Editor

On Thursday, 12.2., the seventh Berlinale Talent Campus celebrated the end of another successful edition with a Closing Ceremony and the awarding of this year's Volkswagen Score Competition winner. For nearly a week, the Theater "Hebbel am Ufer" was converted into a living and lively meeting space for 350 up-and-coming filmmakers from all over the world. Podium debates and discussions with renowned cinema experts, excursions and workshops, and the unique chance to experience intimate and informal one-on-one interviews with Berlinale stars ("In the Limelight"): With about 70 events and a total of 130 experts, the Campus offered a diverse programme, all centred on this year's Campus theme "Turning Points". Happy returns: 30 former Campus Talents came back to this year's Berlinale with their films, amongst them Atsushi Funahashi from Japan (Deep in the Valley, Forum) and Simon El-Habre from Lebanon (Semaan Bilda'il/One Man Village, Forum).

Highlights included events with Stephen Frears, Wim Wenders, Jasmila Žbanić, Til Schweiger, Janusz Kamiński, Tom Tykwer, Bertrand Tavernier and Berlinale Jury President Tilda Swinton, who spoke with young Campus guests about the defining moments in her career. The opening event was a panel discussion where Sir David Hare, Daniela Thomas and Anne Carey discussed the art of finding a convincing way to integrate turning points into a plot. Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński travelled especially to the Campus to give a masterclass, using examples from Saving Private Ryan and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to illustrate a talk about his cinematographic work. "Make movies for the audience, not only for your friends and family," was his credo to help guide Talents along their journey. In the newly re-conceptualised Campus Studio, Talents brought raw footage from their own projects to work on with experts as well as tried out the newest developments in digital post-production in a specially built studio. "I'm absolutely delighted about this fantastic opportunity and the one-to-one session with editor Gesa Marten was a milestone in making my film," said Campus Talent and director Uli Hesse from London.

The final day of the Campus culminated in the award ceremony for the Volkswagen Score Competition during the Closing Ceremony. Atanas Valkov (Poland) was distinguished for his soundtrack to a film excerpt from La Sangre Brota by Pablo Fendrik. Mentor Max Richter (Waltz with Bashir) and jury members Klaus-Peter Beyer, Martin Steyer and Matin Todsharow were "very impressed by the standard of work shown by all the candidates. Atanas Valkov’s score demonstrates a highly individual voice and approach to the project." The winner will be invited by Dolby on a one-week trip to the best sound studios in Los Angeles. After the award ceremony, the Campus, together with Volkswagen, invited the guests to the closing party in the Bärenklub of the Berlinale Palast.

On Friday (13.2.) there will be a surprise guest for the Talents: the Campus will welcome Willem Dafoe for a one-hour special event in the Grand Hyatt Hotel (Press Room, 1 – 2pm).