This isn’t Cannes or Venice. It’s not Sundance or SXSW. This is Berlinale, a film festival like no other. Unlike its more glamorous contemporaries, Berlin’s version – like the city itself – manages to be sexy without the pretension; cool without condescension. Dubbed the people’s film festival, Berlinale is the largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide, with almost 300,000 tickets sold and nearly half a million admissions.
Having lived in Berlin for the last three festivals, I can vouch for the accessibility of the event. Â While some of the premieres are predictably tough to get in to, there are plenty of opportunities to catch some excellent films, both newcomers and old classics.
Berlinale/Photographer: Peter Kreibich/ Copyright: Berlinale
The festival shows about 400 films each year and is comprised of various sections. The Competition is the main event for international premiers, and Panorama focuses on new indie and art house releases. Perspektive Deutsches Kino is a section dedicated to emerging homegrown talent, and Generation showcases productions for younger audiences. Â The Forum is for more avant-garde entries; Berlinale Shorts features a great range of experimental short films. Â Berlinale always delivers excellent material in the fringe Retrospective category, tickets for which are some of the easiest to come by.
In addition, foodie film fans would do well to keep an eye on the Culinary Cinema section, as Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick explains: “We show films that stimulate the appetite. Afterwards, we serve food prepared by top chefs who have been watching the films themselves. During dessert, there is a talk about the issues the film raised. In the late screenings, by contrast, we often show films that rather spoil one’s appetite as they look closely at the often disastrous state of food production.” Clearly one for anyone interested in sustainability and the environment, too.
The Homage section this year is dedicated to the luminous Meryl Streep, and audiences will be treated to a cross section of her work from 1979’s Kramer Vs. Kramer to recently released and critically acclaimed The Iron Lady.
Tickets can be purchased online or at participating venues, usually at the beginning of February, so watch this space.
Written by Natalie Holmes
