27th Teddy Award Winners

A gay interest movie is the top Teddy winner, In the Name of, but this time I am really interested in watching film because of the director, Małgośka Szumowska, and her previous film, Elles.

But definitively the film to watch as Must Be Seen is the Jury Award winner, Concussion by Stacie Passon a film that is starting to look very promising not only for today's honor but because seems will become one of the very few lesbian interest films that crossover to mainstream cinema. Film already has a US distributor and is none other than Radius-TWC (yes, is another Weinstein company) plus Paradigm Films. Very good news.

Most remarkable, top feature films Teddy winners are by women directors'. Excellent!

Winners are in *BLUE.

1/30/13
As stated at Berlinale official site, the Teddy Award is the most outstanding queer film prize in the world with a clear vision that shows prize is socially engaged, political honor presented to films and people who communicate queer themes on a broad social platform, thereby contributing to tolerance, acceptance, solidarity and equality in society.

The theme of this year’s Teddy Award is ‘Queer icons: Let’s open up our queer family album’. This is a celebration of gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and women, transgender, closet queens and raging queers, from Valeska Gert to Divine, from Tom of Finland to James Baldwin and from Mishima to Mapplethorpe. The 27th Teddy Award will feature an homage to Jean Marais, commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth. The theme is underlined in the series of works Golden Queers by the painter Rinaldo Hopf which will be on display from 1 to 28 February. His artwork – the Teddy design for 2013 – makes reference to the anniversary of Marais’ birth.

The Teddy award is a non-profit event and is financed exclusively through the contributions and donations of the sponsors and benefactors of the Teddy foundation, the hard work of its many volunteers and through sponsorship and ticket sales for the event itself.

Every year films from all sections of the Berlinale compete for the Teddy Awards. Award ceremony will be on February 15.

Did a spontaneous classification for each movie, but be aware that some films blur the LGBT interest to go more mainstream, meaning: films could appeal more to general audiences than to genre audiences, those films are left without a classification.

The Films

Feature Films

Competition
La Religieuse (The Nun), Guillaume Nicloux, France, Germany and Belgium (L)
Vic+Flo on vu un ours (Vic+Flo Saw a Bear), Denis Côté, Canada (L)
*W imię… (In the Name of), Małgośka Szumowska, Poland (G) BEST FEATURE FILM

Panorama
백야 Baek Ya (White Night), LeeSong Hee-il, South Korea (G)
Chemi sabnis naketsi (A Fold in My Blanket), Zaza Rusadze, Georgia (G)
*Concussion, Stacie Passon, USA (L) SPECIAL JURY AWARD
Deshora (Belated), Barbara Salasola-Day, Argentina, Colombia and Norway (G)
Interior. Leather Bar., Travis Mathews and James Franco, USA (G)
Lose Your Head, Stefan Westerwelle and Patrick Schuckmann, Germany (G)

Panorama Special
Boven is het stil (It's All so Quiet), Nanouk Leopold, Netherlands and Germany (G)
Maladies, Carter, USA
Flores Raras (Reaching for the Moon), Bruno Barreto, Brazil (L) (photo)
明天記得愛上我 Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?, Arvin Chen, Taiwan (G)

Forum
Echolot, Athanasios Karanikolas, Germany
くじらのまち Kujira no machi (The Town of Whales), Keiko Tsuruoka, Japan (L)

Perspektive Deutsches Kino
Freier Fall (Free Fall), Stephan Lacant, Germany (G)
Zwei Mütter (Two Mothers), Anne Zohra Berrached, Germany (L)

Documentary Films

Berlinale Special
Tribute to Rosa von Praunheim
Rosakinder (Pink Children), Julia von Heinz, Chris Kraus, Axel Ranisch, Robert Thalheim, Tom Tykwer, Germany

Panorama
*Bambi, Sébastien Lifshitz, France (T)  BEST DOCUMENTARY
Born This Way, Sahun Kadlec and Deb Tullmann, USA (LG)
Exposed, Beth B, USA (GT)
Fifi az khoshhali zooze mikeshad (Fifi Howls from Happiness), Mitra Farahani, USA
Gut Renovation, Su Friedrich, USA
Naked Opera, Angela Christlieb, Luxembourg and Germany (G)
Out in Ost-Berlin - Lesben und Schwule in der DDR (Out in East Berlin - Lesbians and Gays in the GRD), Jochen Hick, Germany (LGBT)
Paul Bowles: The Cage Door is Always Open, Daniel Young, Switzerland (LG)
Sing Me the Songs that Say I Love You - A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, Lian Lunson, USA

Forum
Die 727 Tage ohne Karamo (The 727 Days Without Karamo), Anja Salomoniwitz, Austria
Portrait of Jason, Shirley Clark, USA (G)

Forum Expanded
Helio Oiticica and Neville D'Almeida's Block-Experiments in Cosmococa - program in progress: CC6 Coke Head's Soup, Hélio Oiticica, Neville D'Almeida and Thomas Valentin, Brazil and USA, 1973 (Avant Garde cinema)

Short Film

Berlinale Shorts
Beshivhey Hayom (In Praise of the Day), Oren Adaf, Israel, 20' (G)
Ja kada sam bila klinac, bila sam klinka (When I was a Boy, I was a Girl), Ivana todorovic, Serbia, 30' (T)
*Ta av mig (Undress Me), Victor Lindgren, Sweden, 15' (T) BEST SHORT FILM

Panorama
Two Girls Against the Rain, Sao Sopheak, Cambodia, 11' (L)

Forum Expanded
Not Blacking Out, Just Turning The Lights Off, James Richards, UK, 17'
The Runaway Troupe of the Cartesian Theatre, Lior Shamriz, Germany and China, 18'

Generation
Dina and Noel, Sivan Levy and Natalie Melamed, Israel, 10'
Första gången (The First Time), Anders Hazelius, Sweden, 9'
O Pacote (The Package), Rafael Aidar, 18' (G)

Not sure if they will be in competition, somehow will be highly unfair as the following are excellent movies -some really cinema classics- so will list them apart assuming that they are part of the program and not in the competition.

