After four Oscar wins for “All Quiet on the Western Front” last year and the Oscar nomination for “The Teachers’ Lounge” this year, Germany’s film sector seemed to be on the up, but while a government plan to revamp the country’s film funding system is broadly welcomed, its painfully slow progress is also causing some anxiety.
The fact that Cannes’ various sections contain not one feature by a German filmmaker may be seen as a cause for concern, but 13 German productions and co-productions have been selected. This underscores how Germany’s current funding structures nurture co-productions, which in turn benefits local producers. For example, both Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour” in the Competition section have Germany’s Match Factory Productions as a co-producer.
The Berlinale was a better showcase for German talent, with Matthias Glasner picking up the screenplay award for “Dying,” and...
The fact that Cannes’ various sections contain not one feature by a German filmmaker may be seen as a cause for concern, but 13 German productions and co-productions have been selected. This underscores how Germany’s current funding structures nurture co-productions, which in turn benefits local producers. For example, both Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour” in the Competition section have Germany’s Match Factory Productions as a co-producer.
The Berlinale was a better showcase for German talent, with Matthias Glasner picking up the screenplay award for “Dying,” and...
- 5/15/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Favoriten.Speaking at the press conference to inaugurate the 74th Berlinale, actor and competition jury president Lupita Nyong'o said that she had heard one remark repeated since she had arrived in the German capital: “how political the Berlinale is.” She was not alone in being “curious to learn what that meant.”When we expect the Berlinale to be political, what indeed do we expect? Dependent on nation-states and multinational corporations for funding, major film festivals like the Berlinale are only politically outspoken, today, when it is convenient or uncontroversial. Given that the Berlinale is typically perceived as more political than Cannes and Venice, the hypocrisy of that reputation combined with the sad reality of the institution’s commitments under late capitalism can be—for cinephiles who are dedicated both to radical film and radical politics—a bitter pill to swallow. At the height of the festival, the United Nations estimated...
- 3/25/2024
- MUBI
The Berlinale has started advertising for a new-look executive team to work with incoming festival director Tricia Tuttle.
Director, Berlinale Pro will oversee the European Film Market, and work to develops the strategic framework for the Berlinale Pro consortium together with the heads of the Berlinale initiatives Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and World Cinema Fund.
According to the job advertisement published in both English and German, the festival is looking for “an inspiring and motivating leader with excellent communication skills” and for someone who should be “a manager with extensive experience and a positive, appreciative approach”.
The successful candidate’s...
Director, Berlinale Pro will oversee the European Film Market, and work to develops the strategic framework for the Berlinale Pro consortium together with the heads of the Berlinale initiatives Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and World Cinema Fund.
According to the job advertisement published in both English and German, the festival is looking for “an inspiring and motivating leader with excellent communication skills” and for someone who should be “a manager with extensive experience and a positive, appreciative approach”.
The successful candidate’s...
- 3/22/2024
- ScreenDaily
Matthias Glasner’s Dying leads the Lolas, the German Film Awards, with nine nominations, including for best feature film, director, screenplay, and score.
Additionally, Lars Eidinger has been nominated as best actor and Corinna Harfouch as best actress; Robert Gwisdek and Hans-Uwe Bauer have both been nominated for best supporting actor.
The family drama premiered in competition at the Berlinale last month and will be released in Germany by Wild Bunch on April 25.
The Lolas will take place at a ceremony in Berlin on May 3.
Timm Kröger’s second feature The Universal Theory, which premiered in Venice’s Horizons section last September,...
Additionally, Lars Eidinger has been nominated as best actor and Corinna Harfouch as best actress; Robert Gwisdek and Hans-Uwe Bauer have both been nominated for best supporting actor.
The family drama premiered in competition at the Berlinale last month and will be released in Germany by Wild Bunch on April 25.
The Lolas will take place at a ceremony in Berlin on May 3.
Timm Kröger’s second feature The Universal Theory, which premiered in Venice’s Horizons section last September,...
- 3/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
The German Film Academy has announced the movies in competition this year for the German Film Awards, the local equivalent of the Oscars.
Matthias Glasner’s epic family drama Dying, Timm Kröger’s experimental sci-fi feature The Universal Theory, and In the Blind Spot, Ayşe Polat’s documentary-style conspiracy thriller set in modern-day Turkey, are among the favorites for this year’s awards, called the Lolas.
Dying, which stars Lars Eidinger as a classical conductor with an extremely dysfunctional family, picked up nominations in every major category, including best film, best director and best screenplay nominations for Glasner, a best actor nom for Eidinger and a best actress nomination for Corinna Harfoch, who plays Eidinger’s mother. In total, the film is up for nine Lolas.
The Universal Theory, a black-and-white drama about the multiverse, is also in the running for the best film Lola, and Kröger is up for best director.
Matthias Glasner’s epic family drama Dying, Timm Kröger’s experimental sci-fi feature The Universal Theory, and In the Blind Spot, Ayşe Polat’s documentary-style conspiracy thriller set in modern-day Turkey, are among the favorites for this year’s awards, called the Lolas.
