Berlinale 2007

"I Served the King of England": Phillip Bergson (left), Jiri Menzel
"Takva": J. C. Avellar (middle), Fatih Akin (right)
"Hounds": Christoph Terhechte (middle), Anne-Kristin Reyels (right)

Eight young film critics participated in the Talent Press initiative and reported daily about films, events, panels. More

What a festival ! No day, no show without stars. Fest-head Dieter Kosslick understood very well that he needs the red carpet to attract television and photographers — and to satisfy Berlin's fun-seekers. At least in Germany, the Berlinale was present as never before, on small screens and front pages. Even the opening and closing ceremonies were broadcast live, moderated by an inexperienced young lady best known from kids' television. One might even suspect that certain films in competitive hadn't been invited because of their quality or originality, but because of the stars available to walk the red carpet. It's a tendency of major festivals that can't be helped, they become media events (see Cannes, which started this "mediatisation"), and this year's Berlinale was well on this path.

Kosslick is a good entertainer. He invented new sections, such as "Eat, Drink, See Movies — Celebrating Culinary Cinema". He radiated a good mood. Bur that's no reason to praise his competition program. One could, with a clear conscience, miss some of the films, or see them a few days later in regular cinemas — say, ones involving Robert de Niro and Clint Eastwood. At least, there were works from Christian Petzold, Jacques Rivette, the Argentinean Ariel Rotter, Stefan Ruzowitzky (Austria/Germany), Steven Soderbergh, Quanan Wang (whose Tuya's Marriage won the Golden Bear), the comeback of Jiri Menzel...

Fortunately, Berlinale does not consist of the competition only. There's the "Panorama", headed by Wieland Speck, there's and the "International Forum of New Cinema", headed by Christoph Terhechte — sections which care deeply about "the rest of the world" beyond the cultural mainstream. They allowed discoveries, particularly the "Forum", which — with its excellent selection and informative catalogue — drew large crowds and proved a good place, finally, for critics. (k.e.)

Critics' Awards: I Served the King of England by Jiri Menzel (competition), Takva — A Man's Fear of God by Özer Kiziltan, produced by Fatih Akin (Panorama), Hounds by Ann-Kristin Reyels (Forum). Details

Berlinale, February 8-18, 2007 www.berlinale.de

Reports

Jiri Menzel, "I Served the King of England". Czech maestro Jiri Menzel has made a characteristically brilliant return to film-making with a sadly beautiful adaptation of Bohumil Hrabal's masterpiece "I Served the King of England". "The film bears all the hallmarks of its director's best work", writes Phillip Bergson in his review, "a panoply of comical cameos, observed with infinite affection and regret, and a wealth of wry incidents that illustrate man-and woman's-weaknesses and follies."
The Boy Who Came in from the Cold. Ann-Kristin Reyels' marvelous debut-feature Hounds shows maturity, intelligence and humor according to Rüdiger Suchsland who believes its makers have created a film which attempts to extrapolate the breakdown of family life and human relationships in general.
Not One but Two Scandals. Two fine performances in Notes on a Scandal (Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett) are praised by Jerzy Płazewski who uncovers the secrets and jealousies which bring one scandal to the fore but keep another one hidden.
A Tender Story. The Year my Parents went on Vacations, the Brazilian film about a young child being left behind while his parents take on the military dictatorship, is director Cao Hamburger's semi-autobiographical tale and made a big impression on the audience as well as Myrna Silveira Brandão.
Out of Frame. In this year's Panorama section, films dealing with life-altering changes as a result of small choices are scrutinized by José Carlos Avellar who looks at the directors' ways of telling the story and their use of film language. He focuses in particular on Özer Kiziltan's Takva, Happy Desert by Paulo Caldas, Vacation by Thomas Arslan, and Alice's House by Chico Teixeira.
Multilingual New Cinema. There were many films for Salome Kikaleishvili to get enthusiastic about at the International Forum of New Cinema, but three in particular were to stand out for her: Chrigu, a documentary film by Jan Gassmann and Christian Ziörjen, Campaign by Japanese director Kazuhiro Soda, and Hounds by young German director Ann-Kristin Reyels.
The Queen of Mongolia: Women and Films. Heike Hurst focuses solely on the representation of women in many festival films and wonders why there are not strong enough depictions of female characters in world cinema.
The Stars and Bars: Where have I Seen that Deja-vu? In a film world now dominated by the move towards digital and the cult of personality, Dinko Tucakovic finds there's not been much to get excited about in the present and becomes nostalgic for yesteryear.
Where is Africa? Of the 350 films in the official Berlinale program, there were only very few from Africa, among them Faro, Goddess of Water. Jürgen Kiontke asks why.
Grains of Time. Dana Linssen talks about Danny Williams, the editor and filmmaker of some twenty recently re-discovered Andy Warhol Factory films, and about a documentary in which Williams' niece Esther Robinson drags his life from the both bleached and erased tideline of oblivion in the achingly beautiful "A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory" Dana Linssen then uses the filmmaker's presence in Berlin to interview her: "Conversation with Esther Robinson"

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