Berlin International Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festival
s and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin
, Germany
. Founded in West Berlin
in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978. With 274,000 tickets sold and 487,000 admissions it is considered the largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide. Up to 400 films are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of the cinematic world. Around twenty films compete for the awards called the Golden and Silver Bears. Since 2001 the director of the festival has been Dieter Kosslick
.
The European Film Market (EFM), a film trade fair held simultaneously to the Berlinale, is a major industry meeting for the international film circuit once a year. The trade fair serves distributors, filmbuyers, producers, financiers and co-production agents. The Berlinale Talent Campus, a week long series of lectures and workshops, gathers young filmmakers from around the globe. It partners with the festival itself and is considered to be a forum for upcoming artists.
The festival, the EFM and other satellite events are attended by around 20,000 professionals from over 130 countries. More than 4200 journalists are responsible for the media exposure in over 110 countries. At high-profile feature film premieres, movie stars and celebrities are present at the red carpet
. The Berlinale has established
a cosmopolitan character integrating art, glamour, commerce and a global media attention.
The 61st Berlin International Film Festival
was held from 10 to 20 February 2011. The jury was presided by Isabella Rossellini
.
The Golden Bear (German: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Golden Bear
(Goldener Bär)
Silver Bear (Silberner Bär)
The Silver Bear was introduced in 1956 as an award for individual achievements in direction and acting, and for best short film.
In 1965 a special film award for the runner-up to the Golden Bear was introduced. Although its official name was the Special Jury Price from 1965 to 1999, and has been the Jury Grand Prix since 2000, it is commonly known as the Silver Bear (just like the awards for individual achievements) as it's seen as a second place award after the Golden Bear.
In 1978, a Silver Bear for special recognitions was introduced, in 2002 a Silver Bear for best film music, and in 2008 an award for best screenplay.
Other awards at the Berlin International Film Festival
The festival is composed of seven different film sections. Films are chosen in each category by a section director with the advice of a committee of film experts. Categories include:
Competition – comprises feature-length films yet to be released outside their country of origin. Films in the Competition section compete for several prizes, including the top Golden Bear
for the best film and a series of Silver Bears for acting, writing and production.
Panorama – comprises new independent and arthouse films that deal with "controversial subjects or unconventional aesthetic styles". Films in the category are intended to provoke discussion, and have historically involved themes such as gay, lesbian and transgendered
issues.
Forum – comprises experimental films from around the world with a particular emphasis on screening works by younger filmmakers. There are no format or genre restrictions, and films in the Forum do not compete for awards.
Generation – comprises a mixture of short and feature-length films aimed at children and youths. Films in the Generation section compete in two sub-categories: Generation Kplus (aimed at those aged four and above) and Generation 14plus (aimed at those aged fourteen and above). Awards in the section are determined by three separate juries – the Children's Jury, the Youth Jury and an international jury of experts – whose decisions are made independent of one another.
Perspektive Deutsches Kino – comprises a wide variety of German films, with an emphasis on highlighting current trends in German cinema. There are few entry requirements, enabling emerging filmmakers to display their work to domestic and international audiences.
Berlinale Shorts – comprises domestic and international short films, especially those that demonstrate innovative approaches to filmmaking. Films in the category compete for the Golden Bear for the best short film, as well as a jury-nominated Silver Bear.
Retrospective – comprises classic films previously shown at the Berlinale, with films collated from the Competition, Forum, Panorama and Generation categories. Each year, the Retrospective section is dedicated to important themes or filmmakers. The special Homage series similarly examines past cinema, with a focus on honouring the life work of directors and actors.
In addition to the seven sections, the Berlinale also contains several linked "curated special series", including the Berlinale Special, Gala Special, Forum Expanded, Culinary Cinema and the Homage.
The trade fair provides exhibition space for companies presenting their current line up. It organizes over 1000 screenings of new films, which take place at movie theatres around Potsdamer Platz. In 2007 the CinemaxX and CineStar were used to showcase new productions. In 2010 the Astor Film Lounge is showing market screenings in 3D using digital RealD technology.
The Berlinale Co-Production Market is a 3-day networking platform for producers, financiers as well as broadcasting and funding representatives who are participating in international co-productions.
At the Berlinale Co-Production Market, producers can introduce pre-selected projects and find co-production partners and/or financiers in one-on-one meetings.