Dying, which stars Lars Eidinger as a classical conductor with an extremely dysfunctional family, picked up nominations in every major category, including best film, best director and best screenplay nominations for Glasner, a best actor nom for Eidinger and a best actress nomination for Corinna Harfoch, who plays Eidinger’s mother. In total, the film is up for nine Lolas.
The Universal Theory, a black-and-white drama about the multiverse, is also in the running for the best film Lola, and Kröger is up for best director.
- 3/19/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Berlinale’s contentious closing ceremony on February 24 was the subject of a special session of the supervisory board of the Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin organisation on March 11, according to Germany’s dpa news agency.
The Kbb oversees the administration of the festival and is chaired by Claudia Roth, state minister for culture and media,
Following the meeting on March 11, the 12-person board issued its official response: “The Berlinale must remain a place that is free from hatred, incitement, antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia and all forms of misanthropy,” it stated, going on to emphasise, “the personal opinions of individual award...
The Kbb oversees the administration of the festival and is chaired by Claudia Roth, state minister for culture and media,
Following the meeting on March 11, the 12-person board issued its official response: “The Berlinale must remain a place that is free from hatred, incitement, antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia and all forms of misanthropy,” it stated, going on to emphasise, “the personal opinions of individual award...
- 3/12/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Berlin Film Festival could face major changes aimed at preventing a repeat of this year’s award ceremony, where several winners criticized Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza and expressed support for an immediate ceasefire.
The statements, which included Ben Russell, co-director of Encounters best film winner Direct Action, using the word “genocide” to describe Israeli military action in the region and Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham, co-director of best documentary winner No Other Land, referring to conditions for Palestinians as “apartheid,” set off a political firestorm within Germany. Prominent politicians, both left- and right-wing, branded the statements “antisemitic” and called for “consequences.”
On Monday night, the advisory council for Federal Cultural Events in Berlin (Kbb), the group that oversees several government-backed cultural institutions, including the Berlinale, criticized the festival and, by association, outgoing Berlinale directors Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian for not doing more to distance the festival from such Israel-critical commentary.
The statements, which included Ben Russell, co-director of Encounters best film winner Direct Action, using the word “genocide” to describe Israeli military action in the region and Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham, co-director of best documentary winner No Other Land, referring to conditions for Palestinians as “apartheid,” set off a political firestorm within Germany. Prominent politicians, both left- and right-wing, branded the statements “antisemitic” and called for “consequences.”
On Monday night, the advisory council for Federal Cultural Events in Berlin (Kbb), the group that oversees several government-backed cultural institutions, including the Berlinale, criticized the festival and, by association, outgoing Berlinale directors Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian for not doing more to distance the festival from such Israel-critical commentary.
- 3/12/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The heated debate over the awards ceremony of this year’s Berlin Film Festival shows no signs of cooling down.
On Tuesday, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann called out the Berlinale for allowing what he called “antisemitic” statements to go unchallenged at the awards gala in Berlin Saturday night. Speaking to newspapers of Germany’s Funke media group, Buschmann said the film festival “suffered serious damage” as a result and suggested there could be criminal consequences for some of the statements and slogans.
The awards ceremony for the 74th Berlinale turned sharply political as one award winner after another used their festival platform to call out the Israeli government for its actions in the war in Gaza.
Ben Russell, co-director of Direct Action, winner of the best film in Berlin’s Encounters sidebar, used the word “genocide” to describe Israeli military action in the region. Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra, whose...
On Tuesday, German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann called out the Berlinale for allowing what he called “antisemitic” statements to go unchallenged at the awards gala in Berlin Saturday night. Speaking to newspapers of Germany’s Funke media group, Buschmann said the film festival “suffered serious damage” as a result and suggested there could be criminal consequences for some of the statements and slogans.
The awards ceremony for the 74th Berlinale turned sharply political as one award winner after another used their festival platform to call out the Israeli government for its actions in the war in Gaza.
Ben Russell, co-director of Direct Action, winner of the best film in Berlin’s Encounters sidebar, used the word “genocide” to describe Israeli military action in the region. Palestinian filmmaker Basel Adra, whose...
- 2/28/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Berlinale has been criticised by local politicians from the Berlin house of representatives for anti-war statements made by award-winners and jury members at the closing night gala on Saturday February 24.
Joe Chialo, senator for cultural affairs, said on X [formerly Twitter]: “Culture should offer a space for diverse political opinions, but this year’s award ceremony of the Berlinale was marked by self-righteous anti-Israeli propaganda that has no place on the stages of Berlin.”
Speaking to local broadcaster Rbb, Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow, spokesperson on media policy for the Social Democrats (Spd), said, “The Berlinale has suffered damage - whether this...
