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It’s that time of the year again, from 5.2-15.2 you have the chance to catch a glimpse of some token Hollywood stars and a whole bunch of somewhat famous Germans at the 65th Berlinale movie festival, so let’s talk about it! The Berlinale is, as you probably know, one of the biggest and most prestigious movie festival out there. Despite this, tickets are generally easily available and not all that expensive (more below). As the movie selection is decidedly international (it ranges from mainstream and famous over independent and unknown to completely bizarre), all movies are at least subtitled in English. Also, many of the pictures shown will never see a wide release and the Berlinale might be your only chance to ever see them (or even know that they exist). If you like movies enough to visit this forum and are able to do a quick trip to Berlin there is really no reason not to check it out. What this thread is about Here we talk about all Berlinale related stuff. Which movies do you want to see? Which movies are you sorry to miss? What did you see in previous years? Festival tips and trick, past experiences, questions and suggestions. And of course about all of this year’s movies once the festival starts. I have been a regular at the Berlinale for the last 5 or so years and based on that I’ll make a short overview with some recommendations below. The selection The programme will be released tomorrow (27.2.15 at 12:30 CET) over here. If you register at that page you can make your personal schedule. The movies are categorized into multiple sections, namely: Competition: This is where the big names are. However, a famous filmmaker from one country might be totally unknown in another. Not bad for finding quality movies from abroad. Shorts: Short movie collections. Pretty hit and miss in my experience. Panorama: Art house cinema, I have good memories of Panorama movies. Oftentimes the director and other people from the crew are there for a Q&A after the movie. Forum: Generally weirder and more daring than Panorama. Can be great, can be… difficult. At least it’s always an experience. Generation: Movies for and about children and teenagers. This should not be looked down on, I have yet to be disappointed by a film from this category. For example last year’s Einstein and Einstein was a solid punch to the gut (don’t be misled by the synopsis). Also tickets are dirt cheap. Perspektive Deutsches Kino: Young German cinema. I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t yet seen a film in this section. Let’s see what this year can offer. Additionally, there will a Retrospective on Technicolor movies and a Homage to Wim Wenders, as well as several special program points (notably NATIVe with indigenous cinema). Venues The so called Berlinale Palast as well as several other prominent venues are around the Potsdamer Platz but there are participating Cinemas all around Berlin. When planning your festival make sure that you can get everywhere on time. In general you may freely choose your seat and accordingly it’s wise to be at your destination 20-30min before the movie starts. Tickets Every year it gets a bit harder to get tickets but until now I almost always got everything I wanted. Since I don’t live in Berlin at the moment I usually buy my tickets online. Online sale always starts at 10.00 CET three days before the screening (see link for details/exceptions) and for Competition, Panorama and sometimes also Forum movies you should be on time (this includes crashing servers and mad refreshing). For the premieres and more popular movies even this might not guarantee a ticket. You can only buy 2 tickets at once and have to get them in person (this is annoying and will take a while). You might be able to buy a ticket directly at the respective cinema in the morning of the screening (for less popular movies this used to work). Also, you can wait at the Berlinale booth in the Sony center, the lines can be pretty crazy though. The normal price for a ticket is 10€ (+1,5€ if you buy online) so nothing prohibitively expensive (movies from Generation are 4€ just to plug them again). Stars, glamour and the red carpet No idea. Other festival stuff Many times the director and sometimes the producer or lead actor will be there for a short Q&A after the screening. The audience is usually a bit timid so you have a realistic chance of getting to ask a question. Also most questions are terrible. Perhaps you can chat with the lesser known filmmakers if you see them outside afterwards, though I have not tried this. For all screenings after the first one the chances get smaller that anyone from the crew will be there. That’s it for now. I will update the OP if additional stuff comes up and post again once I’ve sifted through the programme.
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Jan 26, 2015 22:52
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| # ? Apr 29, 2024 01:18 |
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I went to the Berlinale a few years ago in support for a film in competition there. Never before or since had I had all-access passes at a film festival, but we made the most of this one. I had so much Berliner Pilsner (the only beer they served at the parties) that I never want to see it again. Berlin is awesome, the festival is a lot of fun. Also go try some Turkish street food in Kreuzberg while you're there.
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Jan 27, 2015 08:16
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That sounds awesome! Though I have to say that I can't help feeling contempt every time I see the accredited guys leisurely stroll in and take the best seats 5 minutes before the movie starts  . Not that I would be different given the chance  .Anyway the programme is up, can't wait to check it out after work! Btw, what movie were you involved in if I may ask? true.spoon fucked around with this message at 12:35 on Jan 27, 2015 |
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Jan 27, 2015 12:31
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true.spoon posted:That sounds awesome! Though I have to say that I can't help feeling contempt every time I see the accredited guys leisurely stroll in and take the best seats 5 minutes before the movie starts I was more of a "friend of the production" actually, but it was this one. Berlin loved it, but it didn't make too much headway otherwise, aside from a popular Youtuber endorsing it. But the young cast and crew got treated like rock stars for a few days. It was surreal.
