Berlin International Film Festival

The Berlin International Film Festival, also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events held in Berlin, Germany.^[1] Founded in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978. With 230,000 tickets sold and over 430,000 admissions it is considered the largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide.^[2] Up to 400 films are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of the cinematic world. Around twenty films competing for the awards called the Golden and Silver Bears. Since 2001 the director of the festival has been Dieter Kosslick.^[3][4]

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.^[5] 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.^[6]

The festival, the EFM and other satellite events are attended by more than 20,000 professionals from over 120 countries. Around 4200 journalists are responsible for the media exposure in more than 100 countries.^[7] At high-profile feature film premieres, movie stars and celebrities are present at the red carpet.^[8] The Berlinale has established a cosmopolitan character integrating art, glamour, commerce and a global media attention.^[9] The 59th Berlin International Film Festival will be held 05 to 15 February 2009.

Awards

The Golden Bear statue

The Berlinale Palast is the venue for the competition premieres

Venues of the film festival are spread throughout the central city districts

Cate Blanchett at the Red Carpet

Potsdamer Platz houses two large multiplex cinemas

Around 20.000 professionals from over 120 countries attend the festival

The festival´s center in 1997 and one of the main cinemas in 2008

Sharon Stone at the Premiere of "When a man falls in the forest" 2007

Kino International is one of three ticketing centers

Cubix Kino at Alexanderplatz

After the presentation the audience often has the opportunity to discuss the film with producers and directors

Conference after a presentation

Golden Bear (Goldener Bär)

• Best Motion Picture
• Lifetime Achievement ("Honorary Golden Bear")

Silver Bear (Silberner Bär)

• Jury Grand Prix
• Best Director
• Best Actor
• Best Actress
• Best Screenplay
• Best film music
• Extraordinary achievement by a single artist
• Grand Prize of the Jury (Short film award)

Others

• 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 Award for films with LGBT topics

Golden Bear winners

Berlinale Talent Campus

Wim Wenders has often attended the Talent Campus as a lecturer

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.^[10]

The proceedings include presentations and workshops by distinguished experts,^[11] who have included Park Chan-wook, Frances McDormand, Stephen Frears, Dennis Hopper, Jia Zhangke, Walter Murch, Anthony Minghella, Charlotte Rampling, Walter Salles, Ridley Scott, Raoul Peck, Tom Tykwer, and Wim Wenders. Many of these presentations and lectures are archived, both as videorecordings and transcripts, on the Talent Campus' website.

References

External links

• Official website
• Berlinale Talent Campus homepage
• Berlin International Film Festival at the Internet Movie Database
• 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