Joe Chialo, senator for cultural affairs, said on X [formerly Twitter]: “Culture should offer a space for diverse political opinions, but this year’s award ceremony of the Berlinale was marked by self-righteous anti-Israeli propaganda that has no place on the stages of Berlin.”
Speaking to local broadcaster Rbb, Melanie Kühnemann-Grunow, spokesperson on media policy for the Social Democrats (Spd), said, “The Berlinale has suffered damage - whether this...
- 2/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
Leading international industry figures have joined the debate about Germany’s revamp of its national film funding system, criticising in particular the proposed introduction of an investment obligation.
Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and media, unveiled her proposals to reform the country’s film funding system last week. The key elements are a 30% tax incentive for productions filming in Germany and a 20% investment obligation for streamers.
Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), said that he had met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others in the coalition government during this year’s...
Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and media, unveiled her proposals to reform the country’s film funding system last week. The key elements are a 30% tax incentive for productions filming in Germany and a 20% investment obligation for streamers.
Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association (MPA), said that he had met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others in the coalition government during this year’s...
- 2/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 74th Berlin International Film Festival announced the winners of the fest at the awards ceremony held at the Berlinale Palast on February 24.
20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.
The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.
20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.
The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.
- 2/22/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Plans to restructure Germany’s national film and TV funding system are dividing the country’s film and TV industry.
Last week, Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and the media, unveiled a three-point strategy for a revamped German Film Law (Ffg) to be accompanied by two new financial instruments of a tax incentive and an investment obligation.
The incentive scheme would replace the existing German Federal Film Fund (Dfff) and German Motion Picture Fund (Gmpf) which between them had provided around €166m in support to German and international projects in 2023, ranging from such international projects as Nine Perfect Strangers...
Last week, Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and the media, unveiled a three-point strategy for a revamped German Film Law (Ffg) to be accompanied by two new financial instruments of a tax incentive and an investment obligation.
The incentive scheme would replace the existing German Federal Film Fund (Dfff) and German Motion Picture Fund (Gmpf) which between them had provided around €166m in support to German and international projects in 2023, ranging from such international projects as Nine Perfect Strangers...
- 2/20/2024
- ScreenDaily
Kirsten Niehuus, head of German film fund Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, is confident that the changes to film funding proposed by the German government recently will have a “very positive effect on the production scene in Berlin-Brandenburg.”
The proposed changes to the funding system were presented last week to German lawmakers in the Bundestag by commissioner for culture and media Claudia Roth (see here).
Kirsten Niehuus, Martin Moszkowicz
Speaking to Variety Saturday at a party Medienboard hosted at Berlin’s Holzmarkt, Niehuus said the changes “will mean that we would have a tax system in place that could compete, for instance, with Budapest or Prague, so that not so many German productions would go and shoot somewhere else, and more foreign productions would come and shoot in Germany.”
Looking at the media landscape across Germany she notes that one major challenge is the decision by high-end outlets such as Paramount+, HBO and Sky to cancel local productions,...
The proposed changes to the funding system were presented last week to German lawmakers in the Bundestag by commissioner for culture and media Claudia Roth (see here).
Kirsten Niehuus, Martin Moszkowicz
Speaking to Variety Saturday at a party Medienboard hosted at Berlin’s Holzmarkt, Niehuus said the changes “will mean that we would have a tax system in place that could compete, for instance, with Budapest or Prague, so that not so many German productions would go and shoot somewhere else, and more foreign productions would come and shoot in Germany.”
Looking at the media landscape across Germany she notes that one major challenge is the decision by high-end outlets such as Paramount+, HBO and Sky to cancel local productions,...
- 2/19/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
After a week of protests, petitions, and even a call to boycott the Berlin International Film Festival, organizers had to be fearing the worst when the 74th Berlinale kicked off Thursday night.
But the only demonstration on the red carpet was a peaceful one. Several filmmakers gathered together next to Berlinale Directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian and, holding up their cell phones, with LEDs shining, called for “democracy, diversity and peaceful togetherness.”
It was worlds away from the PR disaster that could have been expected just a week ago when the news came out that the Berlinale had invited elected members of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to its opening ceremony. The invitations were standard protocol and AfD members had been invited to the festival for years. But this year was different. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of Germans have been marching in anti-AfD demonstrations across the country,...
But the only demonstration on the red carpet was a peaceful one. Several filmmakers gathered together next to Berlinale Directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian and, holding up their cell phones, with LEDs shining, called for “democracy, diversity and peaceful togetherness.”
It was worlds away from the PR disaster that could have been expected just a week ago when the news came out that the Berlinale had invited elected members of the far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to its opening ceremony. The invitations were standard protocol and AfD members had been invited to the festival for years. But this year was different. For weeks, hundreds of thousands of Germans have been marching in anti-AfD demonstrations across the country,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Berlin International Film Festival faced up to several ongoing political controversies in a speech-heavy opening ceremony for the 74th edition tonight (February 15).