Retrospective
A Midsummer Night's Dream, Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, USA, 1935
First a Girl, Victor Saville, UK, 1935
Gado Bravo, António Lopes Ribeiro and Max Nosseck, Portugal, 1934
Peter, Hermann Kostelitz, Hungary and Austria, 1934
Some Like It Hot, Billy Wilder, USA, 1959
Viktor und Viktoria, Reinhold Schünzel, Germany, 1933

Berlinale Classics
Cabaret, Bob Fosse, USA, 1972

The Jury
Sophie Shu-Yi Lin, China
Pavel Cortes, Mexico
Martha Arredondo, Dominican Republic
Benoît Arnulf, France
Dilcia Barrera, USA
Gerjo Pérez Meliá, Spain
Ljosha Chaschyn, Ukraine
Johana Hakanen, Finland
Katja Briesemeister, Germany

As every year there are more Gay than Lesbian interest movies, but have to admit that the full lesbian interest films are great, especially the one from Brazil Flores Raras -with an excellent cast- but also Stacie Passon's Concussion. To learn more about this award go to the official site.

Check some trailers plus summary/images @MOC

63rd Berlin International Film Festival Award Winners (In Progress)

Post will be in progress until after the awards ceremony that will take place tomorrow.

Competition

Golden Bear for Best Film:
Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix:
Alfred Bauer Prize

Silver Bear for Special Mention:

Silver Bear for Best Director:

Silver Bear for Best Actress:
Silver Bear for Best Actor:

Silver Bear for Best Script:
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution in the categories Camera, Editing, Score, Costume Design or Set Design

Best First Feature Award:
Special Mention:

Generation

Generation Kplus
Children's Jury
Crystal Bear for Best Film:
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film

International Jury
Grand Prix for Best Film:
Special Prize for Best Short Film:

Generation 14plus

Youth Jury
Crystal Bear for Best Film: Baby Blues, Kasia Roslaniec, Poland
Special Mention: Pluto, Shin Su-won, Korea
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: Rabbitland, Ana Nedeljković and Nikola Majdak, Serbia
Special Mention: Treffit (The Date), Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland

International Jury
Grand Prix for Best Film: Shopping, Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland, New Zealand
Special Mention: Baby Blues, Kasia Roslaniec, Poland
Special Prize Best Short Film: Första gången (The First Time), Anders Hazelius, Sweden
Special Mention: Barefoot, Danis Goulet, Canada

Short Films

Golden Bear:
Silver Bear Jury Prize:
DAAD Short Film: Aşura (Ashura), Köken Ergun, Turkey and Germany
Berlin Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards: Misterio (Mystery), Chema García Ibarra, Spain

Collateral Awards

FIPRESCI
Competition: Poziţia Copilului (Child's Pose), Călin Peter Netzer, Romania
Panorama: Inch'Allah, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Canada and France
Forum: Hélio Oiticica, Cesar Oiticica Filho, Brazil

Ecumenical Jury Awards
Competition: Gloria, Sebastián Lelio, Chile and Spain
Special Mention: Epizoda u životu berača željeza(An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker),Danis Tanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Slovenia
Panorama: The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, Norway and UK
Special Mention: Inch'Allah, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Canada and France
Forum: Krugovi (Circles), Srdan Golubović, Serbia, Germany, Croatia, Slovenia and France
Special Mention: Senzo ni naru (Roots), Kaoru Ikeya, Japan

Label Europa Cinemas: The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, Belgium and Netherlands (Panorama)

NETPAC Prize: Lamma shofak (When I Saw You), Annemarie Jacir, Palestine, Jordan, UAE and Greece (Forum)

Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas:  Gloria, Sebastián Lelio, Chile and Spain

Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai (C.I.C.A.E.)
Panorama: Rock the Casbah, Yariv Horowitz, Israel and France
Forum: Grzeli nateli dgeebi (In Bloom), Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß, Georgia, Germany and France

FGYO-Dialogue en Perspective: Zwei Mütter (Two Mothers), Anne Zohra Berrached, Germany (Perspektive Deutches Kino)
Special Mention: Chiralia, Santiago Gil, Germany (Pespective Deutches Kino)

Caligari Film Prize:Hélio Oiticica, Cesar Oiticica Filho, Brazil (Forum)

Teddy Awards
Feature Film: W imię… (In the Name of), Małgośka Szumowska, Poland
Jury Award: Concussion, Stacie Passon, USA
Best Documentary: Bambi, Sébastien Lifshitz, France
Best Short Film: Ta av mig (Undress Me), Victor Lindgren, Sweden, 15' (Berlinale Shorts)
Special Teddy Award for HIV Awareness: Steps for the Future, South Africa (project)

Peace Film Prize:  A World Not Ours, Mahdi Fleifel, Lebanon, UK and Denmark (Panorama)
Amnesty International Film Prize: The Rocket, Kim Mordaunt, Australia (Generation)

Cinema Fairbindet Prize

Made in Germany - Prespektive Fellowship: Jan Speckenbach for Das Klopfen der Steine (The Sounds of Stones)

Heiner Carow Prize: Naked Opera, Angela Chirstlieb, Luxembourg and Germany
Thomas Strittmatter Screenplay Award: Chris Kraus for Die Blumen von gesten (working title)

Berlinale Talent Campus
Arte International Prize: Peter Valchanov for The Lesson, Bulgaria
Dolby Sound Mark Award: Rutger Reinders from The Netherlands
VFF Talent Highlight Pitch Award: Geordie Sabbagh for Two Guys who Sold the World, Canada

Readers' Juries and Audience Awards

Panorama Audience Awards
Feature Film
First Place: The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen, Belgium and Netherlands
Second Place: Flores Raras (Reaching for the Moon), Bruno Barreto, Brazil
Third Place: Inch'Allah, Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette, Canada and France
Documentary
First Place: The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, Norway and UK
Second Place: Salma, Kim Longinotto, UK
Third Place: A World Not Ours, Mahdi Fleifel, Lebanon, UK and Denmark

The Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury: Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons), Emir Baigazin, Kazahstan, Germany and France
The Tagesspiegel Readers' Jury: Vaters Garten - Die Liebe meiner Eltern (Father's Garden - The Love of My Parents), Peter Liechti, Switzerland (Forum)
The Siegessäule Readers' Jury Award: W imię… (In the Name of), Małgośka Szumowska, Poland

Day 9 - 2013 Berlinale

In the real final day of the Berlinale we prepare to start learning award winners which will take us to the awards ceremony tomorrow.  Surely will be back later with fest awards as they are announced.

