ID Communications Inc. announces acquisition of "Eggsploitation" a documentary dealing with the controversial practice of buying and selling human eggs to infertility clinics.
Directed and produced by Jennifer Lahl, ‘‘Eggsploitation'' has just won Best Documentary award in the California Independent Film Festival of 2011. The film highlights questionable practices in the infertility industry, in particular in the United States. Focused on the lives of 3 women who h...
An optimistic mood, numerous sales and a visible growth in the number of participants and films are the first positive conclusions that can be drawn from the European Film Market 2011 of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.
EFM director Beki Probst announced, "We are very pleased with the outcome of the EFM 2011: more participants, more buyers, more films, more screenings and more market premieres - the international film business experienced an upswing in Berlin. It appears the ...
The Berlinale cherishes its reputation as the pre-eminent film festival for international LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) cinema. The Berlinale, particularly the Panorama section, has had a pink streak for decades. In recent years, it has also helped launch many gay-themed films to significant box office success and international distribution. In addition, Berlin is the place where over 150 gay film festival programmers and film buyers from around the world congregate t...
IRANIAN FILM TAKES LEAD IN CRITICS POLL
Trade magazine Screen International has been conducting a poll among leading international critics to predict the film that will win the Golden Bear award, the Berlinale's top prize. Each day in the trade's dailies, seven internationally respected critics are polled to get their response and to (possibly) handicap the winner, which will be announced on Sunday. The critics include Scott Foundas (Film Comment, USA), Derek Malcolm (London Even...
FULL IMMERSION INGMAR BERGMAN
The subject of the Berlinale Retrospective this year is legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. The Festival is presenting more than 60 of his taboo-breaking films, including such classics as SUMMER WITH MONICA, THE SEVENTH SEAL, THE VIRGIN SPRING, WINTER LIGHT, PERSONA, HOUR OF THE WOLF, CRIES AND WHISPERS, AUTUMN SONATA, FANNY AND ALEXANDER and his final film SARABAND. Three of Bergman's actress collaborators have also been in town to introduc...
Feb 14, 2011
Competition - Coriolanus: The actress on her way to the Photo Call.
Competition - Coriolanus: The actor at the Photo Call.
Competition - Coriolanus: The director and actor at the Photo Call.
Competition - Coriolanus: The director and actor being photographed by his fans in front of the Berlinale Palast.
European Shooting Stars: The talents in the Berlinale Palast.
Competition - Coriolanus: The actress in the Berlinale Palast.
Festival Impressions: The festiva...
It is rare that a rather low budget American indie title ever is included in the main Competition section here at the Berlinale (American indies are more represented in the Panorama and Forum sidebar sections). However, when a film artist has such a clear, individual voice as Miranda July, the main festival programmers cannot resist. Such is the case with July's sophomore effort following her celebrated debut ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW in 2004. It has taken almost seven years for...
by Alex Deleon
In a flash Day 5 (of ten) has already arrived and the fest is already half over, although it seems like it just began. Like it or not what really makes a festival like Berlin second only to Cannes --besides the 400 or so films from around the world shown --is the St***ar power it generates, and festival director Dieter Kosslick makes no bones about this. He goes all out to invite as many big name stars as possible and even claims that the worst nightmare of his ten year ...
On February 16, 2011, the WCF Day will once again provide an opportunity to learn more about the programme, successes, funding strategies, films, initiatives and partners of the World Cinema Fund (WCF).
On this occasion the World Cinema Fund will present its new cooperation partners, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Deutsche Welle/DW Akademie. Through the support of these new partners, it will be possible to launch a new WCF programme in a number...
BERLINALE IN 3D
On Sunday, the Berlinale was host to three back-to-back 3D films that demonstrated that the technology is not only good for computer animation and big budget sci-fi. In TALES OF THE NIGHT, French animator Michel Ocelot provides a shadow-puppet retelling of famous fairy tales, much in the manner of the films of famed 1930s storyteller Lotte Reininger. The film mixes classic silhouette animation with strong colorful backgrounds to amazing effect. In PI...
Standing: Cédomir Kolar (Shooting Stars jury), Ole Christian Madsen (jury), Sylvia Hoeks (The Netherlands), Alicia Vikander (Sweden), Andrea Riseborough (United Kingdom), Marija Škaričić (Croatia), Natasha Petrovic (FYR Macedonia), Clara Lago (Spain), Ralph Fiennes (Host), Heike Makatsch (jury), Lina Todd (jury). Front row: Nik Xhelilaj (Albania) Alexander Fehling (Germany), Pilou Asbæk (Denmark), Domhnall Gleeson (Ireland). Photo: EFP/ Markus Nass
As it has done for the past ...
HomeBase Lounge is a social venue, located in the heart of Berlin. We specialize in providing conference, reception, and party space for the tech- and social-media sector.
An offline meeting space for online people
Although we originated as a temporary festival lounge during the Berlinale 2004, people encouraged us to keep it going. We heard them, and since then we´ve expanded our operations to provide a dedicated venue for the technology and media communities.
Our goal is ...