Following controversy around the invitation then disinvitation of AfD policitians to the ceremony; plus the crisis in Gaza; and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, hosts Hadnet Tesfai and Jo Schuck confronted the political aspect of the festival in their opening remarks.
“Saying ‘this is how we did it in the last 200 years’ is not enough,” said Schuck, in a possible reference to criticism of the festival for inviting AfD politicians due to it being protocol in previous years.
Following controversy around the invitation then disinvitation of AfD policitians to the ceremony; plus the crisis in Gaza; and ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, hosts Hadnet Tesfai and Jo Schuck confronted the political aspect of the festival in their opening remarks.
“Saying ‘this is how we did it in the last 200 years’ is not enough,” said Schuck, in a possible reference to criticism of the festival for inviting AfD politicians due to it being protocol in previous years.
- 2/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Berlin Film Festival officially kicked off Thursday evening with an eventful opening ceremony at the Berlinale Palast theater in the German capital.
After a divisive build-up to the fest, the opening ceremony was, in contrast, a relatively conventional affair. High-profile attendees included veteran German filmmakers Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin, Phantom Thread actress Vicky Krieps, and international jury president Lupita Nyong’o alongside her fellow jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko.
The evening’s opening film was Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, who was in attendance with producer Matt Damon and co-star Emily Watson. Directed by Tim Mielants (Peaky Blinders), Small Things Like These is the first Irish film to open the Berlinale.
Related: ‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy Plays A Father In Torment In ’80s-Set Irish Trauma Tale
Before the pic opened, the crowd inside the...
After a divisive build-up to the fest, the opening ceremony was, in contrast, a relatively conventional affair. High-profile attendees included veteran German filmmakers Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin, Phantom Thread actress Vicky Krieps, and international jury president Lupita Nyong’o alongside her fellow jury members Brady Corbet, Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko.
The evening’s opening film was Small Things Like These, starring Cillian Murphy, who was in attendance with producer Matt Damon and co-star Emily Watson. Directed by Tim Mielants (Peaky Blinders), Small Things Like These is the first Irish film to open the Berlinale.
Related: ‘Small Things Like These’ Review: Cillian Murphy Plays A Father In Torment In ’80s-Set Irish Trauma Tale
Before the pic opened, the crowd inside the...
- 2/15/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Feisty, topical and nakedly political speeches dominated the opening ceremony on Thursday at the Berlinale.
They followed a red carpet that mixed demonstrations and high style over a more than two-hour stretch.
Festival co-chief Mariëtte Rissenbeek felt it necessary to address head on the festival’s recent controversy over invitations to five far-right (AfD) members of the German parliament. The invitations were subsequently canceled, but the backlash has scarcely subsided.
“The Berlinale has a lot of space for dialog. Between people and for art, but it has no space for hatred. Hatred is not on our guest list. It won’t be invited,” Rissenbeek said.
“Many people in the Berlinale team, many of our friends or acquaintances are affected by the intentions of the right wing AfD their intention to deport people with a migrant background from the country. They want to throw them out. And that is something that...
They followed a red carpet that mixed demonstrations and high style over a more than two-hour stretch.
Festival co-chief Mariëtte Rissenbeek felt it necessary to address head on the festival’s recent controversy over invitations to five far-right (AfD) members of the German parliament. The invitations were subsequently canceled, but the backlash has scarcely subsided.
“The Berlinale has a lot of space for dialog. Between people and for art, but it has no space for hatred. Hatred is not on our guest list. It won’t be invited,” Rissenbeek said.
“Many people in the Berlinale team, many of our friends or acquaintances are affected by the intentions of the right wing AfD their intention to deport people with a migrant background from the country. They want to throw them out. And that is something that...
- 2/15/2024
- by Patrick Frater and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Germany’s film and TV sectors have been eagerly awaiting the biggest reform in the history of German film funding this year, and while the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz struggles to navigate a major budget crisis, leading industry representatives are confident the planned overhaul will improve business despite the hurdles.
Overseen by Claudia Roth, the federal government commissioner for culture and media (Bkm), the plan, unveiled this week, aims to create a more centralized film funding system to support production, distribution and cinemas.
A major European film and media hub, Germany boasts myriad funding organizations at the federal and regional level that support films and high-end series. In addition to the Bkm, the German Federal Film Board (Ffa) and nine major regional funders provide significant support. In 2022, they offered a combined €370 million ($400.6 million) in subsidies to the film and TV sector.
Roth’s planned reform includes an amendment to...
Overseen by Claudia Roth, the federal government commissioner for culture and media (Bkm), the plan, unveiled this week, aims to create a more centralized film funding system to support production, distribution and cinemas.
A major European film and media hub, Germany boasts myriad funding organizations at the federal and regional level that support films and high-end series. In addition to the Bkm, the German Federal Film Board (Ffa) and nine major regional funders provide significant support. In 2022, they offered a combined €370 million ($400.6 million) in subsidies to the film and TV sector.
Roth’s planned reform includes an amendment to...
