Critics from 5 continents: Jury Grid for Berlinale 2020

(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 write and their favorite films from Berlinale 2020.

(© Lindsay R. Bellinger)

Luca Pacilio is an Italian film critic and he covers major international film festivals as well as films being released in Italian cinemas. Luca writes for Gli spietati, an online cinema magazine created in 1999.

Daria Postnova writes for Cinemaholics Russia. You can follow her on instagram here. Daria's favorite film outside of competition this year was Kotlovan /The Foundation Pit from the Berlinale Forum section.

Wilfred Okiche is one of the most influential critics working in the Nigerian culture space. He has participated in critic programs in Berlin, Rotterdam, Locarno and Durban. His work has appeared in various print and online media. He tweets from @drwill20. Wilfred's favorite films not running in competition this year were Mogul Mowgli (Panorama section), Pari (Panorama) and Eyimofe in Forum.

Teresa Vena works as a film journalist and film curator in Berlin. She publishes her reviews, interviews and articles with several online and print outlets in German as well as in English. Teresa's favorite films this year were Malmkrog (Encounters), The Assistant und A l'abordage (both in Panorama), Pinocchio (Berlinale Special), Yalda, la nuit du pardon /Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness (Generation) and Amazon Mirror (Documentary). You can follow some of Teresa's film work about the Festival of Swiss Films (Berlin) here and on the Film:Schweiz facebook site, read an interview she had with Fragment Film regarding her involvement curating "Prachtige Films!", follow her articles at Berliner-filmfestivals.de, keep track of the Weihnachtsfilmfestival Berlin, and read more of her film criticisms at Berliner Kultur-Rezensionen.

Carlos Ibarra Grau is a Spanish film journalist and poet who writes for Cultural Resuena and you can read his articles and reviews here. Carlos' favorite films are Pari (Panorama), Petite fille (Panorama Documentary), Kokon (Gen 14plus), Mignonnes (Generation Kplus), La casa dell'amore (Forum), The Trouble With Being Born (Encounters), How to Disappear (Berlinale Shorts) and Nomera/Numbers (Berlinale Special).

Lindsay R. Bellinger lives in Berlin and has been contributing to Filmfestivals.com for the past three years. She has published reviews and interviews online and in print with various media outlets. Lindsay's favorite Berlinale films this year were The Assistant, Kød & Blod /Wildland (both in Panorama), Aufzeichnungen aus der Unterwelt /Notes from the Underworld (Panorama Documentary), Eyimofe (Forum) and Was bleibt | Šta ostaje | What remains / Re-visited (Forum), Jogos Dirigidos /Directed Games & Al-Houbut /The Landing (Forum Expanded), Sweet Thing (Generation 14plus), Mignonnes (Gen Kplus), A Fish Called Wanda (Berlinale Classics), Nomera /Numbers (Berlinale Special), How to Disappear (Shorts) and Favolacce (Competition). She had an interview with Greek director Georgis Grigorakis and Argyris Pandazaras whose film Digger screened in Panorama. Here is some of her coverage from the Teddy Awards 2020.

Matej Patljak is a film journalist and curator based in Slovenia. You can follow him here. Matej's favorite non-competition films this year were both from Berlinale Special Gala: Onward (United States, d. Dan Scanlon and produced by Kori Rae) and 사냥의 시간 /TIME TO HUNT (South Korea, d. Yoon Sung-hyun).

Susanne Wahl's two favorite films out of competition were the Nigerian film Eyimofe / This Is My Desire by filmmakers Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri (Forum) and in Panorama the Norwegian-Swedish production Håp / Hope directed by Maria Sødahl.

Wellington Almeida is a film writer, filmmaker and programmer of Soura Film Fesitval. He writes for Cinema7Arte and you can follow him on twitter: @wellvis. His favourite films at Berlinale 2020 were Yalda, a Night for Forgiveness (Generation), Vento Seco (Panorama), DAU. Natasha (competition), The Trouble With Being Born (Encounters) and Los Lobos (Generation).

Yun-hua Chen is a film scholar, critic, and film curator. She is from Taiwan and is based in Berlin now. She writes for Film International, Exberliner, Cinephilia.net, and Goethe-Institut Online Magazine, directed the 26th dokumentART in Neubrandenburg (Germany), worked as a Fipresci jury member, as well as in the selection committee of ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival. Her monograph Mosaic Space and Mosaic Auteurs has been published by Neofelis Verlag in Berlin. Yun-hua's favorite films at Berlinale 2020 were The Earth is Blue as an Orange (Generation), Suk Suk (Panorama), The Trouble With Being Born (Encounters), FREM (Forum), All the Dead Ones and Rizi/Days (both in competition). She does not want to include DAU NATASHA in her list of favorite films although she gave it 3.5 stars and found it artistically very impressive. The concept of ethical filmmaking is an ongoing discussion, and she doesn't think we should take the issues surround the DAU project lightly. You can read Yun-hua's interview with Suk Suk's director Ray Yeung in English and in Chinese. Yun-hua wrote a German review for acclaimed Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang's competition film Rizi and she also published an interview with the director here.

David Mouriquand is a Franco-British cultural journalist and Film Editor at Exberliner magazine. His favorite films at the Berlinale were Bloody Noses, Empty Pockets (Panorama), Jumbo (Generation), The Trouble With Being Born (Encounters), First Cow (Competition), Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Competition), Welcome To Chechnya (Panorama), and FREM (Forum). David's review and interview with directors Bill & Turner Ross (Bloody Noses, Empty Pockets) is here. His Jumbo review is available to read here. His review and interview with director Eliza Hittman can be found at Exberliner magazine. Mouriquand had an interview with director David France discussing his documentary Welcome to Chechnya. Last but not least, he had an interview with director Viera Cakanyova.

Rosaria D’Amico is a film analyzer, always looking for new talents and new ideas… and film festivals are the right place to be if you want to find them. Berlinale especially has a history of being open and inclusive. Everybody feels welcome here, especially women. Rosaria's favorite films outside of competition were The Assistant directed by Kitty Green (Panorama) and Pinocchio (Berlinale Special Gala).