(Saïd Ben Saïd, Navid Lapid, Tom Mercier, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Director/writer Navid Lapid and the star of his film, newcomer Tom Mercier, were charming and authentic during the press conference after their exquisite film Synonymes (Synonyms) won the big prize, the Golden Bear for Best Film, at the 2019 edition of the Berlinale.
(Navid Lapid, Tom Mercier © Lindsay Bellinger 2...
(Marighella cast and crew, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Director/co-writer Wagner Moura revealed that it wasn't really his intention to make the film feel exactly as if it takes place in the 1960s, rather he preferred that it felt like it didn't feel like a specific year since this type of story is still very relevant today.
(Wagner Moura, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
(Wagner Moura, Seu Jorge, ...
(Sol Kyung-gu, Chun Woo-hee, Lee Su-jin, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Lee Su-jin's second directorial feature Woo Sang (Idol) made its world premiere in the Panorama section at this year's Berlinale. For those fans of more offbeat Korean cinema, not just romantic comedies or straight dramas then this film might be right up your alley. Politics, familial bonds, illegal immigrants, newlyweds, brothels and a hit-and-run are all part of...
(Jonathan Boudina, Tom Mercier, Dieter Kosslick, Navid Lapid, Quentin Domaire, Louise Chevillotte, Synonymes team, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The cast and crew of Israeli filmmaker Navid Lapid's wonderfully splendid film Synonymes (Synonyms) were all smiles as they hit the red carpet for the world premiere of their film on February 13, 2019.
(Tom Mercier, Navid Lapid, Jonathan Boudina, Quentin D...
(Charlotte Rampling, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Ms. Charlotte Rampling was beyond charming during her talk with Peter Cowie and while answering at least a dozen questions from a mixed bag of audience members. The audience was treated to a number of memorable scenes from her eclectic and impressive array of films. The first scene was the moment from Stardust Memories when Woody Allen's director character approaches Rampling's chara...
(Tilda Swinton, Tom Burke, Honor Swinton Burke, Joanna Hogg, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The press conference for Joanna Hogg's The Souvenir, a wonderfully nostalgic look at the life of Julie (Honor Swinton Burke), a young female film student in early 80s England, was quite revealing. It seems that Hogg and Tilda Swinton have been friends since childhood, so they were very excited to work with one another on this semi-autobiographical look ...
(SKIN press conference, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The oh-so-talented cast and crew of Guy Nattiv's intense and emotional film Skin were very open to questions and comments about their remarkable film. Jamie Bell and Danielle Macdonald joined their director fielding questions about their experiences dealing with such a heavy topic, such a relevant topic not just in the United States but elsewhere in the world. Skin is one of a handful of f...
(Cast and crew of A Tale of Three Sisters, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The director of A Tale of Three Sisters Emin Alper shared that the filming location was meant to give a timeless quality to the story when a member of the press asked about the location. Alper also stated that great effort was taken to coact the accents of the actors and actresses because the locations in the story called for particular accents which were quite new for most ...
(Sam de Jong, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Sam de Jong's authentic NYC-based film Goldie made its world premiere tonight at the Haus der Kulturen to a sold out audience. This film has attitude, there's no denying that. There were even people waiting outside the theater, hoping to score some last-minute tickets. In the row behidn me I could even occasionally hear a German father translating the dialogue for his teenage daughter. That...
(Mr. Jones press conference, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Agnieszka Holland's newest film Mr. Jones, written by Andrea Chalupa based off of her novel, is a wonderful piece of cinema and a history lesson all rolled up in one. Actors James Norton and Peter Sarsgaard admit that neither of them were aware of Gareth Jones and the truths that he exposed about the widespread famine in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. Norton portrays the Welsh journal...
(Jonah Hill, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Jonah Hill looked great in his stylish coat and red sneaks. The writer/director/producer was animated as he answered questions about his impressive directorial debut Mid90s, which opened in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. A younger crowd of journalists seemed particularly interested in this film. The soundtrack takes you back to the 90s as does the entire feel of his film,...
(Jonas Dassler and Fatih Akin, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
Many journalists were grumbling as they chatted with one another about their first impressions of Turkish-German filmmaker Fatih Akin's Der Goldene Handschuh (The Golden Glove), which runs in competition this year at the Berlin International Film Festival. It seems that some felt that there was unnecessary gore and violence with a plot that was not that substantial. That makes me wo...
(Film still: © Wang Quan'an)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
If last year's trend for a controversial "little film" winning the Golden Bear continues this year, then I might have already found the winner. Last year's press screening of Touch Me Not was not necessarily a successful one, if one judges success according to how many of the press badge holders - a mix of journalists and also producers and distributors - stay in their seats until the end....
(James Mackay and Annie Symons, © Lindsay Bellinger 2019)
By LINDSAY R. BELLINGER
The Garden, Derek Jarman's visual narrative film from 1990, starring Tilda Swinton as the Madonna, returned to the Delphi Filmpalast where it had its glorious German premiere at the 41st Berlin International Film Festival. This time it was a restored copy of Jarman's film about the biblical garden where his version of the Passion of Christ blends lighter moments, even with some...