- 2/15/2024
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Germany’s film industry unions have been holding demonstrations on the first day of the Berlinale to call for better working conditions, while the guild of Berlin’s taxi drivers is voicing its opposition to Uber being one of the festival’s main sponsors by staging its own film festival in a taxi near Potsdamer Platz .
The Union Day organised by the ver.di FilmUnion began early on Thursday morning with a demonstration in front of the Kino International ahead of the German Producers Alliance’s Producers Day which was opened with a keynote by Claudia Roth, state minister for culture and the media,...
The Union Day organised by the ver.di FilmUnion began early on Thursday morning with a demonstration in front of the Kino International ahead of the German Producers Alliance’s Producers Day which was opened with a keynote by Claudia Roth, state minister for culture and the media,...
- 2/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
A week ago, the Berlin Film Festival was bracing for the worst.
Alongside possible pro-Palestinian protests of the sort that took place at Sundance last month, it looked like a much larger demonstration, by German film industry and local activists, might completely shut down the red carpet. There was growing anger over the Berlinale’s decision to invite members of Germany’s far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to tonight’s opening gala. More than 200 film professionals, most of them from within the German industry, issued an open letter calling the decision “incompatible” with the festival’s official commitment to being a place of “empathy, awareness, and understanding.”
The Berlinale, which is state-funded, regularly invites 100 members of the Berlin state parliament to attend opening night. The parliament picks the guests, making sure to include members from all elected parties. Since 2017, that’s included the AfD.
“They always get invited, and...
Alongside possible pro-Palestinian protests of the sort that took place at Sundance last month, it looked like a much larger demonstration, by German film industry and local activists, might completely shut down the red carpet. There was growing anger over the Berlinale’s decision to invite members of Germany’s far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) to tonight’s opening gala. More than 200 film professionals, most of them from within the German industry, issued an open letter calling the decision “incompatible” with the festival’s official commitment to being a place of “empathy, awareness, and understanding.”
The Berlinale, which is state-funded, regularly invites 100 members of the Berlin state parliament to attend opening night. The parliament picks the guests, making sure to include members from all elected parties. Since 2017, that’s included the AfD.
“They always get invited, and...
- 2/15/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It’s the end of an era for the Berlin International Film Festival, as Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian and his co-head Mariette Rissenbeek — a pair of fearless cineastes and programmers who came onboard together in the summer of 2019, and helped steer the world’s largest film festival through the crisis of the pandemic years — are being unceremoniously shoved out to sea after the 2024 edition as a part of cost-cutting measures instituted by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth.
It’s too soon to say how the Berlinale will shrink and suffer in the absence of the leadership that has allowed the festival to remain such a vital arena for world cinema at a time of industry-wide constriction, but even a quick overview of this year’s program suggests that Chatrian and Rissenbeek will be going out with a bang.
As usual, the Berlinale will play...
It’s too soon to say how the Berlinale will shrink and suffer in the absence of the leadership that has allowed the festival to remain such a vital arena for world cinema at a time of industry-wide constriction, but even a quick overview of this year’s program suggests that Chatrian and Rissenbeek will be going out with a bang.
As usual, the Berlinale will play...
- 2/14/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and media (Bkm), has unveiled her long-awaited plan to overhaul the country’s film funding system, which includes the introduction of a 30% tax incentive and an investment obligation for streamers.
The changes to the German Film Law (Ffg) should come into effect at the beginning of 2025 once they have been passed by the Bundestag.
The proposals would see the German Federal Film Board’s (Ffa) brief being extended to oversee the film funding programme now administered by Roth’s ministry. The Ffa’s funding for production, distribution and exhibition would be allocated automatically in future.
The changes to the German Film Law (Ffg) should come into effect at the beginning of 2025 once they have been passed by the Bundestag.
The proposals would see the German Federal Film Board’s (Ffa) brief being extended to oversee the film funding programme now administered by Roth’s ministry. The Ffa’s funding for production, distribution and exhibition would be allocated automatically in future.
- 2/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
Leading German media groups have blasted government plans to overhaul the country’s film funding system.
Germany’s commissioner for culture and media (Bkm), Claudia Roth, presented on Tuesday her wide-ranging reform plans ahead of the start of this year’s Berlin Film Festival. The ambitious overhaul aims to make German film funding simpler, more efficient and more transparent.
While Hollywood films shooting in Germany have long benefited from the country’s generous funding structures, the reorganization of the system would make it more sustainable, according to the Bkm. Major international productions that have benefited from German funding in recent years include “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Uncharted” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”
The planned reform consists of three central pillars: In addition to an amendment to Germany’s existing film funding law, the reform proposal includes a tax incentive model and an investment obligation.
The overhaul...
Germany’s commissioner for culture and media (Bkm), Claudia Roth, presented on Tuesday her wide-ranging reform plans ahead of the start of this year’s Berlin Film Festival. The ambitious overhaul aims to make German film funding simpler, more efficient and more transparent.
