THE BERLINALE AROUND THE WORLD, BEARS AROUND BERLIN

(Photos are published courtesy of the Berlinale)

We are almost there, we're less than a month from 'beginning of the Berlinale that these curious animals (bears) already hovering in a Berlin night to call attention to the Festival.

“Berlin is a great city and this year we will also follow the tracks of the bears in some characteristic points of the capital”, He stressed with happy air the director of Berlinale Dieter Kosslick during the presentation of the new series of posters which again were designed by the Swiss advertising agency Velvet. The six posters of the new series will be visible throughout the city from mid-January 2017. They will also be on sale at the Berlinale online shop from 16 January.

In fact for years the Berlinale has had a global presence with specially prepared programs at festivals or other cultural events around the world. These activities take place under the name of Spotlight Berlinale. So last summer took place L’Estate Berlinale: the Festival in the spotlight in Berlin and Cologne with a review of previews in July and the chance to see the favorite movie by the public and those awarded last edition before their arrival in cinemas.

We start from Summer Berlinale in Freiluftbühne Volkspark Friedrichshain in the month July were presented Baden Baden, Belgian Rachel Lang, presented by the head of Christoph Terhechte program, Who’s Gonna Love Me Now? di Tomer Heymann e Barak Heymann (Israel / UK) won the Audience Award and the Panorama section presented by the curator of the selection Wieland Speck, the short film Balada de um Batráquio the Portuguese Leonor Teles won the Golden Bear and the film Fuocoammare Gianfranco Rosi won the Golden Bear. Ma anche cat and mouse (Cat and Mouse) German Hansjürgen of Pohland 1966/1967 presented in the Retrospective selection and presented by the coordinator of that Connie Betz

Mentre all'Estate Berlinale di Colonia a Filmpalette Cologne, from 22 al 26 July I screened: Struggles of the German Julius Schultheiß Perspektive Deutsches Kino selection, Midnight Special dell’americano Jeff Nichols competing, Leapers (Those Who Jump) di Moritz Siebert, Estephan Wagner, Abu Bakar Sidibé (Denmark) from the selection and Forum Theo and Hugo in the same boat dei francesi Ducastel e Jacques Martineau dalla Panorama selection.

This year, the Berlinale has also moved to Mexico at the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) with Spotlight Berlinale program. In fact during the event “Year of Germany in Mexico 2016/2017″, yl 14th International Film Festival Morelia in Messico (21-30 October 2016) devoted an entire program at the Berlin Festival. The jointly curated selection presented a dozen films from the Berlinale program 2016, the retrospective “Germany 1966 – Redefining Film”, as well as a further work with a historical film. Furthermore, future of the Berlinale initiatives were presented, come il World Cinema Fund e i Talents Berlinale. The event was presented by the Director of the Berlinale Dieter Kosslick and other representatives of the festival and has been supported by the Goethe-Institut.

“With much gratitude we thank the Morelia Festival and particular the its director, Daniela Michel, for the invitation. The Spotlight Berlinale in Morelia will help to strengthen and deepen the dialogue with our Mexican friends. The Year of Germany in Mexico sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a great opportunity to intensify cultural exchange “, said the director of the Berlinale Dieter Kosslick. While the director of FICM Daniela Michel commented “We are pleased to work with the Berlinale, in the context of the Germany-Mexico two years, to bring a selection of great movies to screens in Morelia This initiative will not only give the opportunity to our audience to see new and exciting international works, but also it will also strengthen the relationship between our festival, our countries and our cinema. We are deeply grateful to Dieter Kosslick and Berlinale for this important opportunity for collaboration and exchange.

The fed Berlinale Spotlight program at the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico included the projection:

The official selection Fuocoammare Gianfranco Rosi ,Golden Bear for Best Film, The future di Mia Hansen-Løve (France / Germany), Silver Bear for Best Director, Inhebbek Hedi (Hedi) Tunisian Mohamed Ben Attia , Prize Best First Film and Silver Bear for Best Actor Majd Mastoura

From the selection Panorama hangover (Tomcat) Austrian Klaus Händl, Teddy

Award for Best Genre Film, Jug-yeo-ju-neun Yeo-ja (The Bacchus Lady) South Korean E J-Yong and Lantouri Iranian Reza Dormishian

From the selection Forum yoqabil Barakah Barakah (Meets Barakah Barakah) Saudi Mahmoud Sabbagh (Saudi Arabia) e Yarden (The Yard) dello inglese Måns Månsson.