Today some are praising "Harmony Lessons" by Emir Baigazin as "Hannibal by Haneke", which just sounds fantastic to me and makes me wish to see movie a bit more. Still think that story will not be easy to watch. Film has been highly praised and some consider film to be top contender for Golden Bear, so race could be between this movie and Gloria from Chile.

Competition

Elle s'en va (On my Way) by Emmanuelle Bercot
No need to say that film is must be seen for me because some of you already know that I watch everything with Catherine Deneuve. Imagine that the role written especially for Denevue will allow her to deliver another great performance; but if Emmanuelle Bercot's latest movie is as good as 2005 Backstage then my interest grows exponentially.  Film already has US distributor. Update:  Press conference starts incredibly funny with very dumb questions...

Nugu-ui Ttal-do Anin Haewon (Nobody's Daughter Haewon) by Hong Sangsoo
Alright I admit it, do not enjoy much his films but hope is always with me; first reactions to movie tend to be positive and some critics are calling film perhaps his best. Maybe will give film a try but I'm not rushing to see film.

Out of Competition

The Croods by Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders
Had NO idea that Emma Stone's voice is in this movie and really like her voice tone plus her skills; watching movie press conference and yes, now I'm interested in watching this animated movie.

Panorama and Forum
All films have been screened, we now wait for the winners; today is the screening of Forum's Caligari Award winner, while Sunday is when Panorama's winners will have their last screening.

Generation
Today at 7:30pm local time is the award ceremony.

News

Heiner Carow Award, which is presented to a feature film, documentary or film essay, went to Angela Christlieb's documentary Naked Opera. In addition writer-director Chris Kraus was named the winner of the Thomas Strittmatter Screenplay Award for the script to his next feature Die Blumen von gesten, is the second time he wins this award, previously he won with the fantastic script of Four Minutes.

Thursday evening, the 11th edition of the Berlinale Talent Campus, came to a successful close at the HAU Hebbel am Ufer. Headed by the theme "Some Like It Hot – Filmmakers as Entertainers", the six-day Campus offered a unique opportunity for 300 filmmakers from 96 countries to exchange with one another and benefit first-hand from the best of the industry. 150 renowned film experts from all over the world shared their knowledge in nearly 100 workshops, training sessions, lectures and panel discussions, imparting an invaluable wealth of practical experience to Campus participants.

Five Berlinale Shorts entries and Pia Maria's Layla Fourie mark today the end of the Berlinale goes Kiez series in Kino Neues Off Neukölln. For 7 days highlights of the Berlinale have been shown in seven of the almost 100 art house cinemas in Berlin and Potsdam.

Photo

Emma Stone

Day 7 and 8 - 2013 Berlinale

As the festival reaches the final days with only 2 more films to be screened in competition tomorrow and the award ceremony on Saturday, Sebastián Lelio's Gloria seems to still be critics/viewers favorite, so much buzz the film has gotten that "provoked a mini-stampede among buyers". Great news for Chilean cinema; now we have to see if movie is also Jury favorite or not.

Buzz for best actor/actress seems is going to Camille Claudel 1915, meaning that Juliette Binoche is a frontrunner but is not until tomorrow that Catherine Deneuve's Elle s'en va will premiere; still if we recall festival trends, films in fest last day usually are not the ones that could win awards. Also remember that fests can surprise all with newcomers so believe that Paulina Garcia, lead in Gloria, also has good chances to win Best Actress.

Competition
These are the films screened yesterday and today.

Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker) by Danis Tanović
Perhaps the most interesting fact film has is that the non-professional cast are re-enacting an episode of their own lives but film story seems not like one I could enjoy.

Prince Avalanche by David Gordong Green
Alright, I'm curious about this film but will not rush to see it as American remakes usually are very different to the original no matter if telling the same story. There are some exceptions, so let's hope this is one of them.

Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons) by Emir Baigazin
Story seems will be hard-to-watch due to violence but Baigazin's debut feature film stills suggest that will have breathtaking visuals and compositions with a style that makes me recall great Russian films. Will give film a try. Photo shows great use of light. First reactions to film seem to be highly positive, great.

Out of Competition

Night Train to Lisbon by Bille August
Because of director and cast (Jeremy Irons, Mélanie Laurent, Tom Courtenay, Bruno Ganz, Lena Olin, Charlotte Rampling) film is must be seen for me; still story seems could be very interesting. There are more positive than negative first impressions from viewers.

Dark Blood by George Sluizer
More curious to see River Phoenix in the big screen than to enjoy film, but surely is must be seen for me.

News

Today is the 1st Heiner-Carow Award ceremony presented to a German film screening within the Panorama program.

Also today, the award ceremony for the Honorary Golden Bear that this year goes to French documentary filmmaker and producer Claude Lanzmann.

Tomorrow we will start to learn winners of collateral awards as for example, at 6:pm local time Europa Cinemas and FIPRESCI awards will have a common award ceremony.

Special Teddy Award will be awarded to the South-African project "Steps for the Future", which in an outstanding way stands up for HIV awareness. Award will be presented tomorrow at the section Awards ceremony where we also learn this year Teddy Award winners.

Berlin's European Film Market has been very busy, but most interesting is today's news that A Thousand Times Goodnight directed by Erik Poppe has been sold to many countries. Film is based on his own experiences as a war photographer in the 1980s and amazingly the photographer is played by none other than Juliette Binoche!

