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 The Kids Are All Right The stereotypical Berlinale competition film is usually dramatic, grey and distressing. The 7th day of the festival the film Shahada dropped some heavy-duty drama on our laps.
The film sees a Turkish girl abort her baby in a club toilet and a gay Muslim find love in Berlin’s main market. Enough drama to fill the whole festival, one might say. Young director Burhan Qurbani (only 29-years-old) may have set his ambitions a little too high for his first movie. But despite all the tragedy, the premiere party was fun.
The second film shown was outside competition and thankfully much less dramatic. The Kids Are All Right, tells the story of a lesbian couple (Annette Benning and Julianne Moore) who have lived together for 20 years, with two teenage daughters. But when their daughter starts questioning who her biological father is, trouble starts. Paul (Mark Ruffalo) proves to be so charming, that not only the kids fall for him but also one of the mothers…
Director Lisa Choladenko and Julianne Moore attended the press conference. Moore dazzled in a yellow dress, and was sure to mention why she thinks people watch films. She said, “I don’t think people go to the cinema because of the actors, they just want to recognize themselves on the screen”.
Press conferences can often pose problems, with timings and availability. Luckily the conference for Greenberg was a breeze. As usual Ben Stiller delivered, chatting openly to journalists. He said: “I cannot remember jokes and if do, I tell them all wrong.”
Not surprisingly, people laughed all the same. One journalist cheekily asked him whether he’d had any hair product offers on behalf of his new hair style. To which he replied wryly: “Is this why we travelled all the way to Berlin? For these kind of questions?”
Josef Gruebl
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Posted by jennifer.trevorrow
 Werner Herzog In 1970, the jury president of Berlinale, director George Stevens, attempted to exclude the German film, o.k. The film, which is about the Vietnam War, was almost banned from the competition, causing an uproar.
In 1986, heated protests took place over Gina Lollobrigida decision to award the golden bear to Stammheim. And in 2005, Roland Emmerich honoured the title to the South African production, U-Carmen, an awkward film adaptation of Bizet’s famous opera Carmen.
To this day the competition is still going strong, with many guests still secretly hoping for a scandal. And with Werner Herzog as the head of this year’s jury, there may be some controversy in the pipeline. The German director has been imprisoned in a Thai jail, involved in an armed attack in Nicaragua and a shot during a BBC interview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w
The man is a survivor, which explains his penchant for straight-talking:
“Berlinale didn’t mean much to me”, was his answer to the question as to why he kept refusing invitations from festival boss Dieter Kosslick, over the years.
He added, “Festivals are generally overrated, they are not so important.There are too many film festivals – more than 3,000 a year. You can hardly find three really good films within that time span.
“The two films I had seen in 2009 are so bad that I’d better not name them. Evaluating and rating films is tricky. I mean, you can far more easily give prizes to bulls on an agricultural show or to dogs.”
However, visitors are looking forward to hearing Werner Herzog’s decision. Which film is going to make it this year? The film critics weren’t able to make a unanimous decision. As it stands the he most popular film on this year’s Berlinale is The Ghostwriter. Nevertheless Roman Polanski’s elegant thriller does not stand much chance, because the jury has a clear preference for underdogs.
The Japanese production, Caterpillar has good chances to win the race. Director Koji Wakamatsu tells the tale of a war veteran who has neither a voice, nor arms or legs, but only an insatiable sexual appetite. It is a strange film which has triggered a lot of dislike already. Thus, qualifying is as the favourite amongst a provocative jury.
Likewise the golden bear could go to the Romanian film, If I Want to Whistle I Whistle, about a seventeen-year-old ex-convict. Similarly, the German-Austrian co-production, Thieves, about a marathon running ex-convict could take home the trophy. Or perhaps Howl…
But there are still some films to be seen in the second part of the festival. Check out our blog tomorrow.
Joef Gruebl
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Posted by jennifer.trevorrow
 Welcome to the Rileys Kevin Spacey is a genuine pro. He’s still a winner eleven years after his American Beauty triumph. Spacey has a true gift, in his ability to turn the mediocre film, Father of Invention into an enjoyable experience.
