2017 does not shape up to have a record German showing at the Berlinale. While 2016 was a great overall Berlinale year with Meryl Streep as opinionated jury president, a George Clooney-starring new Coen brothers film as opener, and Fassbinder-cum-Hollywood cinematographer Michael Ballhaus as the homage honouree --an outstanding German festival year it wasn’t by any stretch. One German debut feature was in Competition last year and did not make it abroad. (Of course, TONI ERDMANN later made up for any perceived weakness in perpetuity.) But as in previous years, if you dig deeper this February, the German gems start to shine through, among the 399 films seen by 300000 visitors.As expected, the Berlinale is back in fine fighting form. "Courage. Against all Odds" is the youthful and clearly positioned slogan of the Berlinale Talents 2017. And only quirky festival director Dieter Kosslick can program TERMINATOR 2 and WOLVERINE 3 alongside the freshest political global arthouse (with lots of post-colonial South American fare) and manage to make a statement.
Kosslick also affords me the once-in-a-lifetime headline “Brendemühl opens Berlinale". Etienne Comar’s debut feature DJANGO stars my Spanish-German relative Àlex Brendemühl (interview to follow). Continue reading "#Berlinale17: Wolves & Revolutionaries" »
Saving The Greats for last (for part I of this series, see previous article below): Ulrich Seidl* is working on two projects. The documentary IM KELLER, started three years ago, deals with Austrians‘ strange relationship with their basements. I shudder to think what it will unearth. And together with curator and wife Veronika Franz he is planning the horror film ICH SEH/ICH SEH for 2014: When a mother “comes home after cosmetic surgery entirely bandaged, nothing is like it was before,” as the producer’s announcement goes. Some might claim most of his films are horror films one way or another (I am still somewhat sick from his 2001 DOG DAYS, but no regrets!).
