In a new interview with C.M. Rubin, Founder of CMRubinWorld, Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian say cinemas are still closed while film producers look for the right way to respect COVID-19 restrictions.
The experience of making or watching a film in a cinema is all about groups of people coming together to collaborate on art. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing. “The German film industry came to a halt in March, says Mariette Rissenbeek, Executive Director ...
The rise of the rapid distribution and exhibition changes driven by the challenge of global screening services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu and their deep pocketed impact provided the background for the 2020 Berlinale. Their role in the funding of film productions and national as well as global distribution had already been passionately discussed during the last two Berlinales before the 70th edition took place from February 20 to March 1, 2020 under...
After close to two decades as the director of the Berlin Film Festival, the Berlinale, Dieter Kosslick, who had expressed some desire to extend his contract, was replaced by Carlo Chatrian, former artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival. Chatrian will have the same position at the Berlinale and Mariette Risssenbeek, former managing director of German Films. will be the new executive director. Kosslick combined both positions during his service but expressed a...
(Salma Hayek with Javier Bardem © Bleecker Street)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER & ZEP ARMENTANO
"Working with Sally Potter means a surprise every day," said Christopher Sheppard at the end of the animated press conference for her newest film The Roads Not Taken, which premiered in competition at Berlinale on February 26, 2020. Sheppard has produced eight of Sally Potter's feature films since their first collaboration on Orlando in 1992. For those of us familiar with Potter&...
(Marie Tragousti © Czar Film)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
You shouldn't be fooled by the film's title Nackte Tiere (Naked Animals), as Melanie Waelde's debut feature has little to do with nudity although there is one bathroom scene that reveals a little skin. The naked refers more to the raw and wild yet delicate look into the life of five German teenagers, all of them attending school somewhere in the Brandenburg countryside. The energy, ...
(Sigourney Weaver, © Antonio Castello)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The man with the golden camera strikes again. I first noticed photographer Antonio Castello during a press conference last year. His camera with a golden vintage lens really made me look twice. He captured more than a thousand photos over the course of this year's 70th anniversary edition of the Berlin International Film Festival, known by most just as the Berlinale. Looking through his "best of" p...
(Vladimir Azhippo, Andrey Chuenkov © Phenomen Film)
By YUNXI ZHANG
"Communism is a religion," says Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem whose philosophical voice-over will guide you through this 6-hour marathon (without break) - if you can manage to stay in the seat and not fall asleep before the first part ends.
Me watching this DAU film is a pure accident, but then again I probably wasn’t the only one that was confused or misled by the reputat...
(The amazing 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's at international film festivals or for reviews of films 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 represented equally. Below you can also read more about each jo...
By Mark Tchelistcheff
The 70th Berlinale film festival is over. The Golden Bear went to dissident Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof for THERE IS NO EVIL, an unblinking depiction of freedom and the death penalty in Iran. Bravo to the jury for awarding this exceptional film the Golden Bear award to Rasoulof. Rasoulof’s daughter, actress Baran Rasoulof, accepted on his behalf as the director was banned from traveling for defying Iran’s authorities...
(Mawusi Tulani, Agyei Augusto, © Hélène Louvart/Dezenove Som e Imagens)
Written by Victor Santana
In the act of telling a story, the process of narrative can influence and change how one relates and deals with the happenings in time. A great narrative has the power to overcome the circumstances of time and bridge the gap of space between the moment when someone is listening or telling a story and the timeless realm where a story is taking place.
...
Golden Bear for Best Film 2020: Sheytan vojud nadarad (There Is No Evil) by Mohammad Rasoulof - the film team
© Erik Weiss / Berlinale 2020
The 70th Berlin International Film Festival ended successfully with the “Berlinale Publikumstag” on March 1. Following the Award Ceremony on Saturday evening, at which Sheytan vojud nadarad (There Is No Evil) by the Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof received the Golden Bear, numerous fans flocked again to the cinema...
Left: Adrien Mérigeau - winner Audi Short Film Award
In the middle: Rafael Manuel - winner Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film)
Right: Keisha Rae Witherspoon - winner Golden Bear for Best Short Film
In the course of the International Short Film Competition of the 70th International Film Festival Berlin on Saturday, February 29 2020 four prizes were awarded: the Golden Bear for Best Short Film, the Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film), the Audi Short Film Award and the Berlin Sh...
Maison 4:3 and Voyelles Films are proud to announce that the Quebec feature film The Twentieth Century by Matthew Rankin won the FIPRESCI prize of the International Federation of Film Critics for a film in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival. The prize was awarded on Friday night during the closing ceremony of the 70th edition, in the presence of producers Gabrielle Tougas-Fréchette and Ménaïc Raoul, who accepted this prestigious honour.
After ...
At the European Film Market 25 Russian companies presented over 50 titles at the Created in Moscow x Roskino stands, organized by Moscow Export Center and by Roskino accordingly. Content from Russia will travel to USA, China, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, as well as get co-production partners.