Tomorrow there will be a joint meeting of women's film festivals led by The International Women's Film Festival Dortmund/Cologne and the Athena Film Festival entitled "You Cannot Be Serious" to discuss the status of women directors and to create a worldwide push towards having a more equal playing field. To learn more check info at IWFFN site.

If you wonder how cinema has changed lately the following stats will give you a brief picture. In 2013 the number of films screening in the Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format at the Berlinale exceeds 50% for the first time. Only around 8% of the films are still shown in the classic 35mm format. For me main implications are when films reach any country local theaters as not many movie houses have digital projectors, high-performance server systems and fast data lines.

In the NOT serious note, there are many parties today but none has the most funniest name as "Fuck Valentine's Day" targeted for singles, of course, invites them to "let's just get drunk and naked okay? Right on. Free dirty cupcakes, edible underwear encouraged and sappy sentiments strictly Verboten". Lol.

Photo

Mélanie Laurent

Day 5 and 6 - 2013 Berlinale

Today is Juliette Binoche day at Berlinale, so who could resist talking about what has been happening and will happen today at the fest? Not me.

These are the films that were screened yesterday and today.

Competition

Layla Fourie by Pia Marais
A German, South African, French and Dutch production that surely will be hard-to watch as "almost casually" develops into a political thriller which takes audience to paranoia, fear and mistrust of a society that is still profoundly affected by racial conflict. A single mother story.

Poziţia Copilului (Child's Pose) by Călin Peter Netzer
No need to say how much I like Romanian cinema and story in this film seems to be interesting as does something not often seen in this cinema, a portrait of the upper-class. But what calls my attention is the quasi-documentary style as not surprisingly we will see the moral malaise of Romania's bourgeoisie plus societal institutions such as the police and the judiciary. The story of a mother consumed bye self-love in her struggle to save her lost son and her own, long since riven family.

Camille Claudel 1915 by Bruno Dumont
Camille Claudel story has been told before by classic 1987 Bruno Nuytten in a film starring Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu, but basically film is Camille's bio that centers in her relationship with Auguste Rodin. Now Dumont tells us about Camille time in a South of France psychiatric clinic and his inspiration came from the correspondence between her and her famous brother. Surely not easy to watch as imagine will be very intense, but also imagine that Juliette Binoche performance will be outstanding. Real psychiatric non-actors patients in film. Must be seen for me. Not surprisingly first comments are leaning to the non-positive, as most Dumont films first reactions have been.  Update: at least one reliable critic rated film A- , now I breath more peacefully.

Pardé (Closed Curtain) by Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partov
From stills know film will be visually outstanding and story surely is interesting. The main problem with this kind of films is availability beyond the festival circuit, but let's hope this one breaks the mold into wider distribution.

Side Effects by Steven Soderbergh
Soderbergh has continually said that he will leave cinema, so maybe this is his last film or at least, one of the last he is going to make, which is what really moves me to see film. But in this so-called psychological thriller he investigates the machinations of pharmaceutical companies and well, could be interesting.

Out of Competition

Before Midnight by Richard Linklater
Already lost the count of the many installments this story has, but the latest (think is the third) brings us back to another "talkie" with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy characters philosophizing, arguing and flirting. Have seen previous films and surely will see this one, but I'm in no rush.

Berlinale Special

Tokyo Kazoku (Tokyo Family) by Yôji Yamada
Most interesting find as "in this film director Yoji Yamada bows down before his teacher and role model. Yamada was assistant director on Yazujirō Ozu’s Tōkyō monogatari". Yamada remakes Ozu's masterpiece but takes it to present day Japan. Must be seen for me as can't resist the idea of watching Ozu's story translated into today, when Japan society is so different.

Panorama

Many, many films but of course the first must be seen movie for me is Concussion by Stacie Passon, but French Mes séances de lutte (Love Battles) by Jacques Doillon seems could be "an atonishing pas de deux of erotically charged, dynamic encounters and repulsions...", worth giving a try.

Forum
Many movies but the ones that call my attention when reading synopsis appear to be too-disturbing for me. So, imagine what they could be as you know I'm very open minded.

Generation

Story surely is interesting as is about the point of view of the two young daughters of Sandinista activists and what happened in the Nicaraguan border in the eighties; a Costa Rica/Venezuela production by Laura Astorga Carrera, Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses).

That's for today, many more movies in fest but not really grab my attention.

News

As we know Isabella Rossellini and Rosa von Paraunheim were awarded the Berlinale Camera this year but yesterday a surprise announcement and ceremony also gave the award to Richard Linklater just before the premiere of his film Before Midnight.

But the best news from yesterday is that Arta Dobroshi received EFP's Shooting Star award which I find is extremely well deserved as she has been a remarkable actress since 2008 Dardenne Brothers' Le Silence de Lorna (Lorna's Silence). Ethan Hawke and Julie Delphy gave her the award.

Photo

Isabelle Huppert

Juliette Binoche

Day 4 - 2013 Berlinale

Today is a very busy day as soon we have BAFTA's ceremony, that is why I'm writing this post very early.

Competition

La Religieuse (The Nun)
There is nothing more "dangerous" than a remake and more when 1966 original is a classic by Jacques Rivette with outstanding performance by Anna Karina. But this new Denis Diderot novel interpretation has something that could make the remake as good as the original: Isabelle Huppert! On the not so positive side, I am not familiar with director Guillaume Nicloux work; still seems that he went "experimental" and took many risks which could make his movie very different to original. One remarkable info is that in many scenes he literally followed Diderot's words and actresses wear NO make-up. Movie is also competing for a Teddy, but due to story imagine has no chances of winning; besides, film has some lesbian interest but my imagination tells me that whatever is shown will not please genre viewers. Still, film is absolutely must be seen for me, as are all films with Isabelle Huppert. Somehow imagine in this film Huppert has a role where we will see what she is highly acclaimed for, strong dramatic disturbing performances.

