.

As in her second feature film, Ono (Stranger), which screened in Panorama in 2005, Polish director Malgoska Szumowska once again radically probes gender relations. With Juliette Binoche in the lead, Elles leaves much room for contemplation and in a masterly fashion reveals the underlying longing that apparently every notion of relationship, and especially that of the nuclear family, attempts to conceal.

Alongside renowned names such as Hou Hsiao-Hsien (who with 10+10 is presenting a survey of works from Taiwan by ten well-known and ten new directors), Volker Schlöndorff, Cao Hamburger, Pen-ek Ratanaruang and Teona Strugar Mitevska, this year’s feature films include new works by Ira Sachs, Kirsten Sheridan and Srdjan Dragojevic as well as by newly discovered filmmakers such as Umut Dag from Austria, Helena Klotz from France, Faouzi Bensiada from Morocco and Ngoc Dang Vu from Vietnam.


Feature films to date:

10+10 by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wang Toon, Wu Nien-Jen, Sylvia Chang, Chen Guo-Fu, Wei Te-Sheng, Chung Meng-Hung, Chang Tso-Chi, Arvin Chen, Yang Ya-Che and others, Taiwan

Death For Sale by Faouzi Bensaïdi, France
With Fehd Benchemsi, Fouad Labiad, Mouhcine Malzi, Imane Elmechrafi, Faouzi Bensaïdi

Die Wand (The Wall) by Julian Roman Pölsler, Austria/Germany
With Martina Gedeck

Dollhouse by Kirsten Sheridan, Ireland
With Seana Kerslake, Jonny Ward, Ciaran McCabe, Kate Brennan, Shane Curry

Elles by Malgoska Szumowska, France/Poland/Germany
With Juliette Binoche, Anais Demoustier, Joanna Kulig

Fon Tok Kuen Fah (Headshot) by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, Thailand/France
With Nopachai Jayanama, Sirin Horwang, Chanokporn Sayoungkul, Apisit Opasaimlikit, Krerkkiat Punpiputt

From Seoul To Varanasi by Kyuhwan Jeon, Republic of Korea
With Donghwan Yoon, Wonjung Chio

Hot boy noi loan – cau chuyen ve thang cuoi, co gai diem va con vit (Lost In Paradise) by Vu Ngoc Dang, Vietnam
With Luong Manh Hai, Ho Vinh Khoa, Linh Son, Phuong Thanh, Hieu Hien

Indignados by Tony Gatlif, France
With Isabel Vendrell Cortès

Keep The Lights On by Ira Sachs, USA
With Thure Lindhardt, Zachary Booth, Julianne Nicholson, Souleymane Sy Savane, Paprika Steen

Kuma by Umut Dag, Austria
With Nihal Koldas, Begüm Akkaya, Vedat Erincin, Murathan Muslu, Alev Irmak

La mer à l’aube (Calm At Sea) by Volker Schlöndorff, France/Germany
With Léo Paul Salmain, Ulrich Matthes, Martin Loizillon, Jacob Matschenz, André Jung, Harald Schrott, Thomas Arnold, Christopher Buchholz

L’âge atomique by Héléna Klotz, France
With Eliott Paquet, Dominik Wojcik

Leave It On The Floor by Sheldon Larry, USA/Canada
With Ephraim Sykes, Miss Barbie-Q, Phillip Evelyn, Andre Myers, James Alsop

Mei-wei (My Way) by Kang Je-kyu, Republic of Korea
With Jang Dong-gun, Odagiri Joe, Fan Bingbing

Mommy Is Coming by Cheryl Dunye, Germany
With Esther Maria Ufer, Maggie Tapert, Ignacio Rivera

Parada (The Parade) by Srdjan Dragojevic, Serbia/Republic of Croatia/ Macedonia/Slovenia
With Nikola Kojo, Milos Samolov, Hristina Popovic, Goran Jevtic, Toni Mihailovski

The Woman Who Brushed Off Her Tears by Teona Strugar Mitevska, Macedonia/Germany/Slovenia/Belgium
With Victoria Abril, Labina Mitevska, Jean Marie Galey, Arben Bajraktaraj

Wilaya by Pedro Pérez Rosado, Spain
With Nadhira Mohamed, Memona Mohamed, Aziza Brahim, Ainina Sidameg, Ahmed Molud

Xingu by Cao Hamburger, Brazil
With João Miguel, Felipe Camargo, Caio Blat, Maria Flor

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[caption id="attachment_2137" align="alignnone"]Meryl Streep as Maragret Thatcher in The Iron Lady[/caption]

Actress Meryl Streep will be awarded an Honorary Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

“We are delighted to be able to award the Honorary Golden Bear to such a terrific artist and world star. Meryl Streep is a brilliant, versatile performer who moves with ease between dramatic and comedic roles,” says Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick.