While Hollywood films shooting in Germany have long benefited from the country’s generous funding structures, the reorganization of the system would make it more sustainable, according to the Bkm. Major international productions that have benefited from German funding in recent years include “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Uncharted” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”
The planned reform consists of three central pillars: In addition to an amendment to Germany’s existing film funding law, the reform proposal includes a tax incentive model and an investment obligation.
The overhaul...
- 2/14/2024
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Berlin Film Festival gets underway Thursday but organizers and staff will be doing so bruised after an uncomfortable buildup to the event.
The festival sparked controversy 10 days ago after we revealed it had invited members of the far-right AfD (Alternative For Germany) party to the opening ceremony. The AfD, which is polling second in the country, is the source of much soul-searching in Germany due to its hardline agenda, which has been characterized as anti-Islam, anti-immigration, German nationalist and Eurosceptic.
By the end of the week, organizers had rowed back on the lightning-rod decision, but not before inflicting some hefty PR self-harm and opening internal divisions among staff.
On Tuesday, further fault lines were exposed when 28 festival workers published an open letter criticizing the festival for not going far enough in its condemnation of hostilities in Gaza and for not providing sufficient opportunities for debate on the subject at this year’s festival.
The festival sparked controversy 10 days ago after we revealed it had invited members of the far-right AfD (Alternative For Germany) party to the opening ceremony. The AfD, which is polling second in the country, is the source of much soul-searching in Germany due to its hardline agenda, which has been characterized as anti-Islam, anti-immigration, German nationalist and Eurosceptic.
By the end of the week, organizers had rowed back on the lightning-rod decision, but not before inflicting some hefty PR self-harm and opening internal divisions among staff.
On Tuesday, further fault lines were exposed when 28 festival workers published an open letter criticizing the festival for not going far enough in its condemnation of hostilities in Gaza and for not providing sufficient opportunities for debate on the subject at this year’s festival.
- 2/14/2024
- by Zac Ntim and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Good afternoon, it’s been a huge week in international TV and Max Goldbart is here to guide you through. Read on.
Berlinale Controversy
Dramatic yet unsurprising: Andreas and Zac have penned a string of exclusives over the past few days that concluded with the Berlin Film Festival’s high-profile u-turn Thursday afternoon, disinviting members of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the opening ceremony after initially sending invitations to five politicians from the party. The move felt simultaneously dramatic yet unsurprising. The industry outcry over the AfD’s presence at the Berlinale opening ceremony had been extensive, and anger was also growing among Berlinale staff. “Over the past few days, there has been an intense discussion in the cultural sector, in the press, and on social media as well as within the Berlinale team about the invitations of AfD politicians, a right-wing extremist party, to the opening of the Berlinale,...
Berlinale Controversy
Dramatic yet unsurprising: Andreas and Zac have penned a string of exclusives over the past few days that concluded with the Berlin Film Festival’s high-profile u-turn Thursday afternoon, disinviting members of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to the opening ceremony after initially sending invitations to five politicians from the party. The move felt simultaneously dramatic yet unsurprising. The industry outcry over the AfD’s presence at the Berlinale opening ceremony had been extensive, and anger was also growing among Berlinale staff. “Over the past few days, there has been an intense discussion in the cultural sector, in the press, and on social media as well as within the Berlinale team about the invitations of AfD politicians, a right-wing extremist party, to the opening of the Berlinale,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Amid widespread backlash, Berlin Film Festival has decided to disinvite politicians from AfD, a German right-wing extremist party, from the opening night ceremony on Feb. 15.
In its statement, the Berlin Film Festival acknowledged the controversy caused by its invitation of elected officials from the AfD and said the festival’s directors had decided to withdraw their invitations to five AfD politicians.
“The current discourse has once again made it very clear how much the commitment to a free, tolerant society and standing against right-wing extremism are part of the Berlinale’s DNA,” stated the festival, adding that “for decades, the Berlinale has been committed to democratic values and against all forms of right-wing extremism.”
There have been large protests in cities across Germany in recent weeks following news reports that some members of the AfD had attended a clandestine meeting in November to discuss the possibility of deporting migrants, even those who have German citizenship.
In its statement, the Berlin Film Festival acknowledged the controversy caused by its invitation of elected officials from the AfD and said the festival’s directors had decided to withdraw their invitations to five AfD politicians.
“The current discourse has once again made it very clear how much the commitment to a free, tolerant society and standing against right-wing extremism are part of the Berlinale’s DNA,” stated the festival, adding that “for decades, the Berlinale has been committed to democratic values and against all forms of right-wing extremism.”
There have been large protests in cities across Germany in recent weeks following news reports that some members of the AfD had attended a clandestine meeting in November to discuss the possibility of deporting migrants, even those who have German citizenship.
- 2/8/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
The Berlin Film Festival has rescinded opening ceremony invitations to Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party following widespread outcry from the German industry.