Gloria
Have seen all, except one, Chilean Sebastián Lelio's movies and of course I'm looking forward to see his latest movie with a woman-centered story. But after checking today's Twitter, my desire to see film has risen as in several languages, viewers are commenting about the huge positive reaction screening had and some are saying that Paulina García deserves to win Best Actress. Don't know about the last comment as unfortunately great actresses have movies in fest but there is always room for newcomers. Of course, news dispatches from Chile are starting to pour with the great news.

Vic+Flo ont vu un ours (Vic+Flo Saw a Bear)
From Canada the latest Denis Côté film that calls my attention for the story, director's regular use of isolation, and my weakness for Romane Bohringer performances (we will see her again in Renoir, great!). Film is also competing for a Teddy and has a lesbian interest story, but surely film will not be what genre viewers like. This film has been described as a collection of eccentric characters, has bizarre directing ideas, has a mysterious atmosphere and all create an artificial world with its own completely unpredictable reality. All sounds exactly like the kind of movie I do enjoy. First reactions to movie tell me that some will like it while others will not and that's not surprising for me.

Berlinale Special

The Look of Love
One of the few UK productions in fest has a tale of a latter day King Midas, based on the real life Paul Raymond, who entered Britain's history of sleaze as the "King of Soho". Directed by Michael Winterbottom this drama is said to carefully balance comedy and tragedy and from film stills this 60's/70's drama seems to have great period recreations.

Top of the Lake
A six-part television series directed by Jane Campion and Garth Davis, an Australia/New Zealand production starring none other than Elisabeth Moss but just with Jane Campion involved becomes must be seen for me. Great discovery that had skipped my radar until now.

Panorama

Again another day with many movies but for me the most interesting are: From USA, a dizzyingly fast-paced zombie-horror-thriller (yes, horror!) Upstream Color by Shane Carruth; From Germany, for impressive performance by all female leads, Meine Schwestern (My Sisters) by Lars Kraume; and of course, Isabel Coixet's latest movie, Ayer No Termina Nunca (Yesterday Never Ends) starring Javier Cámara and Candela Peña.

Also in this section a movie with a cast I do not like, except for David Straithairn and Alan Cumming, but surely will be interesting for story and because is directed by Carter. From USA, Maladies.

Forum

There are many films screened today but Grzeli nateli dgeebi (In Bloom) surely will be the more not-easy to watch drama about two girls growing in Tbilisi, Georgia, 1992, after the Soviet era is over. Georgia/German/France production directed by Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Groß. Also interesting, from Argentina Viola by Matías Piñeiro and from Austria what surely could be visually stunning, Shirley - Visions of Reality by Gustav Deutsch with a series of snapshots from the life of a fictional actress named Shirley which serves to weave together thirteen paintings by Edward Hopper into a fascinating synthesis of painting and film, personal and political history.

There are many more films in the other sections but honestly none calls my attention. Stopping to watch live La Religieuse press conference. Maybe will not see too much as there is an awful English voice over translation, grrr. Festivals PLEASE have 2 streams, one with spoken language and another with translation, so we can chose what we want to hear!!! Great Isabelle is speaking in English! "Goethe did the first translation of Diderot's book, so it's natural to open film in Germany". Stopped watching because really cannot stand translation. Sigh.

News

Yesterday, Isabella Rossellini was honored with the Berlinale Camera.



Last night was the screening of Les Misérables and if you wish to see photos of the movie events you will find them in the net. But suggest to check the Star Portraits that sometimes have extraordinary photos and yes, Anne Hathaway looks great in her photo. Found following Anne photo that is very unusual and quite nice as a photography, so I'm sharing.



Of course Getty as of this moment has lots of great photos from La Religieuse photo call, but none is free, so will share free ones tomorrow.

If you like photography suggest to watch the Berlinale official site gallery Close Up! a project by C/O Berlin and the Berlinale where 14 young photographers aged 20 to 25 are invited to show what they can do and what they see. Up to today there are some outstanding photos.

Tomorrow is the Award Ceremony for European Film Promotion (EFP) Shooting Stars and here is a photo with the nominees. If you wish to learn info about nominees go to official site.



Photos

Late yesterday was watching some photos of highly unrecognizable Charlize Theron arriving to Berlin but photos are absolutely great. She is in Berlin to attend last night Cinema for Peace event and of course photos below are from the event where she is a lot more recognizable.

Day 2 and 3 - 2013 Berlinale

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Opening Day - 2013 Berlinale

Tonight at 7:30pm after a few words of greeting from Government officials the festival will be officially opened by Jury President Wong Kar Wai and Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick. Ange Engelke will again host the evening and music will be provided by Ulrich Tukur & Die Rhythmus Boys with 3sat broadcasting the opening live.

Before the opening ceremony we have the Red Carpet where we will be able to see all juries members, national guests and maybe, the cast of the opening film that is none other than The Grandmaster by Won Kar Wai. You have no idea of how much I'm "dying" to see Wong Kar Wai's film that reunites him with Tony Leung, who I consider the best actor in the world. Those two are a "dream" come true for me, based on the several extraordinary films they have done together. Also in movie Ziyi Dhang who was in outstanding 2046 by Wong Kar Wai with Tony Leung in the leading role.

Hope to be able to watch both events and if find a live streaming will share here for you all, but seems that the official site will live stream today the first press conference and the red carpet. If you wish to see them go here.

Besides the opening film today we also have the screening of the first Panorama film, Zaza Rusadze's Chemi sabnis naketsi (A Fold in My Blanket), a Georgian production that from stills looks like the kind of film I highly enjoy while story seems interesting: "An oppressively atmospheric portrait of a small town community caught up in the treadmill of habit. With magical images illustrating the central character's vivid imagination, this assured work casually reveals the protagonist’s emotional world".

Tomorrow is when all sections will screen films and fest goes full force in this 10-day cinematic marathon, but today many Press Screenings (10) will happen so we will start to hear about movies soon. Not to mention that today is also the first day of the very active European Film Market.