Commencing in 2003, the Berlinale has partnered with the Berlinale Talent Campus, which is a winter school for "up and coming filmmakers" that takes place at the same time as the festival itself. The Talent Campus accepts about 350 applicants each year; the attendees come from around the world, and represent all of the filmmaking professions.
The event runs 6 days during the Berlinale and features lectures and panel discussions with well know professionals addressing issues in filmmaking today. Workshops, excursions, personal tutoring, coaching and training of participants from different fields of work are part of the programme.
The proceedings include presentations by distinguished experts, who have included Park Chan-wook
, Frances McDormand
, Stephen Frears
, Dennis Hopper
, Jia Zhangke
, Walter Murch
, Shah Rukh Khan, Anthony Minghella
, Charlotte Rampling
, Walter Salles
, Ridley Scott
, Raoul Peck
, Tom Tykwer
, Mike Leigh
, Tilda Swinton
and Wim Wenders
. Many of these presentations and lectures are archived, both as videorecordings and transcripts, on the Talent Campus' website.
Image:PotsdamerplatzBerlin.JPG|Potsdamer Platz
houses two large multiplex cinemas
Image:Journalists_during_the_Berlin_Film_Festival_in_2008.jpg|Around 20.000 professionals from over 130 countries attend the festival every year
Image:SharonStoneBerlinale.jpg|Sharon Stone
at the Premiere of "When a man falls in the forest"
Image:Internationalkma.jpg|Kino International is one of three ticketing centers
Image:Cubix2008.jpg|Cubix Kino at Alexanderplatz
Image:Berlinalediscussion.jpg|The audience has the opportunity to discuss the film with producers & directors after the presentation
Image:Berlinalepress.jpg|Conference after a screenings
Image:Berlin Friedrichstadtpalast 2006.jpg|In 2009, the Friedrichstadtpalast became a cinema location
Image:Roland Emmerich.5239.jpg|Jury president 2005, Roland Emmerich
Image:delphiberlin.jpg|Delphi Filmpalast
Image:ClintEastwood Berlinale.jpg|Clint Eastwood
, 2007
Image:Werner Herzog Bruxelles 01 cropped.jpg|Jury president 2010, Werner Herzog
Film festival
A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...
s and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Founded in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978. With 274,000 tickets sold and 487,000 admissions it is considered the largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide. Up to 400 films are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of the cinematic world. Around twenty films compete for the awards called the Golden and Silver Bears. Since 2001 the director of the festival has been Dieter Kosslick
Dieter Kosslick
Dieter Kosslick is the director of the Berlin International Film Festival . He has held this post since 1 May 2001 when he took over from Moritz de Hadeln....
.
The European Film Market (EFM), a film trade fair held simultaneously to the Berlinale, is a major industry meeting for the international film circuit once a year. The trade fair serves distributors, filmbuyers, producers, financiers and co-production agents. The Berlinale Talent Campus, a week long series of lectures and workshops, gathers young filmmakers from around the globe. It partners with the festival itself and is considered to be a forum for upcoming artists.
The festival, the EFM and other satellite events are attended by around 20,000 professionals from over 130 countries. More than 4200 journalists are responsible for the media exposure in over 110 countries. At high-profile feature film premieres, movie stars and celebrities are present at the red carpet
Red carpet
A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.- History :...
. The Berlinale has established
a cosmopolitan character integrating art, glamour, commerce and a global media attention.
The 61st Berlin International Film Festival
61st Berlin International Film Festival
The 61st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 10 to February 20, 2011, with actress Isabella Rossellini as the President of the Jury. The Coen Brothers film True Grit opened the festival. 300,000 tickets were sold in total during the event, to 20,000 attendees from 116...
was held from 10 to 20 February 2011. The jury was presided by Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini is an Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model. Rossellini is noted for her 14-year tenure as a Lancôme model, and for her roles in films such as Blue Velvet and Death Becomes Her.-Background and early life:Rossellini is a...
.
Awards
Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
(Goldener Bär)
- Best Motion Picture (since 1951)
- Lifetime Achievement (Honorary Golden Bear) (since 1982)
Silver Bear (Silberner Bär)
The Silver Bear was introduced in 1956 as an award for individual achievements in direction and acting, and for best short film.
In 1965 a special film award for the runner-up to the Golden Bear was introduced. Although its official name was the Special Jury Price from 1965 to 1999, and has been the Jury Grand Prix since 2000, it is commonly known as the Silver Bear (just like the awards for individual achievements) as it's seen as a second place award after the Golden Bear.