On February 14, 2012, Meryl Streep will be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement at a screening of her latest film The Iron Lady at the Berlinale Palast in Berlin. In The Iron Lady she portrays Great Britain’s former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The film imagines how Margaret, at the end of her life, might look back through fragmented memories to weigh-up the personal cost of her decisions. The film is not so much about politics as about power and the loss of power.

Meryl Streep has been invited to the Berlin International Film Festival several times: in 1999, she was awarded the Berlinale Camera; and in 2003, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and she shared a Silver Bear for their performances in The Hours. In 2006, she could again be seen in the Berlinale Competition in Robert Altman’s ensemble comedy A Prairie Home Companion.

During the Berlinale’s Homage series for Meryl Streep, audiences will have the opportunity to see the following films:

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
By Robert Benton
With Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Justin Henry

Sophie’s Choice (1982, Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role)
By Alan J. Pakula
With Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Peter MacNicol, Günther Maria Halmer

Out of Africa (1985)
By Sidney Pollack
With Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer

The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
By Clint Eastwood
With Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood, Victor Slezak

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
By Robert Altman
With Meryl Streep, Woody Harrelson, Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly

The Iron Lady (Great Britain 2011)
By Phyllida Lloyd
With Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Coman, Roger Allam

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In 2012, the Perspektive Deutsches Kino programme at the Berlin International Film Festival will open with Katarina Peters’ documentary Man for a Day. A number of open-minded women attend a workshop given by performance artist and drag king activist Diane Torr. They work on transforming themselves into the man of their choice for a day. Giving up old roles and taking on new ones is hard work, but it is great fun trying to decipher them while observing yourself in the process. After Am seidenen Faden (Stroke, 2004), this is Kararina Peters’ second full-length film.

Gegen Morgen is Joachim Schoenfeld’s first full-length feature. For years, Schoenfeld worked as an actor for television and the screen, and a radio speaker. Now, with this story about the two policemen Wagner und Zippolt, he is presenting his visually unusual directorial debut. With two colleagues, he also produced the film. Gegen Morgen (Before Tomorrow) premiered in Panorama Spectrum at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June 2011.

Author Tim Staffel makes his directorial debut with Westerland, a feature film produced by Salzgeber & Co Medien GmbH. Staffel first became known for his novel “Terrordrom” (1998). Here he has filmed his book “Jesús und Muhammed”, written on Sylt in 2008. In it two young men fall in love with each other and then hole themselves up on an island. At moments, it’s paradise; at others, hell.

“What is remarkable this time is that all three feature films selected so far are works of directors who were way past 40 when they made their first full-length films,” comments Linda Söffker, director of the Perspektive section. “A broad spectrum and roundabout routes enrich the festival environment and cinema culture.”

Two medium-long works from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne show that the direct path – via a film school and directing courses – can also produce films that are aesthetically outstanding. In Sterben nicht vorgesehen, director Matthias Stoll uses documentary pictures from the past and present, to put together a loving portrait of his dead father. Early memories are brought to life in animations: a melancholy farewell in the form of a humourous essay. Tage in der Stadt (Out off), on the other hand, is not about a parting but a new start. How do you start over when you’ve been behind bars for 13 years, and life is totally unstructured when you get out? Nina (Pascale Schiller) drifts through town as if she is in no way part of it. Something is visibly missing.

On February 19, Berlinale Kinotag, (the Berlinale’s cinema day for the public), will continue the concept from last year: the winners of the Max Ophüls Award in the feature film competition 2012 and the winner of the First Steps Award 2012 in the category documentary film (The Other Chelsea – Eine Geschichte aus Donezk/A Story from Donetsk, directed by Jakob Preuss) will be presented within the framework of the Berlinale.

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The 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 9 to 19, 2012, unveiled its official poster. As of mid January the poster for the Berlinale 2012 will add a bright note to the winter cityscape – first around the Potsdamer Platz and then all over Berlin. The motif on the poster will also appear on many of the Festival’s publications.

“The Berlinale Bear is both a trademark and a popular symbol. The colourful variations of the Berlinale Bear in the poster’s motif for 2012 allude perfectly to the Festival’s diversity and multifaceted nature, and will put the city in the mood for this major event,” says BOROS, the agency doing the artwork for the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.

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