“Almost half the programme has been decided”, reports Panorama director Wieland Speck, who recently returned from trips to Asia, North and Latin America, as well as several European countries, where he viewed and selected films. He is referring here to the first 21 films in the Panorama programme, which will ultimately include about 50 productions. Documentaries will again make up approximately a third of the section – their large number is due to the great appeal of documentary works today.

For instance, José Padilha, winner of the Golden Bear in 2008 for Tropa de elite (The Elite Squad), will present his documentary Garapa, a work that radically addresses the issue of global hunger. Chema Rodríguez, who screened Estrellas de la linea (The Railroad All-Stars) in the 2006 Panorama, reveals in Coyote how people smugglers do business in South America. He tells the story of three families who set all their hopes on those members who are willing to try to make their way through Mexico to the USA.
In the Indonesia entry At Stake, five young directors explore prevailing moral conceptions in the world’s most populous Islamic country: the topics range from female genital mutilation to the conflict that results when unmarried women want to go to the gynaecologist.

Alongside a number of renowned names like Wolfgang Murnberger, Tom DiCillo, Julie Delpy and Ulli Lommel, this year’s feature films include many discoveries.
In Jean-Paul Lilienfeld’s La journée de la jupe (Skirt Day), Isabelle Adjani plays a teacher who works in a violent milieu where suddenly the tables turn. Jan Krüger, whose short film Freunde (The Whiz Kids) won the Silver Lion in Venice in 2001, recounts in Rückenwind (Light Gradient) a post-emancipatory love story set in Berlin’s outskirts. Actress Rie Rasmussen (who played the lead in Luc Besson’s Angel-A) depicts in Human Zoo, her directorial debut, the grim post-traumatic life of a young woman in Paris after she has escaped the horrors of the Balkan crisis.

In addition, the 2009 Panorama has all reason to celebrate: “30 years of programming!” Headed by Manfred Salzgeber (under the name “Info-Schau”), this section was launched in 1980. Soon we’ll be announcing a number of cinematic highlights that we’ll screen to celebrate this anniversary, as well the complete 2009 Panorama programme.

So far the following films have been confirmed for the Main Programme, Panorama Special, and Panorama Dokumente. Eleven of these works are world premieres; five are directorial debuts:

Absolute Evil by Ulli Lommel, USA (world premiere)
With David Carradine, Carolyn Neff, Ulli Lommel, Chris Kiesa

Ander by Roberto Castón, Spain (directorial debut and world premiere)
With Josean Bengoetxea, Cristhian Esquivel, Mamen Rivera, Pilar Rodríguez, Leire Ucha

At Stake by Iwan Setiawan, Muhammad Ichsan, Lucky Kuswandi, Ucu Agustin, Ani Ema Susanti, Indonesia
PANORAMA DOKUMENTE

Coyote by Chema Rodríguez, Spain (world premiere)
PANORAMA DOKUMENTE

Der Knochenmann (The Bone Man) by Wolfgang Murnberger, Austria (world premiere)
With Josef Hader, Josef Bierbichler, Birgit Minichmayr, Simon Schwarz, Christoph Luser, Stipe Erceg

Fig Trees by John Greyson, Canada (world premiere)
With Van Abrahams, David Wall, Alexander Chapman

Fucking Different Tel Aviv by Yair Hochner, Avital Barak, Stephanie Abramovic, Elad Zakai, Eran Koblik Kedar, Ricardo Rojstaczer, Nir Ne'Eman, Hila Ben Baruch, Yossi Brauman, Sivan Levy, Eyal Bromberg, Anat Salomon, Sie Gal, November Wanderin, Yasmin Max, Germany/Israel

Garapa by José Padilha, Brazil (world premiere)
PANORAMA DOKUMENTE

Ghosted by Monika Treut, Germany/Taiwan (world premiere)
With Inga Busch, Huan-Ru Ke, Ting-Ting Hu, Jack Kao, Marek Harloff

Gururi No Koto (All Around Us) by Hashigushi Ryosuke, Japan
With Kimura Tae, Lily Franky, Baisyo Mitsuko

High Life by Gary Yates, Canada (world premiere)
With Timothy Olyphant, Stephen Eric McIntyre, Joe Anderson, Rossif Sutherland

Human Zoo by Rie Rasmussen, France (directorial debut and world premiere)
With Rie Rasmussen, Nikola Djuricko, Nick Corey, Vojin Cetkovic, Hiam Abbass, Said Amadis

La journee de la jupe (Skirt Day) by Jean-Paul Lilienfeld, France/Belgium
With Isabelle Adjani, Denis Podalydes, Yann Collette

Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Troops) by Riri Riza, Indonesia
With Cut Mini, Zulfani, Ferdian, Veris Yamarno, Ikranagara

Pedro by Nick Oceano, USA (directorial debut)
With Alex Loynaz,Justina Machado, Hale Appleman, DaJuan Johnson

Rückenwind (Light Gradient) by Jan Krüger, Germany (world premiere)
With Sebastian Schlecht, Eric Golub, Iris Minich, Denis Avevi

Sólo quiero caminar (Just Walking) by Augustin Diaz Yanes, Spain/Mexico
With Diego Luna, Victoria Abril, Ariadna Gil, Pilar López de Ayala, Elena Anaya

The Countess by Julie Delpy, Germany/France (world premiere)
With Julie Delpy, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl

Unmistaken Child by Nati Baratz, Israel (directorial debut)
With Tenzin Zopa
PANORAMA DOKUMENTE

When You're Strange by Tom DiCillo, USA
With Kevin Krasny
PANORAMA DOKUMENTE

White Lightnin' by Dominic Murphy, Great Britain/USA (directorial debut)
With Edward Hogg, Carrie Fisher, Muse Watson