From the selection Generation Rauf Turkish Barış Kaya and Soner Caner, e Royahaye Dame Sobh (Starless Dreams) Iranian Mehrdad Oskouei.

Perspektive Deutsches Kino from the selection Meteorstraße (Meteor Street) di Aline Fischer.

Dalla Berlinale Shorts Ballad of a Batrachian (Batrachian’s Ballad) the Portuguese Leonor Teles, Golden Bear for Best Short, Jin Zhi Xia Mao (Anchorage Prohibited) del taiwanese Wei Liang Chiang , Audi Short Film Award e Our heritage (Our Legacy) French Jonathan Vinel and persons of German Christoph Girardet and Matthias Müller and finally from Ghana Reluctantly Queer Akosua Adoma Owusu.

From the selection Retrospective Karla Herrmann Zschoche (1966) e per Reinhold Schünzel – Retrospective the fil the same author Viktor und Viktoria (1933), Amphitryon. From the clouds happiness comes (Amphitryon. Happiness from the Clouds – 1935), The Ice Follies of 1939 (produced in America in 1939) e next kiss I slam him down! (One More Kiss and He’s Dead!) di Hans-Christoph Blumenberg (1996) and a documentary about the Berlinale Spur der Bären (Trace of the Bears) German Hans-Christoph Blumenberg (2010). Finally Special Guest: Sebastian Schipper as an actor with Drei (Three) di Tom Tykwer (2010) and as a director Absolute Giganten (Gigantic – 1999) and Victoria (2015)

The Berlinale Spotlight with Short Film Presentations was well in Asia later this year.

In November and December in three Berlinale Spotlight events they were presented short films from different sections of the Berlinale in Vietnam, Malaysia and India. These presentations have always been held in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur e Calcutta rispettivamente.

All’ Hanoi International Film Festival svoltosi a Novembre, Maike Mia Höhne, curator of the Berlinale Shorts, presented two programs from the Berlinale Shorts. Subsequently both these programs were projected to Kuala Lumpur.

While the Spotlight Berlinale in India has shown the short films from the following sections: Berlinale Shorts, Generation, Forum Expanded e Panorama (in particular from Teddy Twenty Tribute Program). Beside the Golden Bear winner for Best Short Film 2016, Ballad of a Batrachian di Leonor Teles, and Silver Bear winner of the Jury Prize (short film) 2016, A Man Returned di Mahdi Fleifel, Berlinale presented the Spotlight the winner of the Audi Short Film Award 2016, Jin zhi Xia Mao di Chiang Wei Liang.

Finally we want to remember the close link between the Festival International Berlin Film with Andrzej Wajda, who died last October. Andrzej Wajda was among the most influential filmmakers of the Polish theater and recipient of numerous awards for his work. After studying painting, He attended the Lodz Film School, and conducted his his first feature film A Generation in 1954. His complete works includes over 50 film. from 1980, the Berlinale showed 13 film director. Among others, Holy Week (1996, Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution), Miss Nobody (1997), Mr Tadeusz (2000), Katyn (2008) e Tatarak (2009, Alfred Bauer Prize) all presented in competition. One of his most famous films, Ashes and Diamonds (1958) It was presented in 1990 as part of the Berlinale Retrospective. Andrzej Wajda was also sworn in 2000 and he was awarded the Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement in 2006.

The Director of the Berlinale Dieter Kosslick, remembered him:”The film world has lost a great artist who has constantly renewed the cinematic arts, even in old age . Engaged director, grappling with the history of his native country and always with a clear position. Andrzej Wajda with his unmistakable style, He has enriched the landscape of Polish cinema as a whole”.

This is the past, but in a few days we will know more about the 67th edition It will be held from 9 al 19 February 2017 and we will keep you informed as always. Meanwhile, we leave you with another of the posters for this edition.