The Berlinale guests were given the chance to witness this at the premiere of the film, on Monday evening. The two-time Oscar winner plays the role of an inventor whose work has disastrous effects. When one of his inventions goes awry, he loses his wife, his livelihood and winds up in prison. Years later he sets out to make a fresh start.
Ben Stiller also competes with his new film Greenberg. Unlike Spacey, his presence is not enough to turn Noah Baumbach’s independent comedy into an entertaining film. On the contrary, Ben Stiller’s character gets more and more annoying as the film progresses.
Stiller plays a 40-year-old New Yorker who has nothing better to do than writing complaints to airlines and coffee shops, while he is taking care of his brother’s house in L.A. The script doesn’t make it easy for the star, but Stiller is far from following in Woody Allen’s footsteps, as some critics have acclaimed.
It is worthwhile mentioning the extraordinary performance of Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard in A Somewhat Gentle Man, competing to win the golden bear. Similarly, US drama Welcome to the Rileys sees sterling performances from James Gandolfini and Kirsten Stewart. In the youth film section, Generation 14 Plus, young Michael Cera (the young father in Juno) is a convincing rebel, in Youth in Revolt.
Those Berlinale guests who didn’t fancy crowded cinemas, had the option to attend the glamorous Cinema for Peace gala. This event doesn’t have much in common with the festival itself, but the attendees couldn’t care less.
There on the night were; Leonardo DiCaprio, Catherine Deneuve, Liam Neeson and Heike Makatsch, to name a few. The only star not able to attend the gala, or his own film premiere, was Kevin Spacey, as he is on location in China.
Josef Guebl
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Posted by jennifer.trevorrow
 Shutter Island On the first weekend of Berlinale, a replica of the The Ashecliffe Hospital – an institution for mentally deranged delinquents in the US – marked the location for Shutter Island’s after-party.
On the opening evening, the festival goers partied in Café Moskau. However, the next evening, decisions about where to go were not so easy. The Ghostwriter premiere party was in full swing, as was the Festival Night party in Berliner Palais. And Bollywood super-star Shah Rukh Khan showed up, proving that there were more than just a few credible parties on the scene.
Anyway, back to the Ashecliffe replica in central Berlin. In attendance were Wim Wenders and Dominic Raacke. And later in the evening David Kross (Kate Winslet’s lover in The Reader) popped by.
The only people not present were Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese. Nurse-clad waitresses worked hard to please the guests by offering drinks and sweets in sanitary-shaped containers. And hanging above guests’ heads was the question haunting Leo in Shutter Island: “Who is patient number 67?”
In the film, US Marshall Teddy Daniels tries to track down a patient who doesn’t seem to exist. Shutter Island is a thriller full of suspense with mystery elements, which seem to run out of steam halfway through. There are too many hallucinations, flash-backs and plot twists. Yet the surprise ending pays off.
Not as great, is the new film by German director Doris Dörrie, The Hairdresser which is in competition as a Berlin Special. Gabriela Maria Schmeide plays unemployed hairdresser Kathi, who can’t find a job due to her weight. In a bid to make her dreams come true, Kathi decides to rent out an Asian restaurant and turn it into a hairdressers.
Gabriela Maria Schmeide is likeable in this role, but the fat suit looks ridiculous on her small frame. The film has received mixed responses at both press and gala screenings. So there might be hope for The Hairdresser, yet.
Josef Gruebl
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 Renee Zellweger at the Berlin Film Festival Just in time for the start of Berlinale, snow, ice and mud has spread out onto the capital’s streets. These unusual weather conditions have forced the festival organisers to put a warning on their website, urging visitors to wear sturdy shoes and warm winter outfits. It’s fair to say that Knut – the famous Polar bear living at Berlin Zoo – must be the only creature feeling comfortable in these freezing conditions.
Weather aside, around 400 films will be shown at the festival and director Quan’an Wang’s historical love film Tuan Yuan (Apart Together) kicked things off. The film is about a Thai soldier who returns to Shanghai to find the love of his life, who he was forced to leave 50 years ago. A nice competition film to be shown, but we’re not quite sure it deserved opening status.
