Berlin International Film Festival | 20 February

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Daily: Day 12- 20 February

Competition

After intense discussion, the jury came to a decision and announced the Bear Winners
Golden Bear:
Magnolia by Paul Thomas Anderson

Magnolia

Out of Competition screening

Bossa Nova
by Bruno Barretto

In 1997, Bruno Barretto's sensitive and claustrophobic kidnapping drama Four Days In September (later nominated for an Oscar) screened in Berlin. His earlier work, Dona Flor And Her Two Husbands (1976) is one of the all-time Brazilian box office champs. Now he surprises audiences with this airy, touching romantic comedy. The protagonists' refreshing romanticism and delightful innocence is reminiscent of the great 1960s movie romances.


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Focus

Stone starts a new chapter

A football movie by the man who brought us Natural Born Killers, Nixon and Platoon?

For director Oliver Stone, Any Given Sunday, by his own admission, kicks off a new creative chapter in his life: "Natural Born Killers and U-Turn were my darkest," he says. "I did those and reached an artistic end. This is a very positive film for the millennium."

Press conference

Oliver Stone

Streaming video
Oliver Stone explained his turn to football in film Any Given Sunday.

  Streaming video
La Chambre des Magiciennes director Claude Miller and cast before the press

FilmFestivals TV
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Today's Screenings


Competition

Bossa Nova Dir: Bruno Barreto. Cast: Amy Irving, Antonio Fagundes, Alexandre Borges. Explores the adventures of a charming American widow who lives in Rio de Janeiro. 95 mins.

Retrospective

Alraune (Federal Republic of Germany) 1952. Dir: Arthur Maria Rabenalt. Cast: Hildegard Knef, Erich von Stroheim, Rolf Henniger. A brilliant scientist creates the perfect woman. 90 mins.

Son Of Frankenstein (US) 1939. Dir: Rowland V Lee. Cast: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi. The sequel to Bride Of Frankenstein and the last of the classic trio. 94 mins.

The Bride Of Frankenstein (US) 1935. Dir: James Whale. Cast: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson. Baron Frankenstein is blackmailed by Dr Praetorious into reviving his monster and building a mate for it. 80 mins.2.30

Carne Per Frankenstein/Mostro E In Tavola, Barone... Frankenstein (Italy/France) 1973. Dir: Anthony Dawson, Paul Morrissey. Cast: Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Monique van Vooren. Another take on the Frankenstein tale. French subtitles. 95 mins.

Homage: Jeanne Moreau

Viva Maria (France/Italy) 1965. Dir: Louis Malle. Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Bardot, George Hamilton. An Irish anarchist girl arrives in Central America and joins a group of strolling players. English subtitles. 120 mins.

Homage: Robert De Niro

Heat (US) 1995. Dir: Michael Mann. Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer. A cop tracks down a master thief and his gang. 171 mins.

Ronin (US) 1998. Dir: John Frankenheimer. Cast: Sean Bean, Robert De Niro, Natascha McElhone. A group of guns-for-hire is assembled for a special job. 120 mins.

Panorama

Shadow Boxers Dir: Katya Bankowsky. Katya Bankowski, herself a boxer, portrays Luica Rijker, the world kickboxing champion. 72 mins. + short Darling International Dir: Jennifer Reeves, M M Serra. 22 mins.

Chrissy (Australia) Dir: Jacqui North. A family faces a major challenge when the eldest daughter can no longer hide the fact that she has Aids. 52 mins.

Die Königin (The Queen) Dir: Werner Schroeter. With: Marianne Hoppe. The portrait of Marianne Hoppe, one of the most fascinating German actresses of the 20th century. German, English subtitles. 100 mins.

Elze Is Giljos (Elze's Life ­ Love Was All She Had) (Lithuania) Dir: Algimantas Puipa. A chapter from the history of German-Lithuanian relations in the town of Nehring. English subtitles. 139 mins.

Peppermint (Greece) Dir: Costas Kapakas. Cast: Georges Corraface, Giorgos Gerontidakis, Annie Loulou. A loving and playful reminiscence of a man's youth. English subtitles. 106 mins.

