Thursday, February 14---------When you are one of the most famous people on the planet, it is hard to go anywhere without noisy crowds assembling. And when you are premiering your film directorial debut......it is a papparazzi dream on steroids. This is the tame description of what happened last evening, when Madonna, the Material Girl herself, was in Berlin to premiere her new film FILTH AND WISDOM. As one can only imagine, Madonna made quite a media splash. She was prominently featured o...
Wednesday, February 13-------The new age of digital cinema, and how it will effect everything from production to distribution to exhibition, was the hot topic at this past weekend's EFM Industry Debates, sponsored by the European Film Market (EFM) and its official main partner Arts Alliance Media (AAM). Building on the success of last year’s collaboration, this year’s debates dealt with the opportunities and challenges of digital film distribution and sales. Under the heading “...
Sunday, February 10-------For the 11th consecutive year, the Berlin Film Festival is hosting the Shooting Stars initiative, a promotion effort to kickstart the careers of some of Europe's most promising actors and actresses. The program is sponsored by European Film Promotion, a pan-European organization of the continent's film promotion offices, who work together to spread the gospel about European film and film talents at film festivals and markets around the world. This year's talent pool ...
Sunday, February 10---------The Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival is recognized as the "cutting edge" program at the Berlinale, with films that embrace politics, sexuality and social upheaval. Longtime Panorama chief Wieland Speck has been a consistent curator at the Berlinale over the past 20 years, bringing his own sensibilities to the programming of what is, for me, the Festival's most consistent and uplifiting film showcase. To start things off this past weekend, the P...
Saturday, February 9----------As the Competition Screenings at this year's Berlinale move into high gear, it is a good moment to comment on the credentials and the international mix of jurors who must view an impressive group of awards contenders, all vying for the prestigious Golden and Silver Bear Awards. Jury President Costa-Gavras (France) is one of the most renowned figures of dedicated, political filmmaking. His international breakthrough came in 1969 with the political thriller Z, whi...
Friday, February 8----------In 1969, you were either listening to the Rolling Stones express their "sympathy for the devil" or you were listening (over and over again) to "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" as interpreted by a new group called Crosby Stills & Nash. Made up of members of such seminal rock groups as The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash were later joined by Neil Young, to form that much loved group CSNY. The musicians have b...
Thursday, February 7----------It's got to be one of the coolest Opening Nights of any Festival ever. Just think.....Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese and legendary rock group The Rolling Stones, all making their way up the red carpet at the Marlene-Dietrich Platz to celebrate the screening of SHINE A LIGHT, the opening night gala of the Berlin Film Festival. SHINE A LIGHT is the first concert film featuring The Rolling Stones in almost 40 years, following in the legendary steps of Jean...
Wednesday, February 6---------As thousands of film professionals and cinemaphiles descended onto the German capital today, the buzz for this year's Berlinale is just beginning. Films in competition and the adjoining sections are already creating some must-see momentum, one day before the Festival officially opens tomorrow evening (with Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones on tap, no less). Attention is also being paid to the jury, which this year is headed by filmmaker Constantin Costa-Gavr...
When a German film has its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, it can be both a source of local pride or a target for local critics. One of the truisms on the international film festival circuit is that oftentimes local filmmakers are appreciated more outside of their home country.....and in their native land, are sometimes the brunt of criticism that is both pointed and relentless. So far, the film CHERRY BLOSSOMS, one of two German productions competing for the Golden Bear at this year...
The first awards of the Berlin Film Festival were announced today. Prizes were given to the short films screening at the Festival, decided by members of the International Short Film Jury, which included Marc Barbé (France), Ada Solomon (Romania) and Laura Tonke (Germany). The Awards and jury comments are listed below.GOLDEN BEAR AWARDO zi bună de plajă by Bogdan Mustaţă (Romania). "The film raises questions about its issues rather than bring resolution to them. It does so i...
One of the more provocative films in this year's Panorama section of the Berlinale is certainly the Italian film SUDDENLY, LAST WINTER, which has its World Premiere today. The film, a collaboration between co-directors Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi, is set in the winter of last year, when the Italian government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi was defeated in the upper chamber on a vote officially concerned with the renewal of the budget for the Italian mission in Afghanistan. However, it became c...
The American independent docudrama THE EXILES, made in 1962, had a gala premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 1966, and then then inexplicably fell into obscurity. This "lost film" is being resurrected by the Forum section of the Berlin Film Festival, which will present a newly restored version of this neglected American classic.THE EXILES was a unique collaboration between filmmaker Kent Mackenzie and the young Native American men and women whose lives he documented. The story concerns a trio...
The Berlin Film Festival introduced an new award it is calling the Viewfinder Award in 2006, given to the director of a first feature film. This year again, a dedicated, three-person international jury will decide on the best debut film. The award is endowed with 50,000 Euros, donated by the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrecht), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights. In 2008 the director and producer of the winning film will be awarded with a h...
It's got to be one of the coolest Opening Nights of any Festival ever. Just think.....Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese and legendary rock group The Rolling Stones, all making their way up the red carpet at the Marlene-Dietrich Platz to celebrate the screening of SHINE A LIGHT, the opening night gala of the Berlin Film Festival.SHINE A LIGHT is the first concert film featuring The Rolling Stones in almost 40 years, following in the legendary steps of Jean Luc Godard (SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL,...
Tuesday, February 5---------In the non-stop romp that is the international film festival circuit, the travelling nomads of the film industry, who have just unpacked their bags from stints in Palm Springs, Park City and Santa Barbara, are turning eastward towards the Berlin Film Festival, which opens on Thursday evening. After a tame Sundance and an Oscar season that ignored some of world cinema's best achievements (what, no 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS or PERSPEPOLIS or THE ORPHANAGE or THE EDGE...
