(Carlo Chatrian, Melanie Waelde © Berlinale 2020)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Only in the last few weeks, thinking and rethinking about Nackte Tiere (Naked Animals) did I remember the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and Cannes wonder Girlfight, US filmmaker Karyn Kusama's directorial debut which introduced the world to the force that is Michelle Rodriguez. It's funny to think how long it took me to remember Girlfight because now I can't stop thinking about ...
(Michelangelo Fortuzzi, Marie Tragousti © Czar Film)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
You shouldn't be fooled by the film's title Nackte Tiere (Naked Animals), as Melanie Waelde's debut feature has little to do with nudity although there is one bathroom scene that reveals a little skin. The naked refers more to the raw and wild yet delicate look into the life of five German teenagers, all of them attending school somewhere in the Brandenburg c...
(BFFW Logo © Berlin Feminist Film Week 2020)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
This year's edition of the Berlin Feminist Film Week 2020 coincided with International Women's Day for the 7th year in a row. To mark the occasion, the Feminist Love Talks program, curated by Marilia Moschkovich, presented an interesting mix of Brazilian short films focusing on questioning traditional relationships. There was a somewhat lively discussion afterwards. Moschkovich is a Brazilian sociologist wit...
(crew and cast of Nomera /Numbers © Berlinale 2020)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
Numbers is the name of the game when referring to ⭐⭐⭐⭐ awarded by film journalists, whether it be at international film festivals or for film reviews coming to a movie theater near you. Here you can find our international jury grid composed of twelve film journalists from five different continents, male and female critics equally represented. Below you can also read more about each journalist, where they w...
(Georgis Grigorakis, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Vangelis Mourikis, Argyris Pandazaras © Berlinale 2020)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
"I saw a poster in the train station here (Berlin) about the environmental crisis being the next Berlin Wall. And I think that this is what the film is about." ~ Georgis Grigorakis
The Greek film Digger from director Georgis Grigorakis won the Art Cinema Award on Saturday, the 29th of February, which was awarded by the Int...
(a still of Argyris Pandazaras from Digger, © Haos Film, Le Bureau)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
Nature vs. human is on display in Georgis Grigorakis's new film set in the remote woods of a lesser shown part of Greece. Not only that but son vs. father is also front and center, with legendary Greek actor Vangelis Mourikis as Nikitas who was absent from his son Jonny's (well known theater actor Argyris Pandazaras) life for the past two decades. Both father and son have to ...
(Lana Rockwell, Jabari Watkins, © Lasse Tolbøll)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
New York indie filmmaking auteur Alexandre Rockwell returns to the 70th year of Berlinale with his new film Sweet Thing. His newest film is making its world premiere in the Generation Section of the film festival tomorrow at Urania, An der Urania 17, 10787 Berlin at 17:00. Sweet Thing is a wonderfully entertaining black & white film that centers on Billie and Nico, real life sister and b...
(Noel Comia Jr., Kim Chloie Oquendo, screenwriter/producer Valerie Martinez, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
Filipino director Raya Martin, who participated in Berlinale Talents and screened his film La última película at Berlinale in 2014's Forum Expanded, has also taken part in Cannes Cinéfondation and screened at Cannes' Un Certain Regard in 2009. For the 70th Berlin International Film Festival Martin and screenwriter/...
(Kori Rae, Dan Scanlon, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Director Dan Scanlon and Producer Kori Rae were in high spirits after the press screening of the newest Pixar film Onward, starring the ever-so-talented vocal skills of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Ali Wong, Tracey Ullman, Lena Waithe and John Ratzenberger (Cliff from Cheers & Hamm from the Toy Story films). The journalists were fed off of Scanlon and Rae's p...
(Johnny Depp, Aileen Mioko Smith, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The press conference for Minamata was delayed more than thirty minutes, allowing journalists and photographers ample time to get pumped for Johnny Depp's much anticipated arrival. Depp not only took on the lead role of W. Eugene Smith but he also served as a producer, having backed the project from very early on according to director Andrew Levitas. The film is based on the book written by Ai...
(Michael Stütz, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The new head of the Panorama Section of Berlinale Michael Stütz welcomed the packed house to the opening of the Panorama and led us with a moment of silence for the victims of the far-right extremist mass shooting that occurred in Hanau, Germany late Wednesday evening. Shortly thereafter Stütz introduced Argentinian director Clarisa Navis who presented the world premiere of her film Las Mil y U...
(Margaret Qualley, Sigourney Weaver, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Canadian filmmaker Philippe Falardeau's film My Salinger Year was the opening film of the 70th anniversary edition of the Berlin International Film Festival and the Red Carpet was ablaze. Margaret Qualley and Sigourney Weaver took lots of time on the Red Carpet for photographers, fans and interviews. They took some time to chat a bit with one another as photographers were biding their ti...
