What's going on at the Berlinale?
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Awards, Deals, Berlin, Festival Reports, Distribution, Exhibition, Movie Marketing, Cinematical Indie
The Berlinale is underway with lots of exciting films to hear about.
Here's what's been going down in Berlin, where all the falling snow has people thinking they're still at Sundance:
Golden Bear awards: Sir Ian McKellan (pictured) was awarded an Honorary Golden Bear, the Berlinale's top prize, at a ceremony following a special screening of his 1995 film Richard III, shown in tribute to McKellan. Polish director Andrzej Wajda is also to receive an Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement during the fest.
The always excellent Green Cine Daily has an excellent rundown of the fest's first days, with a capsule review of festival opener Snow Cake, starring Alan Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss. GC Editor David Hudson also gives his take on several other Berlinale offerings: en Soap (A Soap), from Denmark - a film that angles to merge Sirk, Cassavetes and Bergman (wow); Bye Bye Berlusconi! from Italy, which sounds as intruiging as its title; and Slumming, which Hudson enjoyed even if the rest of the crowd didn't.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accompanied by an entourage befitting her VIP status, toured the European Film Market the other day, stopping to chat it up with reps from Celluloid Dreams (who just acquired Quinceañera at the EFM) and Focus Films, who were showcasing their Oscar nominated hit Brokeback Mountain. EFM head Beki Probst was pleased with both the EFM's move to spacious new digs this year, and the success of Merkel's tour, saying, "With the new location, the accent is on the market this year".
The critical hit of the Berlinale thus far seems to be a drama about the effects of systemic war rape of Bosnian women by Serbian soldiers during the siege of Sarajevo, and the long term impact on Bosnian women impregnated by the rapes and the children they bore. The film, Grbavica, helmed by Jasmila Zbanic, was cheered at its world premiere today.
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