Hackney Lullabies by Kyoko Miyake wins the 2011 Campus short film competition
On Saturday evening (12.2.) at the Hebbel am Ufer Theatre, Festival Director Dieter Kosslick opened the Berlinale Talent Campus 2011 together with the heads of the Campus Christine Tröstrum and Matthijs Wouter Knol as well as with Medienboard CEO Kirsten Niehuus. Directly afterwards, the roughly 600 guests witnessed the world premiere of the five Berlin Today Award 2011 nominated short films insp...
The Berlinale will again be unrolling its Flying Red Carpet at selected neighbourhood cinemas in 2011. With this series, it wants to express its thanks to Berlin's movie fans and to those who put together the programmes of these cinemas. "Berlinale goes Kiez" was launched last year for the Festival's 60th anniversary and proved to be an absolute favourite among Berliners.
Once again the Berlinale wants to support this passion for the cinema:
On seven...
In memory of the producer, writer and director Bernd Eichinger, the Berlinale will show Bernd Eichinger's film A Girl Called Rosemarie (1996), starring Nina Hoss, who is a member of this year's International Jury, in Kino International at 2.00 pm on Saturday, February 12, 2011.
A Girl Called Rosemarie tells the true story of the 1957 murder of ‘demimondaine' Rosemarie Nitribitt. The Nitribitt affair caused a great stir at the time, but remained unsolved. The film was one...
International film festivals are here in force at the Berlinale to not only scout for new films but also to make announcements on upcoming special projects. Here are a few that have made the headlines here in Berlin.
BEIJING INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL LAUNCHES
Beijing, the Chinese capital, now will have its own film event with the launching of the 1st Beijing International Film Festival, set for April 23-28, 2011. The Festival organization took an office at the M...
While some people in America may already be nostalgic for George W. Bush (do not count me in that group), one of the guilty pleasures that one could perhaps pine for was the former President’s odd use of the English language. Although he was educated at Harvard, he was prone to colloquialisms that were bad mashups of words that he kind of, sort of just made up. He shares this quality with the lead actor in the new Italian satirical comedy QUALUNQUEMENTE translated as WHATSOEVERL...
EUROPEAN FILM MARKET OPENS WITH HIGH HOPES
The European Film Market, the professional parallel event to the Berlin Film Festival, opened yesterday with anticipation of a busy buying session that signal the reemergence of the market after three disasterous years of economic recession. Market registration has increased by 15% from last year and offices are filled to capacity at the Martin Gropius Bau, the Market’s main venue, and the Marriot Hotel. Unofficial offices have also been s...
There was a conspicuous empty chair when the jury of the 61st Berlinale held its press conference on Thursday afternoon. Jury President Isabella Rossellini read a pronouncement that the empty chair was a symbolic gesture of support for Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was invited to participate on the jury but was prevented from leaving his country. Panahi was sentenced last month to a six-year prison term and also received a ban from making movies for the next 20 years. The...
The Panorama section of the Berlinale, known for its edgy programming, is celebrating two significant anniversaries this year. The first is the 30 year involvement of Wieland Speck, the handsome honcho who began his involvement as an assistant to the legendary Manfred Salzgaber, a producer and film exhibitor who began the section as an alternative to the somewhat stuffy programming of the main Berlinale section. With an emphasis on queer and outsider cinema, the Panorama was event...
Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann, Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit, Jury President Isabella Rossellini and Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick will open the 61st Berlin International Festival on February 10 at 7.30 pm. During the opening gala, which will be hosted by Anke Engelke, the International Jury will be introduced. Music will be provided by the Beatsteaks. 3sat will broadcast the event live.
This will be followed by the international premiere of Joel ...
"Our contracts with L'ORÉAL PARiS and BMW have been extended until 2013. And both ZDF broadcasting station and TESIRO have expressed interest in continuing our partnerships beyond 2011. We are also particularly pleased to welcome two interesting new companies on board as co-partners: ENTEGA green energy supplier and GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL watch manufactory. Besides the continued support of Minister of State for Culture Bernd Neumann, the financial and creative contributions of our spon...
If John Wayne is up there watching from the Great Beyond in the Sky over Berlin, he must be truly gritting his teeth to see a younger Good Ole Boy, name o' Jeff Bridges, reaping the kudos and leading the pack into Potsdamer Platz on opening night, while wearing the same black eye-patch Wayne did in the original version of this gritty All-American western. Of course, Big John did pick up an Oscar for his turn as Rooster Cogburn, the alcoholic, one-eyed, straight-shooting lawman, back in 1969...
Homage to the Actor at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival
Since 1982 the Berlin International Film Festival has regularly honored outstanding individuals in the world of national and international film for their life's work. In 2010, the festival's Honorary Golden Bear was awarded to Hanna Schygulla, an actress whose career is intimately linked with the work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In 2011, this award is being bestowed on an actor who first won international reno...
At first glance it seemed like an odd fit.....a Western to open the 2011 edition of the Berlinale? Well, it helps that the cowboy tale is written and directed by two of the most respected film auteurs in the business....Joel and Ethan Coen. TRUE GRIT, the remake of the 1968 film that won John Wayne his only Oscar, is not only a tour de force for les freres Coens but has emerged, rather unexpectedly, as one of the major box office bonanzas of the year. It is far and away the most succes...