My Mother Frank Dir: Mark Lamprel. A woman finds salvation in education, at the same university as her 18-year-old son. 96 mins. + short Mabrouk Again!

Verdammt in alle Eitelkeit (From Here To Vanity) Dir: Lothar Lambert. Cast: Eva Ebner, Carl Andersen, Stefan Stricker. Sylvia Heidemann has saved the money to become a diva on the screen. German, English subtitles. 80 mins. + short Finimondo

Dlug (Debt) (Poland) Dir: Krzysztof Krauze. Cast: Joanna Szurmiej, Robert Gonera, Agnieszka Warchulska. Two Poles want to start a scooter business, but when they are blackmailed by the Mafia they are driven to extreme and illegal measures. English subtitles. 102 mins.5.30

Kinyufusyokuretto Jubaku (Spellbound) (Japan) Dir: Masaro Harada. Cast: Koji Yakusho, Tatsuya Nakadai, Jun Fubuki. The 1997 bank scandal is the basis for this action thriller, as a bank is raided and investigated for making loans to criminals. English subtitles. 114 mins.

Forum

I Could Read The Sky (UK) Dir: Nichola Bruce. Cast: Dermot Healy, Brendan Coyle. The moving story of an old man living in a bedsit in London, remembering his life on the west coast of Ireland. 86 mins.

Eine Reise nach Genf (A Journey To Geneva) (Switzerland) Dir: Irene Loebell. The story of Austrian writer Fred Wander, who fled from the Nazis to Geneva in 1942. 61 mins

Hans Warns ­ Mein 20. Jahrhundert (Hans Warns ­ My 20th Century) Dir: Gordian Maugg. A fascinating tour through the 20th century seen through the eyes of a German sailor. English subtitles. 105 mins.

Neustadt Stau ­ Der Stand Der Dinge (Germany) Dir: Thomas Heise. A look at Germany at the beginning of the new century. 90 mins.

A Sudden Loss Of Gravity (US) Dir: Todd Verow. Cast: Brenda Velez, Devery Doleman. Traces multiple stories through the colourful fringe of a quiet northern town. 90 mins.

La Voleuse De St Lubin (France) Dir: Claire Devers. Cast: Dominique Blanc, Denis Podalydès. A mother is tried for stealing meat from a supermarket. 80 mins.

Wotenick (Germany) Dir: Axel Kalhoun. Documentary on the plight of Demmin, a district with 10,000 unemployed people. 60 mins.

A Comme Adrienne (Belgium) Dir: Boris Lehman. Cast: Adrienne Boulvin, Edouard Higuet. 115 mins.

Saluzzi, Composition For Bandonéon And Three Brothers (Argentina) Documentary. Dir: Daniel Rosenfeld. A record of the creative process of bandonéon player Dino Saluzzi, who, although far from home on tour in Europe, remains closely in touch with his roots through his music. Spanish, German subtitles. 68 mins

Teatro Amazonas (US) Dir: Sharon Lockhart. Filmed in the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus, Brazil, this is a literal interpretation of the idea of one culture looking at another. 40 mins.

Cheung Fo ­ The Mission (Hong Kong) Dir: Johnnie To. English subtitles. 81 mins.

There's A Strong Wind In Beijing (China) Dir: Ju An Qi. 47 mins.

Making Sundried Red Peppers (Korea) Dir: Hee-Sun Jang. On the rooftop of an apartment, a grandmother and granddaughter spread out red peppers to dry in the sun. This ritualistic event gives them a rare chance to talk to each other. English subtitles. 60 mins.

Kinderfest

Kruimeltje (Little Crumbs) (Netherlands) Dir: Maria Peters. The tale of a street boy. English subtitles. 119 mins.

Sherdil (Sweden) Dir: Gita Mallik. A fairy-tale adventure about a teenage girl who loves horses, and her fight for justice. English subtitles. 97 mins.

Blinker Dir: Filip Van Neyghem. Depicts the lives of a likeable family characterised by mutual acceptance and the way they allow space for each highly individual personality to thrive. 92 mins. + short En Djevel I Skapet

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