(Oleg Sentsov, Akhtem Seitablaiev before the world premiere of Nomera, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Ukrainian filmmaker, activist and writer Oleg Sentsov was unjustly imprisoned in a Russian gulag for six years after being arrested by the Russian secret service in May 2014. His alleged terrorist activities led to a 20 year prison sentence but he was released in September 2019 in a prisoner swap. Over the course of these six years many people protested worldw...
(Joachim von Vietinghoff, Gisela Kayser, and Peter Lilienthal, © Lindsay Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
On the evening of the 27th of January, Peter Lilenthal presented his 1979 Berlinale Golden Bear winning film David to a full house at Willy Brandt Haus in Berlin. The line stretched around the corner, comprised mostly of an older audience, in order to secure a spot to watch Lilenthal's extraordinary film that explores the origin of prejudice and ...
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Kino Moviemento, Germany's oldest still-running cinema, needs your help to keep their doors open. They are an independently-run cinema that first began screening films in 1907 as Topps Kino and over the course of the past 113 years has been a safe haven for Berliner film culture. The Moviemento team continues to showcase numerous film festivals and unique cinematic experiences each and every year. The 4th annual Weihnachtsfilmfestival was the latest film fe...
(Still from We Will Survive, © Nele Dehlenkamp 2018)
This year's Weihnachtfilmfestival in Berlin was another success even if the audience turnout was not as big as the previous year. Perhaps more Berliners chose to stay at home with their family and friends this Christmas rather than venture out to the cinema. Sadly, I was one of those who was not able to make it to more screenings of this Christmas film festival's eclectic offerings.
One section that I en...
(Still from Matthias et Maxime, Gabriel D'Almeida Freitas and Xavier Dolan)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Franco-Canadian auteur Xavier Dolan (writer, director, producer, actor, editor, costume designer) is no stranger to the glamour of the film festival circuit, particularly the Cannes Film Festival. Some even refer to Dolan as a Cannes' darling. His films It’s Only the End of the World and Mommy did quite well, both receiving prizes, at previous incarnation...
(Still from Nina Wu, © Luxbox Films)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
If only the films in Competition and those films in other sections such as Un Certain Regard, where Midi Z's ambitious and somewhat disorienting film Nina Wu premiered could also be up for the best actor awards. If that were the case, then Ke-Xi Wu's dynamic turn as Nina Wu would have hands-down gotten the best actress award, especially since I watched the winning actress's performance and wa...
(It Must Be Heaven Premiere, Elia Suleiman, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
I was lucky to watch the premiere of Elia Suleiman's glorious film with the director, cast and crew in the main theater. There was plenty of applause to go around, which was no shock to me. It Must Be Heaven world premiered in the Grand Theatre Lumiere was an entertaining spectacle that was sparse on dialogue but those familiar with Elia Suleiman's filmwork shoul...
(Parasite Press Conference, Bong Joonho, Song Kangho and cast, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Parasite, the new exceptional film from Korean auteur Bong Joonho, is a strong contender for the coveted Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Audiences were brought to laughter, silence, shock, contemplation and back around again by this remarkable piece of cinema. The cast clearly enjoyed the time they spent with Bong Joonho an...
(Lina Wertmüller, Cannes Classics, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller made movie history in 1977 when she became the first woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director for her 1975 film Pasqualino Settebellezze (Seven Beauties). It starts off making you laugh and then progresses through an array of emotions before finally hitting you so hard that if the tears aren't flowing I really think th...
(Robert Rodriguez and the cast of Red 11, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Athough I waited in line for three hours to try to get into one of the two press screenings for Quentin Tarantino's much-anticipated Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood and didn't make it in either screening the day definitely wasn't a total bust. Instead, I rushed over to Director's Fortnight to join the Masterclass that Mr. Robert Rodriguez was so genero...
(Nicolas Bedos and his cast, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
La Belle époque from French writer/director/actor Nicolas Bedos screened out of competition and the press conference was full of laughs. The director and his lively actors including the exquisite Fanny Ardant, Guillame Canet, Daniel Auteuil, and Doria Tillier really showed their love for one another throughout the conference.
(Daniel Auteuil, Fanny Ardant, Nicolas Bedos, &...
(Chicuarotes World Premiere, Gael García Bernal and cast, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Cannes 2019 Jury President Alejandro González Iñárritu joined a packed house to cheer on Gael García Bernal at the world premiere of his film Chicuarotes. Bernal and his team were thrilled to introduce their film to the world at the Salle du Soixantième on Monday evening. Bernal was in very high spirits before the...
(Chicuarotes World Premiere, Fatih Akin © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
I had the pleasure of chatting with Fatih Akin for a moment after the glorious world premiere of Gael García Bernal's film Chicuarotes, which screened in the Un Certain Regard section.
Although I wasn't fortunate enough to snag an interview with Akin at Berlinale 2019 to discuss his film Der Goldenen Handschuhe (The Golden Glove) I did let him know...
