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The Competition of the 61st Berlinale
The selection for the Competition programme of the 61st Berlin International Film Festival has been completed. It includes 22 films, 16 of which will be competing for the awards.
In addition there will be two special screenings: In solidarity with the convicted Iranian director Jafar Panahi, his film Offside will be presented on February 11, the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. Also, the European premiere of Werner Herzog’s 3D documentary Cave of Forgotten Dreams will be shown as a special screening in the Berlinale Palast. In all, three 3D films are to be presented in the Official Programme.
On February 19, following the award ceremony, the winner of the Golden Bear will be shown as the closing film of the 61st Berlinale.
Panorama 2011 with Renowned Directors, Three Films on India and Many New Discoveries
Now that the programme is almost complete it can be said that in the aftermath of the financial crisis truly independent cinema is at an advantage. The themes of many first films are daring and hence inspiring, as seen in the work of Israeli filmmaker Michal Aviad who, set against the backdrop of the interminable Palestinian-Israeli conflict, has her protagonists work through traumas in Lo Roim Alaich Invisible, or with French director Céline Sciamma whose Tomboy portrays the coming of age of a boy in a girl’s body – a deeply touching story, one that is also the subject of a German directorial debut, Sabine Bernardi’s Romeos. Then there’s the French entry Dernier étage gauche gauche Top Floor Left Wing by Angelo Cianci that revolves around the next generation of Arab adolescents who are already integrated but marginalized, and of whom too little is demanded…more
Solidarity with Jafar Panahi
In support of the convicted Iranian director Jafar Panahi, the Berlin International Film Festival is launching a number of initiatives at the upcoming Berlinale.
In his films, Jafar Panahi critically explores the social situation in his homeland. His conviction violates the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the arts.
In 2011 the Berlinale will show several films by Jafar Panahi in a number of its sections and so draw attention to the extraordinary oeuvre for which this artist has been sentenced by the Iranian regime. The first of his films to be screened at this year’s Berlinale will be the award-winning film Offside (2006, Silver Bear) on February 11 at 4:30 pm in the Berlinale Palast.
On the following days of the Berlinale, other Panahi films will be presented in the Panorama, Forum, Generation and Berlinale Shorts sections…more
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