At least Jury member Renée Zellweger was dressed to impress for the festivities. Although when the snow began to fall on the red carpet you couldn’t help but feel sorry for her shivering in a strapless gown.
And with international stars like Pierce Brosnan, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese expected at the festival, the best is surely yet to come…
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 The 60th Berlin Film Festival kicks off this Thursday the 11th of February and has a selection of exceptional films in competition, presided over by Head of the Jury, controversial German director Werner Herzog.
From the US, director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) returns with Greenberg, which see Ben Stiller as a struggling New Yorker trying to find his place in life. And Rob Epstien’s Howl, with James Franco stepping into the shoes of Allen Ginsberg, during his 1957 obscenity trial, which got it’s first play at Sundance last month. Not to mention Martin Scorsese’s much-anticipated psychological thriller Shutter Island.
From the continent, Mammuth, starring Gerard Depidu, Submarino, the latest from Festen director Thomas Vinterberg, after a three year absence, while the home country has numerous entries. Roman Polanski will make a return to the cinematic spotlight after the 2005 Oliver, with The Ghost Writer. His adaptation of Richard Harris’ novel, which sees Peirece Brosnan and Ewan McGregor star. The 2007 Golden Bear winner Quanan Wang, will open the festival with Tuan yuan (Apart Together) on Thursday night.
The Brits are repreented this year by Michael Winterbottom. With his star laden cast thriller The Killer Inside of Me. Which finds Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Bill Pullman and Jessica Alba feature in a Texan thriller which sees a deputy sheriff slowly unmasked as a psychotic killer. A darling of the festival since 1995 – when he was nominated for The Golden Bear for Butterfly Kiss – it will be interesting to see how Winterbottom’s latest goes down with the Berlin crowd.
The festival runs until the 21st February and we’ll be bringing you daily updates from Berlin throughout.
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test berlin post
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As we gear up for the 2010 BAFTAs, impress all your friends with some top BAFTA facts…
Kate Winslet at the 2009 BAFTAs  The current BAFTA chairman is David Parfitt, a film producer and actor best known for producing Shakespeare in Love, for which he won a Best Picture Oscar.
Natasha Kaplinsky hosted the BBC’s red carpet coverage in 2005, making a series of unforgiveable gaffs, including asking Leonardo DiCaprio why he’d never gone to the BAFTAs before, to which he replied: “Because I have never been nominated.” Figures.
Talking of gaffs, At the 2001 BAFTA awards, host Stephen Fry referred to Tom Hanks’ role in The Green Man (obviously he meant The Green Mile). Luckily, Hanks didn’t take offense; saying, “I did some of my proudest work in The Green Man.” Aw, we love a good sport!
The ceremony previously took place in April or May, but since 2001 the ceremony has moved to February, serving as a precursor for the Oscars. The big winners at the BAFTAs are usually a good indication of who will take home the gongs on the other side of the pond.
The BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award is dedicated to the memory of Mary Selway, a British casting director renown in the industry, after she died of cancer in 2004. Selway worked with big –name directors like Steven Spielberg and Clint Eastwood, and on blockbusters successes such as Notting Hill and Love Actually.
You can’t deny that BAFTA has a reputation for favouring home-grown talent, a prime example from 2001 saw Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) beat Hollywood Heavyweights Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Tom Hanks (Cast Away) for the award for Best actor.
Woody Allen has an impressive BAFTA record after winning eight gold masks for Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Hannah and Her Sisters. Not far behind though is Dame Judi Dench, who’s won five BAFTA masks for her work in film and television.
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Hi, the Berlin film festival blog is coming this is just a work in progress for testing purposes.
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Cor blimey, where has the time gone? The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival closed last night with a perfectly British send off in the form of the world premiere of Nowhere Boy, a drama about the teenage years of John Lennon.
The film marks Sam Taylor-Wood’s directorial debut and she graced the red-carpet in a beautiful gold gown, accompanied by the film’s lead actor – who’s also now her boyfriend – 19 year-old Aaron Johnson.
Of course we were there to report on all the glamour, plus take a look at why the London Film Festival is so special.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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