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Jan 27, 2015 21:14
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Too bad, I didn't catch that one at the time but I'll keep it in mind if I ever get the chance! I more or less read the whole program and now the painful process of deciding what not to watch has started. The first selection yielded around 50 movies and now I'm down to about 30 of which I probably should not watch more than 16. Three movies a day is the absolute maximum for me and organizing your schedule becomes just that much more demanding. What I learned from past festivals is that I need to be careful not to watch too many depressing and or overly abstract movies within a short period of time. It just messes me up too much. The only problem is that the most interesting movies seem to gravitate to these qualities. But before I post about my selection some general notes on the program. As last year movies about LGBT persons are prominently represented, check it out if that's interesting for you! The big Hollywood draw will be Knight of Cups but that's not the kind of movie I'll watch at the Berlinale. Hal Hartley's Ned Rifle will play as well. As I have not watched the earlier parts of the trilogy, I'm probably not going to see it but I remember a thread being made about it and perhaps it's of interest for some of you. The retrospective has some great classics, for example The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain and Gone with the Wind. I always meant to see them and now I'm fighting with myself whether I should watch any of them over a movie that will not come out on DVD just for the cinematic experience. Especially the musicals would probably a nice counterweight to the usual festival stuff. Also, I noticed that the Russian and Iranian selection is very strong this year. I will try to watch the following movies if possible: K, a Mongolian adaption of Kafka's The Castle, count me in! The Forbidden Room this year's addition by Guy Maddin. It has become something of a tradition for me to watch a Maddin movie at the Berlinale. Admittedly Keyhole was not that great but some years before I watched a couple of cool shorts by him at the Canadian embassy and My Winnipeg remains one of my all-time favourites. Sumé - The Sound of a Revolution, a documentary about the first rock band singing in Greenlandic and their message of autonomy. The Spiderwebhouse, telling the story of some abandoned children and is described as a modern-day fairy tale. I am interested to see how it compares to Nobody Knows and who knows maybe it will not be completely depressing. Chasuke’s Journey just because it sounds like a lot of fun. Like I said there are many other interesting movies I'd love to check out but the above will be my fundament for scheduling. If there is any interest I'll continue my list in the next post 
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Jan 30, 2015 18:49
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Please continue. Also tell me how you buy tickets. I can't really afford to wait for hours standing in a queue. I just discovered Goldfinger is playing.Digitally restored. With Ken Adams introducing it. But I don't think I will make it. 
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Jan 30, 2015 19:01
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Like I said above, please check the ticket page for details but the general rule is, that ticket sales start three days in advance at 10.00 CET (one exception are tickets for the 15.2, for which the sale starts at the 2.2). In the program planer next to the movies on the right side you see three icons, with the rightmost still inactive. Once the sale starts you can click on it and then proceed with a normal online credit card purchase. You will need an Eventim account (I'm not sure if you need an Berlinale account but it doesn't hurt to make one anyway). While you can create an account on the fly, it's a good idea to do it in advance to ensure everything goes smoothly. The servers always crash around 10.00 just refresh, hope for the best and be on time. If you want to get multiple tickets on the same day, buy strategically: first competition, then panorama/forum (how the special events rank is difficult to say in general but I would guess that Goldfinger tickets would be very popular for example). For Generation it's usually easy to get tickets. After printing your receipt you have to pick up the real tickets at the Potsdamer Platz Arkaden (there is a special counter for online tickets), this should take no longer than 30 minutes but be on the safe side. Any other questions? Other movies that got my attention (note that this is pretty subjective): Like I said, the Russian selection is great. Pioneer Heroes and Under Electric Clouds both deal with the collapse of the USSR and the current state of mind in Russia. Both are probably not for casual watching, I will probably only check one out. I can't put my finger on it but Chaiki also intrigues me. As for Iranian films, Taxi and Atom Heart Mother got my attention. The first one sounds like the director just filming regular passengers in a Taxi, if true that'd be great but the stills look scripted. Somehow I love the steppe and so the Generation movie River could be nice. As it's for children maybe it is not that depressing (though you can never know). Another Generation movie that most likely is depressing would be Corbo which is about a young member of the Quebec Liberation Front in the 60s. I know nothing about this part of Canadian history but I have always been interested in the various radical leftist movements and their demise. For this reason I'll also try to check out A German Youth.
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Jan 31, 2015 10:29
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Sorry for the bump, but to my surprise the ticket sale already began today (so you can preorder tickets for the 15.2 and some special and competition movies). Overall it looks surprisingly relaxed, many movies (even competition) are still available. Also there is the option for buying a printout ticket, sparing you the hassle to get them in person (although won't have a ticket as memorabilia).