Not planning on doing fest daily coverage but as need a break from Oscar race, probably will share some thoughts about the movies that call my attention each day.

International Jury 2013

The first activity has already happened, the jury photocall and next is the first photo from this year's fest. From left, Susanne Bier, Tim Robbins, Shirin Neshat, Wong Kar Wai, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Adreas Dresen and Ellen Kuras

As of this moment, the first 2013 great cinema party has begun.

Cheers!!!

42nd International Film Festival Rotterdam Award Winners

These are all the festival award winners announced in different dates, including today's announcement plus Friday, February 1st award ceremony.

Hivos Tiger Award
The three winners of the equal Hivos Tiger Awards

Môj pes Killer (My Dog Killer), Mira Fornay, Slovakia and Czech Republic, 2013.
‘The challenge for showing a very strong subject from the inside reveals the difficulty of life and a sense of violence.’

Soldate Jeannette (Soldier Jane), Daniel Hoeslm, Austria, 2012.
‘The breaking out of two women is realized with strong imagery and visual power. Each shot is minimal but gives a high construction of forms and shapes; a very formalistic approach.’

Larzanandeye charbi (Fat Shaker), Mohammad Shirvani. Iran, 2013.
‘The film introduces the audience to a very different world. It is a fascinating story with superb characters. The cinematography really draws out the story, the paranoia and the characters.’

Other Awards

FIPRESCI Award: O quinto evanxeo de Gaspar Hauser (The Fifth Gospel of Kaspar Hauser), Alberto Gracia, Spain
‘For Alberto Gracia’s radical and audacious desire to capture the world as seen through the eyes of a legendary, rebel madman. Mysterious and bravely resisting any amount of words to precisely describe what he’s achieved on screen, Gracia’s work is both meticulously structured and yet as untamed as a dream in the deepest dark of night. We celebrate the film’s achievement to convey Kaspar’s divided selves, identities and visions through purely cinematic means, and to also question the very purpose of cinema itself.’

NETPAC Award: Yang tidak dibicarakan ketika membicarakan cinta (What They Don't Talk About When They Talk About Love), Mouly Surya, Indonesia
‘For its delicate portrayal of the desires and fantasies of its visually-impaired characters in a Jakarta school of the blind that appeals to the senses in evoking the textures and rhythms of the emerging southeast Asian cinema.’

The Big Screen Award: Bellas Mariposas (Pretty Butterflies), Salvatore Mereu, Italy
‘Representing the audience, we felt the duty to watch out for a refreshing movie. One that would be an addition to what is on offer in Dutch cinemas; one that we don’t want others to miss. We found this voice in a movie with a young perspective that frolics from characters to plotlines and is just a celebration of life all together.’

Dutch Circle of Film Critics (KNF) Award: El Futuro (The Future), Alicia Scherson, Chile, Germany, Italy and Spain
‘In a solid competition, a number of titles distinguished themselves by taking more risks. One film caught the jury's eye with its distinct tone of voice. The film plays with light and darkness on many levels; perhaps surprisingly, this is reflected most effectively in the inventive and atmospheric soundtrack. The intriguing central relationship, which calls back memories to Last Tango in Paris, is intimately portrayed by Manuella Martelli and Rutger Hauer.’

UPC Audience Award: Matterhorn, Diedrik Ebbinge, Netherlands
Dioraphte Award: Wadja, Haifaa Al Mansour, Saudi Arabia and Germany

Moviezone Award (Young People's Jury): Les Chevaux de Dieu (God's Horses), Nabil Ayouch, Morocco, France and Belgium

Lions Film Award: Penumbra, Eduardo Villanueva, Mexico

Awards for Best Cine Mart Projects

Euroimages Co-Production Development Award for Best European Project: Jätten (The Giant), Johannes Nyholm, Sweden
‘A project of a talented filmmaker who is about to make a leap from widely appreciated short films to his first fiction that will a tender melodrama.’

ARTE International Prize: The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ireland, UK and Greece
‘A very exciting and original project from one of the most talented emerging filmmakers of the last decade.’

WorldView New Genres Fund Development Award: Zama, Lucrecia Martel, Argentina and Spain
‘A visually stunning and uniquely approached period project by one of South America’s most influential director.’

Tiger Awards for Short Films
Three equal winners

The Tiger's Mind, Beatrice Gibson, UK, 20'
Unsupported Transit, Zachary Formwalt, Netherlands, 15'
Janus, Erik van Lieshout, Netherlands, 51'

IFFR 2013 Short Film Nominee for the European Awards 2013
Though I Know the River is Dry, Omar Robert Hamilton, Egypt, Palestine and UK, 20'

Two films particularly call my attention and have been following them since I learn about them. According to photos and trailer Soldier Jane seems to have outstanding visuals and I'm very intrigued by the Chilean film, El Futuro.

36th Göteborg International Film Festival Awards Winners

Last night at the Stora Teatern the fest had the Dragon Awards ceremony and here are all the award winners.

Dragon Awards

Best Nordic Film
Før snøen faller (Before Snowfall), Hisham Zaman, Norway, Germany and Iraq
Jury’s motivation: “The Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film goes to a film with an original and honest vision that goes beyond clichés. By using an exceptional cast and a precise and vivid style of cinematography the director succeeds in telling a story that reveals the impact of tradition and culture and the fact that they can be conquered by naive, true love. The winner is Before Snowfall.”

The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award
Carne de Perro (Dog Flesh), Fernando Guzzoni, Chile, Germany and France
Jury’s motivation: ”A man cannot cope with the deeds of his past and experiences an intense daily suffering. An exceptional performance constitutes the chore in a multilayered tale of redemption, executed with complete artistic control.”