“Russia was on the spotlight in Berlin this year. The 70th Berlinale and the EFM saw unprecedented representation of Russian content. Russian projects feature in almo...
By Alex Deleon
Iranian Dissident Director, Mohammad Rasoulof, 47.
Yes, of course, it was a political decision, Highly political, and it was far from the best Itanian film ever and maybe not the best film of the festival, but it was doubtlessly the Right Thing to do, declaring "There is no Evil" the best film at Berlinale 70. Dissident Iranian director, Mohammad Rasoulof, whose film "A Man of Integrity" was awarded best film i...
(Argyris Pandazaras, Georgis Grigorakis © Lindsay R. Bellinger)
by Lindsay R. Bellinger
"I saw a poster in the train station here (Berlin) about the environmental crisis being the next Berlin Wall. And I think that this is what the film is about." ~ Georgis Grigorakis
The Greek film Digger from director Georgis Grigorakis won the Art Cinema Award on Saturday, the 29th of February, which was awarded by the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas (CICAE) j...
(Lana Rockwell © Mélanie Akoka)
Premiered in Berlin, shaped like Sundance. The first paces of ‘Sweet Thing’ feel as they are taken from Charlie Chaplin’s ‘The Kid’. By iris-in, iris-out, long shot cuts into close- ups, the director Alexander Rockwell conveys a really fresh and intimate nostalgia beyond what you’d see in the usual Black & White indie flick. Van Morrison and Billie Holiday lyrics provey emotional LP magic to this soothing...
(Annie Heger, Eidin Jalali, Edson Cordeiro, Banafshe Hourmazdi, Faraz Shariat, TEDDY winners © Lindsay R. Bellinger)
by LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
German singer/actress/moderator Annie Heger as host of the TEDDY Awards was an inspired choice! On the evening of February 28, 2020 she brought the right amount of energy to the Volksbühne, maybe even more than some members of the audience. I was a little surprised that the older male German couple...
(Nico Rockwell & Lana Rockwell, © Lasse Tolbøll)
Antonio Castello:
Sweet Thing was a pleasure to the eyes; the genius mix of black and white and color 16mm films was very well done and goes according with our times. A story is only a good story when is well told and this movie finds a visual unique way to narrate the story using basic techniques, a low budget, and the love of his family and friends.
(Director/writer Alexandre Rockwell, © Ant...
(Thaia Perez, Agyei Augusto, Mawusi Tulani, © Hélène Louvart/Dezenove Som e Imagens)
By Lindsay R. Bellinger
Two Brazilians living in Berlin praised Competition film Todos os mortos (All The Dead Ones/All die Toten), a Brazilian-French co-production, at Berlinale 2020. Dimas Souza, living here for the past 17 years, and classically trained guitarist Victor Santana shared their impressions of Marco Dutra and Caetano Gotardo's film after its final scre...
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PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY
Members of the Jury: Jeremy Irons (Jury President), Bérénice ...
PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY
Members of the Jury: Jeremy Irons (Jury President), Bérénice Bejo, Bettina Brokemper, Annemarie Jacir, Kenneth Lonergan, Luca Marinelli, Kleber Mendonça Filho
GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM
(awarded to the film’s producers)
© Cosmopol Film
Sheytan vojud nadarad There Is No Evil Es gibt kein Böses by Mohammad Rasoulof produced by Mohammad Rasoulof, Kaveh Farnam, Farzad Pak
SILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZ...
The winning films of the Cildren's Jury Generation Kplus (from left to right) Crystal Bear Best Film: Sweet Thing © Lasse Tolbøll | Special Mention: H Is for Happiness © David Dare Parker | Crystal Bear Best Short Film: El nombre del hijo © Constanza Sandoval | Special Mention: El sghayra © Eva Sehet
Generation
Crystal Bears
The members of the Children’s Jury in Generation Kplus – Jan-Nicl...
The audience has voted: The 22nd Panorama Audience Award for the best feature film goes to Otac (Father) by Srdan Golubović. Welcome to Chechnya by David France wins in the category Panorama Dokumente. The prizes are awarded by the Berlinale section Panorama together with radioeins and rbb television (Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg).
Goran Bogdan in Otac (Father) by Srdan Golubović © Maja Medic/Film House Baš Čelik
Otac (Father) shows Nikola fighting for his children. After ...
Perspektive Deutsches Kino
The prize winners of the section Perspektive Deutsches Kino are:
• Compass-Perspektive-Award: Janna Ji Wonders for Walchensee Forever
• Kompagnon-Fellowships: Hristiana Raykova (Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2019) and Ian Purnell (Berlinale Talents 2020)
• Heiner-Carow-Prize: Natalija Yefimkina for Garagenvolk
Award winner Janna Ji Wonders © Daniel Seiffert
The Compass-Perspektive-Award for the best film of ...
Chatelin Bruno 