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Feb 2, 2015 18:08
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I was there last year, but no way I'm going to afford it this year. A shame, the festival and the city are both great fun. I just got back from Göteborg's festival, which was pretty poo poo by comparison. Our strategy last year was to wait in line at the Sony center and buy tickets to the screenings with free seats. We had no idea about the movies we were going to see, which worked out surprisingly well.
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Feb 2, 2015 22:44
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DanTheFryingPan posted:I was there last year, but no way I'm going to afford it this year. A shame, the festival and the city are both great fun. I just got back from Göteborg's festival, which was pretty poo poo by comparison. I watched Guy Maddin's The Forbidden Room yesterday. I think it opened the Berlinale Forum and that's why it was crowded even for Berlinale standards, I mean I arrived 30 minutes early and the crowd was already lining up outside. The film was an absolute blast, one of his best. Basically it's short vignettes shot in his trademark silent era mockup style that are nested. Like a vision in a dream in a story. People around me were complaining afterward that it was too long but while some segments didn't work for me many times I just found myself smiling at the exuberance of ideas. Made me want to go and make some short movies as well (it helps that his style has deliberate chap look to it). The Q&A afterwards was great as well. Apparently the movie came from a project of making 100 short movies (I think the ones I saw earlier at the embassy are of the same project) based on lost films. Apparently Maddin plans to put a website online where you can watch a randomized version in the same style, taking these and many other vignettes and arrange them in a nested structure through an algorithm. A great and unusual experience, highly recommended. Some quick updates: Blue Blood: Much more sex than I thought (all kinds of). Left me somewhat unsatisfied ironically enough. The circus theme is alright. Sumé - The Sound of a Revolution: Pretty tame documentary but not bad. Got me interested in the whole Greenland situation about which I knew almost nothing before. K: It has been a while since I last read The Castle but as far as I can tell it was a close adaption, just in Mongolian. I loved the people just sitting around everywhere and his assistants. If you havent't read the castle it will be confusing and I think that's the reason some people walked out although it was world premiere. The directors and main actors were there and the Q&A was really although unfortunately there was a technical problem and the microphones didn't work for a while. Made me feel bad for these guys. Will perhaps write more later. Ode to My Father: Korean movie by the somehwat famous director JK Youn. It's one of those movies that set out to portray the history of a country through the story of a family (or rather a man). I think it aims to be a tear jerker but the whole thing is so ridiculous and ham fisted it failed even at that for me. Also it's full with nods and winks at famous people and plumb nationalism that made me cringe. The Koreans next to me gobbled it up though (but they also gave it the best grade for the audience award before it even started, so they might have been the target audience...). Perhaps the worst film I ever saw at the Berlinale. Let me continue with the competition movies I watched: Ixcanul: Strong movie from Guatemala about a young Maya woman. Subtle and unmoralistic, I liked it a lot. The Pearl Button: Water is used as the connecting element between the genocide of natives in Patagonia and the horrors of Pinochet. Not bad but could have used more focus. Under Electric Clouds: As expected it was very abstract, this move doesn't hold your hand. I would like to watch it again, now that I have a better grasp of it's metaphors. Stunningly beautifully shot, nobody can portrait disrepair and decay like the Russians. Aferim!: I've heart this movie being described as a western and I guess this kind of fits. At its heart it is about the prejudices and relationship between the different ethnic groups in the Balkan around 1800. It is based on historical documents and feels extremely authentic. Also the movie is just really fun to watch. Ten no chasuke: As expected it was a lot of fun and the director Sabu has a lot of style. That being said, tonally it was all over the place and plotwise Deus ex machina incarnated (which is part of the point but still). Unfortunately the ending is generic and feels tagged on, could have been truly great otherwise. Generation movies: Gtsngbo: Nice children movie from Tibet. It works because of the great (and very cute) main actress. Corbo: Very solid, highly recommended if you are interested in radical leftist movements from the 60s. Movies I somehow missed or didn't get tickets: Taxi (a hot contender for the Golden Bear from what I heard), Pioneer Heroes, End of Winter (I decided to watch Ode to My Father instead, what a mistake) and Atom Heart Mother (really sad to have missed it, hope it will be released). true.spoon fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Feb 14, 2015 |
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Feb 7, 2015 12:11
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A bit late due to traveling but other notable movies for me were: The Spiderwebhouse: As expected there are some parallels to Nobody Knows but it is much more mystical and the point it seems to make is completely different. I wish I would have had the time to ask questions afterwards because some of the plot choices are really weird and I would've loved to hear an explanation. I'd like to watch it again. Over the Years: I have a soft spot for long time documentaries and this is one of the best. It follows some people who get unemployed over 10 years but it is far from depressing just very authentic and in that quite charming. Doesn't feel its length at all. Was I really the only one who watched anything at the Berlinale this year?
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Feb 16, 2015 12:10
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true.spoon posted:A bit late due to traveling but other notable movies for me were: If I could have gone again, I definitely would have. I miss it.
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Feb 18, 2015 06:15
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