Best Nordic Documentary
Laulu koti-ikävästä (Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart), Mika Ronkainen, Finland and Sweden
Jury’s motivation: “The Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary goes to Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart, a touching story of inner and outer exile, which brings out a rarely discussed trauma of the Swedish welfare state of the prosperous 60s and 70s. With great sensibility and refinement, the director describes a personal relationship between father and son and their emotional trip down memory lane in the search of a sense of belonging. Their conversations and meetings with other Swedish Finns along the way gradually unfolds the theme of rootlessness and estrangement, while intertwined live recordings of Finnish immigrant songs from the 70s poetically comment on the theme and widens the picture to encompass an entire culture.”

Lorens Award
Malik Bendjelloul for Searching for Sugar Man, Sweden and UK
Jury’s motivation: “Behind this exceptionally well-produced film lies labor that persevered, often against the odds. Despite considerable solitary labor, it has become an international success story. The film has prevailed at something unusual for documentary film: namely reaching out to a greater audience and using the full potential of cinematography. No journey was too long and no effort too great for the launch and contact with the public. The jury was completely unanimous that the 2013 Lorens Award would be awarded to Malik Bendjelloul for the film Searching for Sugar Man."

FIPRESCI Prize
Nordvest (Northwest), Michael Noer, Denmark
“For its solid acting performances and its balanced and realistic portrayal of a young man's descent into a criminal world.”

Audience Awards
Best Feature Film: Wadja, Haiffa al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia and Germany
Best Nordic Film: Kapringen (A Hijacking), Tobias Lindholm, Denmark

The Church of Sweden Film Award: Godheten, Stefan Jarl, Sweden (documentary)

Short Films
Dragon Award New Talent: La Ravaudeuse, Simon Filliot, France, 10'
Jury’s motivation: “So said—but so beautiful. Poverty, greed, fraternal affection, eroticism and painful death. It all begins with a dramatic birth in a home in the crack between dream and reality—where loneliness hangs over everything. With their accomplished craft, the director invokes both tension and strong characters. With La Ravaudeuse, Simon Filliot has created something entirely new, a completely living world of sackcloth, twine and tangled wool. A moving and well-made pastoral drama that leaves no one untouched.”

Startsladden Award: Gabriel och lasermannen (The Day my Dad was Shot), Babak Najafi, Sweden, 13'

Best Swedish Novella Film: Vatten, Niclas Larson, Sweden, 30'
Special Mention: 10 Guds Siffror (Remnants of a Life), Ivica Zubak, Sweden, 30'

Audience Award: Vatten, Niclas Larson, Sweden, 30'

Last, the best photo from this year's festival:  Baby Dragon.

63rd Berlin International Film Festival - Official Program Lineup

In this morning press conference the festival full program was announced and was going to do one post for all sections, but this year each section will have their own post. We start with the Official Program that this year has 24 films.

Films in main competition include 19 movies with a few well-known directors and some of the most extraordinary actresses: Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve and Nina Hoss. Obviously those films have instantly become must be seen for me.

Also as expected the last installment in the Ulrich Seidl's Paradise trilogy, Paradise: Hope, will premier in competition; but perhaps the film that many of us have been anxiously waiting for -since more than a year- is what makes this fest edition most interesting. I'm talking about the film by this year festival Jury President, master extraordinaire Wong Kar Wai, The Grandmaster starring none other than his regular most admired by me, Tony Leung.

Remarkably after reading about each of the following films became absolutely impressed by the quality of some of them as some of the few images available are really breathtaking.

Official Program

In Competition

Camille Claudel 1915, Bruno Dumont, France (photo)
Долгая счастливая жизнь Dolgaya schastlivaya zhizn (A Long and Happy Life), Boris Khlebnikov, Russia (photo)
Elle s'en va (On my Way), Emmanuelle Bercot, France
Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker), Danis Tanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Slovenia
Gloria, Sebastián Lelio, Chile and Spain
Gold, Thomas Arslan, Germany
Layla Fourie, Pia Marais, Germany, South Africa, France and Netherlands
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Fredrik Bond, USA
누구의 딸도 아닌 해원 Nugu-ui Ttal-do Anin Haewon (Nobody's Daughter Haewon), Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
Paradies: Hoffnung (Paradise: Hope), Ulrich Seidl, Austria, France and Germany
Pardé (Closed Curtain), Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi, Iran
Poziţia Copilului (Child's Pose), Călin Peter Netzer, Romania
Prince Avalanche, David Gordon Green, USA
Promised Land, Gus Van Sant, USA
La Religieuse (The Nun), Guillaume Nicloux, France, Germany and Belgium
Side Effects, Steven Soderbergh, USA
Уроки гармонии Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons), Emir Baigazin, Kazakhstan and Germany
Vic+Flo ont vu un ours (Vic+Flo Saw a Bear), Denis Côté, Canada
W imię… (In the Name of), Małgośka Szumowska, Poland

Out of Competition
Opening Film: Yi dai zong shi (The Grandmaster), Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong and China
Before Midnight, Richard Linklater, USA and Greece
The Croods, Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, USA (Animation)
Dark Blood, George Sluizer, Netherlands
Night Train to Lisbon, Bille August, Germany, Switzerland and Portugal

International Jury
President: Wong Kar Wai, director, China
Susanne Bier, director, Denmark
Athina Rachel Tsangari, director and producer, Greece
Adreas Dresen, director, Germany
Ellen Kuras, director and cinematographer, USA
Shirin Neshat, artist and director, Iran and USA
Tim Robbins, actor, USA

Again I'm impressed with the quality of the international jury, especially for the first three. Besides the actresses already mentioned, there are many more international and American actors/actresses that definitively call my attention. Perhaps I'm a bit award season burnt but find that many of this year films are especially worth watching, hope I'm right.

Among the films out of competition and besides the festival opening film the most intriguing movie absolutely is George Sluizer's Dark Blood as has a great cast but the leading actor is none other than River Phoenix. Yes, is Joaquin Phoenix brother, a great young actor that passed away in 1993. As took so many years for film to be released, here is a brief film story.

