Today’s beginning Berlinale is regarding itself as a political film festival. Thus it is hardly surprising how many films in this year’s Programme bear relation to war, terrorism, extermination or displacement, as already been announced at Wartist. Following, a few words about the relevant movies in this regard, including, of course, links to further information. The titles have been sorted alphabetically according to their section within the programme.
Competition
Germany 09, 13 Short Films about the State of the Nation
The 13 short films tackle subjects such as homeland security and regard themselves to tie themselves to the episodic movie “Deutschland im Herbst” (Germany in autumn) from 1978, to show a current image of this country.
This thriller about a murder mistery in provincial Louisiana has no direct relation to war, but as an element of “magic realism”, there are several encounters with a Civil War general.
In this Danish film, a women soldier returns home after her combat mission. She tries to forget and finally works as a driver for her father, a pimp. She decides to help a Nigerian prostitute, with consequences for all involved.
A British mother and a father from North Africa living in France hurry to London after the terrorist attacks of 7 July 2005, fearing that their children could be involved (as either victim or perpetrator). They meet each other, at first with provisos and reservation.
I skoni tou chronou (The Dust of Time)
A film maker shoots a movie about the life of his parents; his mother is being loved by another man, too. The story is being told in parallel by several decisive moments in history, from Stalinism and its end to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the turning of the millennium.
After returning home wounded from Iraq, a US soldier receives the order to spend the last some months of his period of service at a “casualty notification office” – delivering to the relatives the news of the death of their loved ones. This film sounds very fascinating, not the least because of its story and cast and could be a winner of this year’s festival.
La Teta Asustada (The Milk of Sorrow)
A Peruvian women, whose mother had been raped during the civil war when she was pregnant with her daughter, is living a reduced life full of fears that she has taken over from her mother through the “milk of sorrow”. As the mother dies, the women is slowly able to get rid of these fears and to start a self-determined life.
A young man falls in love with a women whom he serves as reader. As the story unfolds, he learns that she was a ward at a Nazi concentration camp. Guilt, atonement and forgiveness are the central themes in this screen adaptation.
The film tells the difficult fight of a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), to provide evidence of a war criminal’s misdeeds; even more so, the process increasingly becomes a farce due to political “issues”, further effecting the witnesses’ traumatised lives.
Berlinale Special
This screen adaptation of Yoram Kaniuk’s eponymous novel tells the life of a clown and magician who is forced to live like a dog to survive in a Nazi concentration camp. In a sanatorium for Holocaust survivors, he is meeting another patient who believes he is a dog.
In 1937, when the Japanese attacked and occupied Nanjing, the German John Rabe was heading the local Siemens works. Togehter with further expats, he tries to save lives. The massive war crime, also dubbed the “Rape of Nanjing”, is still not widely known in the West.
Panorama
A documentary about Israeli-Palestinian homosexual relationships in Jerusalem.
The film by and with Rie Rasmussen is about a women trying to survive during the war in Kosovo, and as immigrant in today’s Marseille, whereas the story is intervewaing the time levels.
A documentary on the people of Kashmir wishing for peace, while their area is being disputed (primarily) between Pakistan and India.
Mein Herz sieht die Welt Schwarz – Eine Liebe in Kabul (War and Love in Kabul)
A documentary about the long-lasting but nevertheless forbidden love between Hossein and Shaima in today’s Afghanistan.
A docu-drama on the contemporary Neonazi subculture in Russia, based on true events.
Michael Winterbottom dramatised Naomi Klein’s eponymous criticism of capitalism and tries to link economic liberalism and the war in Iraq with each other.
Das Vaterspiel (Kill Daddy Goodnight)
Since years, a man is programming a computer game to express his hatred for his father. His life crosses with that of a Jewish survivor and a hidden Nazi war criminal.
Forum
D’Arusha à Arusha (From Arusha to Arusha)
A documentary on the proceedings at the International Criminal Court for Rwanda (ICTR) and the difficulties of international jurisdiction.
A documentary on anti-Semitism and its instrumentalisation to creating identity.
This documentary approaches the difficult life in today’s Iran via the countless letters from the Iranian people to its President.