Festival sources tell us the decision was finalized today by Berlinale co-heads Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek. Emails have just gone out to staff.
The decision was made following discussions with German Culture Minister Claudia Roth, who sources told us was against the move. We hear the decision was largely influenced by the growing number of industry professionals who had said they would not attend the opening with AfD representatives present.
The festival was set to publish an official letter later this afternoon but moved up its announcement by a couple of hours after hearing that we were about to break the news.
“Over the past few days, there has been an intense discussion in the cultural sector, in the press and on social media...
Festival sources tell us the decision was finalized today by Berlinale co-heads Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek. Emails have just gone out to staff.
The decision was made following discussions with German Culture Minister Claudia Roth, who sources told us was against the move. We hear the decision was largely influenced by the growing number of industry professionals who had said they would not attend the opening with AfD representatives present.
The festival was set to publish an official letter later this afternoon but moved up its announcement by a couple of hours after hearing that we were about to break the news.
“Over the past few days, there has been an intense discussion in the cultural sector, in the press and on social media...
- 2/8/2024
- by Zac Ntim and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Germany’s culture minister Claudia Roth has defended the controversial decision to invite several members of the increasingly ostracized far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to the opening of the Berlinale on February 15.
Roth, who is also behind the Berlinale’s decision to replace incumbent artistic director Carlo Chatrian from 2025, defended the decision by indicating that the AfD officials were democratically elected to the state and federal parliaments. She also issued a blunt warning that individuals “stay away” if they share any of the “anti-democratic… or racist views” that their populist party may represent.
The AfD started as an anti-Euro party a decade ago but morphed into a broader far-right movement. It is currently the second largest opposition party in the federal parliament, but is ostracized politically because all other major parties have vowed never to form coalition governments with the AfD.
The party has risen in opinion polls to...
Roth, who is also behind the Berlinale’s decision to replace incumbent artistic director Carlo Chatrian from 2025, defended the decision by indicating that the AfD officials were democratically elected to the state and federal parliaments. She also issued a blunt warning that individuals “stay away” if they share any of the “anti-democratic… or racist views” that their populist party may represent.
The AfD started as an anti-Euro party a decade ago but morphed into a broader far-right movement. It is currently the second largest opposition party in the federal parliament, but is ostracized politically because all other major parties have vowed never to form coalition governments with the AfD.
The party has risen in opinion polls to...
- 2/7/2024
- by Erik Kirschbaum
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Multiple German film organizations are planning protests at this year’s Berlinale in response to the festival’s decision to invite members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to the opening ceremony, we can reveal.
A number of trade and industry organizations have banded together in opposition to the AfD’s presence at the festival and, in the coming days, are set to publish another open letter voicing their anger over the decision.
We understand the groups — who have asked to remain anonymous for now — intend to protest at Berlin’s opening ceremony on February 15 with demonstrations potentially including a human chain where protesters link arms on the red carpet. There is speculation among a handful of our sources that some industry members could boycott the festival this year, with the potential for another open letter explaining that move.
Discussions over demonstrations intensified soon after Deadline revealed...
A number of trade and industry organizations have banded together in opposition to the AfD’s presence at the festival and, in the coming days, are set to publish another open letter voicing their anger over the decision.
We understand the groups — who have asked to remain anonymous for now — intend to protest at Berlin’s opening ceremony on February 15 with demonstrations potentially including a human chain where protesters link arms on the red carpet. There is speculation among a handful of our sources that some industry members could boycott the festival this year, with the potential for another open letter explaining that move.
Discussions over demonstrations intensified soon after Deadline revealed...
- 2/6/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Dennis Gansel, director of acclaimed film The Wave and Sky TV series Das Boot, has become the most prominent German filmmaker to call out the Berlin Film Festival’s decision to invite members of far-right party AfD (Alternative For Germany) to this year’s opening ceremony on February 15.
In a message sent to Deadline, the award-winning filmmaker said: “To invite people from the far-right to a film festival which represents cultural diversity and liberal virtues is highly problematic.”
He continued: “The numbers behind the AfD party in Germany are rising constantly, so civil resistance on any level is of utmost importance.”
However, the director went on to caution that a ban on the party would be counter-productive:
“Let’s not forget that a ban of a political party or banning of its members will not save us in the long run. We must continue to communicate and argue with the supporters of the AfD.
In a message sent to Deadline, the award-winning filmmaker said: “To invite people from the far-right to a film festival which represents cultural diversity and liberal virtues is highly problematic.”
He continued: “The numbers behind the AfD party in Germany are rising constantly, so civil resistance on any level is of utmost importance.”
However, the director went on to caution that a ban on the party would be counter-productive:
“Let’s not forget that a ban of a political party or banning of its members will not save us in the long run. We must continue to communicate and argue with the supporters of the AfD.
- 2/6/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) on Thursday announced a partnership with the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg (Jfbb), Germany’s largest Jewish film festival, that will see them collaborate to promote the visibility and understanding of Jewish life in Germany.