"When Dark Blood’s leading actor River Phoenix died suddenly ten days before the end of the shoot in 1993, the film’s insurance company became the owner of the unfinished material. Years later, director George Sluizer managed to save his footage from being destroyed. In January 2012 he decided to finish the film by reading aloud off-screen the missing scenes from the screenplay. The resulting work is an existentialist latter-day Western which derives much of its evocative power from the presence of its leading man, who was himself teetering on the brink of death."

Can't help to comment that from the American films there is one that is the remake of an Icelandic comedy, Á annan veg (Either Way) by Hafsteinn Gunnar; what pop-up is one of the stars, Paul Rudd, that usually does the kind of comedy I really dislike. Festival praises movie to have "visual poetry" of early David Gordon Green movies so perhaps movie can be different to regular Paul Rudd's fare. But have to admit that I highly enjoy Emile Hirch performances, so probably will end up watching film for sure. The name of the movie: Prince Avalanche.

I'm looking forward to see many of these films hopefully in the very near future.

Cheers!!!

Watch some trailers, all synopsis/images @MOC

36th Göteborg International Film Festival Line-up

Since January 25th and until February 4th one of the most famous Swedish film festivals has been running and as soon, on Saturday February 2 will be the awards ceremony, I'm sharing with you all some of the great films that are in the two main competitions.


Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film

8-Pallo (8-Ball), Aku Louhimies, Finland
Djúpið (The Deep), Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland
Faro, Fredrik Edfeldt, Sweden
Før snøen faller (Before Snowfall), Hisham Zaman, Norway
Kapringen (A Hijacking), Tobias Lindholm, Denmark
Nordvest (Northwest), Michael Noer, Denmark
Som du ser meg (I Belong), Dag Johan Haugerud, Norway
Uskyld (All that matters is past), Sara Johnsen, Norway

The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award

36, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Thailand
Carne de Perro (Dog Flesh), Fernando Guzzoni, Chile, Germany and France
Crawl, Hervé Lasgouttes, France
Gözetleme Kulesi (Watchtower), Pelin Esmer, Turkey
It Felt Like Love, Eliza Hittman, USA
Lemale et ha'halal (Fill the Void), Rama Burshtein, Israel
Wadjda, Haifaa al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia and Germany
Zwei Leben (Two Lives), Georg Maas, Germany and Norway

To watch trailers for the above and more movies go here. This year the fest is larger than ever as the program includes almost 500 films from 84 countries and to check films in the many sections please go here.

2013 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners

Last night the Sundance Institute announced the award winners in a ceremony hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the following is what the director of the fest, John Cooper, commented:

"The films at our Festival this year truly reflect the unbridled passion, immense talent and diverse stories coming from the independent filmmaking community. I am confident that the awards presented this evening will fuel those films with special promise and that audiences will continue to champion the films they have discovered here.”

These are the winners.

U.S. Competition

Dramatic
Grand Jury Award: Frutivale, Tom Rothman
Directing Award: Jill Soloway for Afternoon Delight
Screenwriting Award: Lake Bell for In a World..., Lake Bell
Cinematography Award: Bradford Young for Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Mother of George
Special Jury Award for Acting: Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now, James Ponsoldt
Special Jury Award for Sound Design: Shane Carruth and Johnny Marshall for Upstream Color, Shane Carruth

Documentary
Grand Jury Award: Blood Brother, Steve Hoover
Directing Award: Zachary Heinzerling for Cutie and the Boxer
Editing Award: Matthew Hamacheck for Gideon's Army, Dawn Porter
Cinematography Award: Richard Rowley for Dirty Wars, Richard Rowley
Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking: Inequality for All, Jacob Kronbluth
Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking: American Promise, Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson

World Cinema Competition

Dramatic
Grand Jury Award: 지슬 Jiseul, Muel O, South Korea
Directing Award: Sebastián Silva for Crystal Fairy, Chile and USA
Screenwriting Award: Barmak Akram for Wajma (An Afghan Love Story), Barmak Akram, Afghanistan
Cinematography Award: Nieulotne (Lasting), Jacek Borcuch, Poland and Spain
Special Jury Award: Krugovi (Circles), Srdan Golubović, Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia and Slovenia

Documentary
Grand Jury Award: ក្បង់ទឹកទន្លេ A River Changes Course, Kayanee Mam, Cambodia and USA
Directing Award: Tinatin Gurchiani for Manqana, romelic kvelafers gaaqrobs (The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear), Georgia and Germany
Editing Award: The Summit, Nick Ryan, Ireland and UK
Cinematography Award: Who is Dayani Cristal?, Marc Silver, UK
Special Jury Award for Punk Spirit: Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer, Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin, Russia and UK

Short Film Competition
Grand Jury Prize: The Whistle, Grzegorz Zariczny, Poland
U.S. Fiction Jury Award: Whiplash, Damien Chazelle, USA
U.S. Non-Fiction Jury Award: Skinningrove, Michael Almereyda
International Fiction Award: The Date, Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland
Animation Jury Award: Irish Folk Furniture, Tony Donoghue, Ireland
Special Jury Award for Acting: Joel Nagle in Palimpsest, Michael Tyburski, USA
Special Jury Award: Until the Quiet Comes, Kahlil Joseph, USA

Audience Awards
US Dramatic: Frutivale, Tom Rothman
US Documentary: Blood Brother, Steve Hoover
World Cinema Dramatic: Metro Manila, Sean Ellis, UK and Philippines
World Cinema Documentary: Al Midan (The Square), Jehane Noujaim, Egypt and USA
Best of NEXT <=>: This is Martin Booner, Chad Hartigan, USA
Short Film: Catnip: Egress to Oblivion?, Jason Willis, USA

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: Computer Chess, Andrew Bujalski, USA

To learn other special awards check press release. What somehow surprises me is the many female filmmakers present in different competitions and the very low percentage of them that got an award. In the US Dramatic competition only 2 female directors won awards, one for directing and another for screenwriting. Do not know what this fact really means but just hope that these female directors were not chosen because their gender or to fulfill a festival "quota" as IF their work was NOT award-quality then should not be in competition. Sigh.