In 1978, a Silver Bear for special recognitions was introduced, in 2002 a Silver Bear for best film music, and in 2008 an award for best screenplay.
- Jury Grand PrixJury Grand PrixThe Jury Grand Prix is a Silver Bear award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition...
(since 1965) - Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
(since 1956) - Best ActorSilver Bear for Best ActorThe Silver Bear for Best Actor is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in performance by an actor.- Awards :- External links :*...
(since 1956) - Best ActressSilver Bear for Best ActressThe Silver Bear for Best Actress is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in performance by an actress.-Awards:- External links :*...
(since 1956) - Best Short Film (since 1956)
- Outstanding Artistic Achievement (since 1978)
- Best Film Music (since 2002)
- Best Screenplay (since 2008)
Other awards at the Berlin International Film Festival
- Panorama Publikumspreis, the Audience Award
- Berlinale Camera, a special award for services to the Festival
- A Crystal Bear for the Best Film in the 14plus section of the Generation Competition
- A Crystal Bear for the Best Film in the children's section of the Generation Competition
- Teddy AwardTeddy AwardThe Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival . Here, an "independent jury" implies that its members are not officially selected by the committee of the Berlinale...
for films with LGBT topics - Shooting Stars AwardShooting Stars AwardThe Shooting Stars Award is annually presented to ten young European actors at the Berlin International Film Festival. It was introduced in 1998 by European Film Promotion , a pan-European network of film promotion and export organisations, and is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the EU...
for young European acting talent, awarded by European Film PromotionEuropean Film PromotionEuropean Film Promotion is an organisation which works for the worldwide promotion and marketing of European cinema. The EFP network incorporates 31 national promotion organisations from 32 European countries.-Activities:EFP's major objectives are:...
Festival programme
Competition – comprises feature-length films yet to be released outside their country of origin. Films in the Competition section compete for several prizes, including the top Golden Bear
Golden Bear
According to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
for the best film and a series of Silver Bears for acting, writing and production.
Panorama – comprises new independent and arthouse films that deal with "controversial subjects or unconventional aesthetic styles". Films in the category are intended to provoke discussion, and have historically involved themes such as gay, lesbian and transgendered
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
issues.
Forum – comprises experimental films from around the world with a particular emphasis on screening works by younger filmmakers. There are no format or genre restrictions, and films in the Forum do not compete for awards.
Generation – comprises a mixture of short and feature-length films aimed at children and youths. Films in the Generation section compete in two sub-categories: Generation Kplus (aimed at those aged four and above) and Generation 14plus (aimed at those aged fourteen and above). Awards in the section are determined by three separate juries – the Children's Jury, the Youth Jury and an international jury of experts – whose decisions are made independent of one another.
Perspektive Deutsches Kino – comprises a wide variety of German films, with an emphasis on highlighting current trends in German cinema. There are few entry requirements, enabling emerging filmmakers to display their work to domestic and international audiences.
Berlinale Shorts – comprises domestic and international short films, especially those that demonstrate innovative approaches to filmmaking. Films in the category compete for the Golden Bear for the best short film, as well as a jury-nominated Silver Bear.
Retrospective – comprises classic films previously shown at the Berlinale, with films collated from the Competition, Forum, Panorama and Generation categories. Each year, the Retrospective section is dedicated to important themes or filmmakers. The special Homage series similarly examines past cinema, with a focus on honouring the life work of directors and actors.
In addition to the seven sections, the Berlinale also contains several linked "curated special series", including the Berlinale Special, Gala Special, Forum Expanded, Culinary Cinema and the Homage.
European Film Market
The European Film Market (EFM) is one of three largest movie markets in the world. It is the business centre during the time of the Berlinale Film Festival. The EFM is the major venue for film producers, buyers, financiers, sales agents and distributors. It is a professional trade event and is open to registered industry insiders. In 2011, 400 companies registered and 6,982 market badges were issued. 1,532 buyers have registered.The trade fair provides exhibition space for companies presenting their current line up. It organizes over 1000 screenings of new films, which take place at movie theatres around Potsdamer Platz. In 2007 the CinemaxX and CineStar were used to showcase new productions. In 2010 the Astor Film Lounge is showing market screenings in 3D using digital RealD technology.
The Berlinale Co-Production Market is a 3-day networking platform for producers, financiers as well as broadcasting and funding representatives who are participating in international co-productions.
At the Berlinale Co-Production Market, producers can introduce pre-selected projects and find co-production partners and/or financiers in one-on-one meetings.
