The Scottish actress Tilda Swinton will be President of the International Jury at the Berlinale 2009.
Tilda Swinton is one of the most prominent and versatile acting talents of her generation. She has received numerous international film awards for her exceptional work – most recently the 2008 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in Michael Clayton.
Also this year, she founded, co-curated and produced a film festival in her hometown of Nairn, Scotla...
The 59th Berlin International Film
Festival will open on February 5, 2009 with the world premiere of the
British-German co-prodution The
International.
Directed by Tom Tykwer (Perfume, Run, Lola Run)
and featuring a star-studded cast, the action thriller traces the criminal
business transactions that finance war and terror.
The leading roles are played by Clive Owen (Inside Man, Closer) and Naomi Watts (King
Kong, 21 Grams). Armin
Mueller-Stahl (Die Budd...
Berlinale KeynotesPrince of Persia” reloaded. Creative and Strategic Alliances for the Future of the Film Industry
Matt Hanson, director, producer and founder of the Visual Intelligence Agency, has set himself an ambitious goal, namely the production of the feature film “A Swarm of Angels” using the Open Movie principle.
Medien Board webiste for Berlinale keynotes
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Petra Müller, Managing Director, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg Melinda Crane, Journalist, Berlin
With a media blitz not experienced before the 2008 edition of the Berlinale featured a roster of stars including but not restricted to Mick Jagger and his Rolling Stones, Madonna, Sharuk Khan, Martin Scorcese, and Jeanne Moreau as well as the most prominent German film stars and directors. As expected, the appearances by Madonna and the mega star 'King' Khan generated enthusiastic crowd scenes and a journalistic frenzy.This frenzy displaced attention from other Berlinale aspects. To name but a f...
At this year's Berlinale Keynotes, members of the digital media avantgarde - including top producers from the international games industry, Wikinomics pioneers and Open Movie directors - will discuss some of the most challenging questions facing the film industry. In the current entertainment industry, the internet is the new key medium and games are the most important format. In view of the rapid developments in digital technology, the film industry is facing ever growing challenges and new ...
Thursday, February 14---------When you are one of the most famous people on the planet, it is hard to go anywhere without noisy crowds assembling. And when you are premiering your film directorial debut......it is a papparazzi dream on steroids. This is the tame description of what happened last evening, when Madonna, the Material Girl herself, was in Berlin to premiere her new film FILTH AND WISDOM. As one can only imagine, Madonna made quite a media splash. She was prominently featured o...
Wednesday, February 13-------The new age of digital cinema, and how it will effect everything from production to distribution to exhibition, was the hot topic at this past weekend's EFM Industry Debates, sponsored by the European Film Market (EFM) and its official main partner Arts Alliance Media (AAM). Building on the success of last year’s collaboration, this year’s debates dealt with the opportunities and challenges of digital film distribution and sales. Under the heading “...
Opening of the Berlinale Talent Campus #6 with Dieter Kosslick, Dorothee Wenner, Stephen Daldry and Gustavo Santaolalla Match Factor by Maheen Zia from Pakistan winner of the Berlin Today Award 2008 Yesterday evening (Saturday, Feb 9) festival director Dieter Kosslick and Campus director Dorothee Wenner opened the Berlinale Talent Campus 2008 before a crowd of ca. 600 invited guests in the Hebbel am Ufer theatre, HAU 1. Until Feb 14, 350 Talents from about 100 countries will meet with intern...
Sunday, February 10-------For the 11th consecutive year, the Berlin Film Festival is hosting the Shooting Stars initiative, a promotion effort to kickstart the careers of some of Europe's most promising actors and actresses. The program is sponsored by European Film Promotion, a pan-European organization of the continent's film promotion offices, who work together to spread the gospel about European film and film talents at film festivals and markets around the world. This year's talent pool ...
Sunday, February 10---------The Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival is recognized as the "cutting edge" program at the Berlinale, with films that embrace politics, sexuality and social upheaval. Longtime Panorama chief Wieland Speck has been a consistent curator at the Berlinale over the past 20 years, bringing his own sensibilities to the programming of what is, for me, the Festival's most consistent and uplifiting film showcase. To start things off this past weekend, the P...
Saturday, February 9----------As the Competition Screenings at this year's Berlinale move into high gear, it is a good moment to comment on the credentials and the international mix of jurors who must view an impressive group of awards contenders, all vying for the prestigious Golden and Silver Bear Awards. Jury President Costa-Gavras (France) is one of the most renowned figures of dedicated, political filmmaking. His international breakthrough came in 1969 with the political thriller Z, whi...
Friday, February 8----------In 1969, you were either listening to the Rolling Stones express their "sympathy for the devil" or you were listening (over and over again) to "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" as interpreted by a new group called Crosby Stills & Nash. Made up of members of such seminal rock groups as The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash were later joined by Neil Young, to form that much loved group CSNY. The musicians have b...
The screening of the documentary Reverse Angle: Rebellion of the Filmmakers is a great occasion to show a series of films originating from the Filmverlag der Autoren at this year’s Berlinale. Alfred Holighaus, section director of Perspektive Deutsches Kino, curated the series. How does the documentary Reverse Angle: Rebellion of the Filmmakers manage to arouse interest in a not-so-old chapter of German film history? It’s just like with the Rolling Stones. There’s a generation of arti...
Thursday, February 7----------It's got to be one of the coolest Opening Nights of any Festival ever. Just think.....Oscar winning director Martin Scorsese and legendary rock group The Rolling Stones, all making their way up the red carpet at the Marlene-Dietrich Platz to celebrate the screening of SHINE A LIGHT, the opening night gala of the Berlin Film Festival. SHINE A LIGHT is the first concert film featuring The Rolling Stones in almost 40 years, following in the legendary steps of Jean...
Wednesday, February 6---------As thousands of film professionals and cinemaphiles descended onto the German capital today, the buzz for this year's Berlinale is just beginning. Films in competition and the adjoining sections are already creating some must-see momentum, one day before the Festival officially opens tomorrow evening (with Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones on tap, no less). Attention is also being paid to the jury, which this year is headed by filmmaker Constantin Costa-Gavr...
