Berlinale: The Whole World of Film

Berlinale

The object of desire is 21 centimeters high, weighs 2.5 kilograms and has fur of shining gold: the Golden Bear. It is one of the most prestigious international film awards and each February the film world gathers at the Berlinale for the presentation.

Berlin’s 61st International Film Festival is rolling out the red carpet from February 10 to 20 to show around 400 films from almost 60 countries. They include new forms of film, such as Wim Wenders’ 3D tribute to the choreographer Pina Bausch. The opening film promises a glamorous Hollywood atmosphere: the US Western with ten Oscar nominations, “True Grit,” by Ethan and Joel Coen with Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges in the leading role.

There are 16 entries, including 13 world premieres, in the official Berlinale competition for the Golden Bear for best film and the Silver Bears in additional categories. The majority of productions come from Europe, Latin America and the USA.

This year’s jury, with its president Isabella Rossellini, will be watching two competition entries from Germany: “Sleeping Sickness” by director Ulrich Köhler is a film about a development aid worker in Cameroon who is heading a project against sleeping sickness. And the successful documentary filmmaker Andres Veiel is entering the contest with a feature film, which critics say has a good chance of winning a bear: the Red Army Faction drama “If not us, who?” depicts events in the run-up to “The German Autumn” of 1977 and the beginnings of the R.A.F. terrorist activities.

German actor, Alexander Fehling, who plays the Red Army Faction’s co-founder Andreas Baader, is one of the lesser known up-and-coming talents in German film – up to now. But at the Berlinale the promising 29-year-old is being celebrated as one of ten European Shooting Stars and young ambassadors of European cinema.

There is also special recognition for an “old master”: the actor Armin Mueller-Stahl, who turned 80 in December, is being awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for his lifetime achievement. In addition to the Retrospective dedicated to the work of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, the Berlinale is holding a special screening of “The Girl Rosemarie” in honour of Bernd Eichinger, the German producer, director and screenwriter who died suddenly this January.

Source by http://www.germany.info

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