Talent Campus
The event runs 6 days during the Berlinale and features lectures and panel discussions with well know professionals addressing issues in filmmaking today. Workshops, excursions, personal tutoring, coaching and training of participants from different fields of work are part of the programme.
The proceedings include presentations by distinguished experts, who have included Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of...
, Frances McDormand
Frances McDormand
Frances Louise McDormand is an American film and stage actress. She has starred in a number of films, including her Academy Award-winning performance as Marge Gunderson in Fargo, in 1996...
, Stephen Frears
Stephen Frears
Stephen Arthur Frears is an English film director.-Early life:Frears was born in Leicester, England to Ruth M., a social worker, and Dr Russell E. Frears, a general practitioner and accountant. He did not find out that his mother was Jewish until he was in his late 20s...
, Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke is a Chinese film director. He is generally regarded as a leading figure of the "Sixth Generation" movement of Chinese cinema, a group that also includes such figures as Wang Xiaoshuai and Zhang Yuan....
, Walter Murch
Walter Murch
Walter Scott Murch is an American film editor and sound designer.-Early life:Murch was born in New York City, New York, the son of Katharine and Canadian-born Walter Tandy Murch , a painter. He went to The Collegiate School, a private preparatory school in Manhattan, from 1949 to 1961...
, Shah Rukh Khan, Anthony Minghella
Anthony Minghella
Anthony Minghella, CBE was an English film director, playwright and screenwriter. He was Chairman of the Board of Governors at the British Film Institute between 2003 and 2007....
, Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling, OBE is an English actress. Her career spans four decades in English-language as well as French and Italian cinema.- Early life :...
, Walter Salles
Walter Salles
Walter Moreira Salles, Jr. is a Brazilian filmmaker and film producer of international prominence.-Life and career:Salles was born in Rio de Janeiro. He is the son of Elizinha Goncalves and Walter Moreira Salles, a Brazilian banker and ambassador, and the brother of João Moreira Salles, also a...
, Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
, Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck is an award-winning Haitian filmmaker, of both documentary and feature films, and a political activist. Briefly, in the 1990s, he was Haiti's Minister of Culture.-Biography:...
, Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer is a German film director, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing Run Lola Run , Heaven , Perfume: The Story of a Murderer , and The International ....
, Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
, Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton
Katherine Mathilda "Tilda" Swinton is a British actress known for both arthouse and mainstream films. She has appeared in a number of films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Burn After Reading, The Beach, We Need to Talk About Kevin and was nominated for a Golden Globe for her...
and Wim Wenders
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German film director, playwright, author, photographer and producer.-Early life:Wenders was born in Düsseldorf. He graduated from high school in Oberhausen in the Ruhr area. He then studied medicine and philosophy in Freiburg and Düsseldorf...
. Many of these presentations and lectures are archived, both as videorecordings and transcripts, on the Talent Campus' website.
Gallery
Image:PotsdamerplatzBerlin.JPG|Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag , and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park...
houses two large multiplex cinemas
Image:Journalists_during_the_Berlin_Film_Festival_in_2008.jpg|Around 20.000 professionals from over 130 countries attend the festival every year
Image:SharonStoneBerlinale.jpg|Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
at the Premiere of "When a man falls in the forest"
Image:Internationalkma.jpg|Kino International is one of three ticketing centers
Image:Cubix2008.jpg|Cubix Kino at Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
Image:Berlinalediscussion.jpg|The audience has the opportunity to discuss the film with producers & directors after the presentation
Image:Berlinalepress.jpg|Conference after a screenings
Image:Berlin Friedrichstadtpalast 2006.jpg|In 2009, the Friedrichstadtpalast became a cinema location
Image:Roland Emmerich.5239.jpg|Jury president 2005, Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer.His films, most of which are Hollywood productions filmed in English, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, more than those of any other European director...
Image:delphiberlin.jpg|Delphi Filmpalast
Image:ClintEastwood Berlinale.jpg|Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, 2007
Image:Werner Herzog Bruxelles 01 cropped.jpg|Jury president 2010, Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
External links
- Official website
- Featured Film at Berlin Film Festival
- Berlinale Talent Campus homepage
- Berlinale Talent Campus Berlin Today Award
- at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Berlin Life: An introduction to the Berlin Film Festival
- Review of the 2006 Berlin Film Festival
- Signandsight about the director Dieter Kosslick
- Lathrios Film Festival Database Lathrios listing for the Berlin International Film Festival including a film list and an analysis