Seemaan Bil Day’ia (The One Man Village)
This documentary is about the director’s uncle, who is the only inhabitant in his village that has been destroyed in the Lebanese civil war. He returned to live a simple but happy life.
This documentary describes the death of a US peace activist in Gaza and tries to explain the circumstances.
10 Years of Panorama Audience Award
Im toten Winkel – Hitlers Sekretärin (Blind Spot – Hitler’s Secretary)
In this documentary from 2001, Traudl Junge (Hitler’s secretry until his death) has her say about her life and her guilt.
A grove of lemon trees of a Palestinian widow becomes a security risk whn the Israeli Defence Minister is moving ino the neighbouring estate (Audience Award 2008).
Generation
The 8-year-old Ali is living with his mother in a refugee camp and wants to help her (15 minutes, short films 14+).
The 12-year-old Tedo is living with his mother ourside of Tiflis. Being refugees from the civil war in Abchasia, he is dreaming of a happy future(Generation K+).
This animated short film describes the suffering of Abouk who is being kidnapped in Sudan being a five-year-old by militia close to the government and pressed into slavery (15 minutes, short films 14+).
War may be over in 1997, but life is hard for the women and orphans in the Bosnian village of Slavno. An alluring offer has unexpected effects.
Retrospective
This year’s retrospective is all about 70 mm films. There are quite a few diamonds to watch, especially as some of the movies can be seen in recently restored versions.
Dnewnyje Swjosdy (The Stars of the Day)
Igor Talankin’s film (USSR 1966/68) is also about the siege of Leningrad during the Second World War, based on the memories of the lyric poet Olga Bergholz.
Basil Dearden’s epic film (USA 1965/66) wanted to tie up to the success of “Lawrence of Arabia”; it is about the actions and the character of an extraordinary man, too. The restored version of 2008 will be shown.
Is there any reason to miss this milestone of filmmaking (USA 1961/62)? Hardly any, I would say. A brand new copy of the restored 70 mm version of 1989 will be shown.
Optimistitscheskaja tragedija (Optimistic Tragedy)
In 1963, the cinema “International” had been opened with this film-historically interesting movie on the Russian Revolution, where it is now being shown for this Berlinale’s retrospective (USSR 1963).
Aa a war movie, this visually stunning work (USA 1968/70) about the warrior Patton is not up to today’s expectations of realism – but it is utterly compelling as a character study of this heroic leader by George C. Scott as General Patton. It is already worth seeing for the grand opening sequence. The restored version of 2003 will be shown.
In Germany, this quite bizarre musical on the singing Trapp family and her exodus during the Nazi period is hardly known (USA 1964/65), but in the UK, in the USA and especially in East Asia, it is very important for the perception of Austria (and Germany).
Woina i mir (Krieg und Frieden)
Sergej Bondartschuk’s impressive screen adaptation (USSR 1962-67) is a classic epic film, but both stilistically and technically still a pleasure to watch. Parts 1 & 2 (270 minutes) and 3 & 4 (185 minutes) will be at least shown on two consecutive days.
Berlinale Shorts
A director tries to persuade an actor to pay the lead in a movie about the Romanian Revolution; for the actor, the boundaries between fiction and his memories are increasingly becoming blurred (17 minutes, Berlinale Shorts I).
The 62-year-old Chaim lives with his 95-year-old mother, a Holocaust survivor. Without accusing, the film shows how the Holocaust is pulling through the lives of the survivors’ children (5 minutes, Berlinale Shorts V).
German Cinema
This section is a showcase for the international market of German movies already being distributed.
Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin (A Women in Berlin)
This film is based on the diary of a women that wanted to avoid being raped by Sowjet soldiers occupying Berlin in 1945 by getting a Red Army officer as her protector.
Der Baader-Meinhof-Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex)
Director Uli Edel tries to show the history of the German terrorist group “Red Army Faction” (RAF) in an authentic manner.
An adventuresome German medical student entraps himself increasingly in violence and crime in Colombia.
Supporting Programme
Interview with Bertrand Tavernier
Bertrand Tavernier, whose contribution to this year’s competition “In the Electric Mist” can be seen, too, talks about his films and his approaches towards war, family reations and social bondings.
The programme is, thus, both multifaceted and interesting. Articles on the single movies will follow.