The partnership is the first of its kind for the MPA in Europe. The MPA has been a sponsor of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for the last two years.
“The MPA and its members see it as their responsibility and privilege to reflect society’s diversity on screen,” said Stan McCoy, president and managing director, MPA for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea). “We are therefore proud to partner with the Jfbb and help contribute towards their success by promoting the works of Jewish filmmakers, who tell the stories of the Jewish communities, in Berlin, Brandenburg and beyond.”
“We look forward to working with MPA to develop new,...
The partnership is the first of its kind for the MPA in Europe. The MPA has been a sponsor of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival for the last two years.
“The MPA and its members see it as their responsibility and privilege to reflect society’s diversity on screen,” said Stan McCoy, president and managing director, MPA for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (Emea). “We are therefore proud to partner with the Jfbb and help contribute towards their success by promoting the works of Jewish filmmakers, who tell the stories of the Jewish communities, in Berlin, Brandenburg and beyond.”
“We look forward to working with MPA to develop new,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Berlinale Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian announced his final Competition and Encounters line-ups on Monday ahead of bowing out of the festival alongside Managing Director Mariette Rissenbeek at the end of the upcoming 74th edition in February.
News of Chatrian’s ousting by the German Culture Minister Claudia Roth back in September prompted anger in some quarters of Europe’s indie film biz. The seasoned festival programer made it clear at the time that he wanted to stay on but now appears to have made peace with the decision.
“It’s true that in the beginning I said I was willing to go on with the shared role. But then the people who are responsible for the future of the Berlinale thought this structure of two leaders was not the right one and I don’t consider myself able to run the festival alone,” he told Monday’s press conference in...
News of Chatrian’s ousting by the German Culture Minister Claudia Roth back in September prompted anger in some quarters of Europe’s indie film biz. The seasoned festival programer made it clear at the time that he wanted to stay on but now appears to have made peace with the decision.
“It’s true that in the beginning I said I was willing to go on with the shared role. But then the people who are responsible for the future of the Berlinale thought this structure of two leaders was not the right one and I don’t consider myself able to run the festival alone,” he told Monday’s press conference in...
- 1/23/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg has also received a budget increase of €700,000 for both 2024 and 2025.
The Berlinale has received a welcome cash injection of almost €3m from the city of Berlin to supplement its overall budget of €32m for both the 2024 and 2025 editions.
As part of its double budget for 2024 and 2025, the Berlin Senate’s Cdu/Spd coalition government has approved the granting of €2m to the festival’s main budget for this year’s event.
This amount will be also be made available for the 2025 edition. This will be the first to be overseen by festival director Tricia Tuttle who succeeds Mariette Rissenbeek...
The Berlinale has received a welcome cash injection of almost €3m from the city of Berlin to supplement its overall budget of €32m for both the 2024 and 2025 editions.
As part of its double budget for 2024 and 2025, the Berlin Senate’s Cdu/Spd coalition government has approved the granting of €2m to the festival’s main budget for this year’s event.
This amount will be also be made available for the 2025 edition. This will be the first to be overseen by festival director Tricia Tuttle who succeeds Mariette Rissenbeek...
- 1/5/2024
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Tuttle revealed she will move to Berlin, learn to speak German and is excited by the state of German-language cinema.
Initial reactions from the German film industry to the appointment of Tricia Tuttle as the first female director of the Berlinale have been overwhelmingly positive.
“I truly welcome a female artistic director of the Berlinale. I think it was time that one of the big festivals has a woman as the leading person. So cheers to that!” said producer Janine Jackowski, co-founder of Komplizen Film whose production of Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms won the Golden Bear in 2019.
This sentiment was shared by Christine Berg,...
Initial reactions from the German film industry to the appointment of Tricia Tuttle as the first female director of the Berlinale have been overwhelmingly positive.
“I truly welcome a female artistic director of the Berlinale. I think it was time that one of the big festivals has a woman as the leading person. So cheers to that!” said producer Janine Jackowski, co-founder of Komplizen Film whose production of Nadav Lapid’s Synonyms won the Golden Bear in 2019.
This sentiment was shared by Christine Berg,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Dennis Ruh, whose departure as head of the Berlinale’s European Film Market after the 2024 edition was announced today, has expressed surprise that his contract has not been renewed and also questioned the festival’s new hiring protocols.
Ruh revealed he was being let go in an earlier statement because incoming festival director Tricia Tuttle had decided to appoint a new EFM head for the 2025 edition. The market boss said he had not been given a chance to discuss the matter with Tuttle.
News of Ruh’s departure, broke a few hours after the surprise announcement of Tuttle as the new Berlinale director, replacing Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek after the 2024 edition.
Ruh, who took up the EFM role in the fall of 2020 amid the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic, said he had expected better treatment on the back of the performance of the market’s 2023 edition, which he described as...
Ruh revealed he was being let go in an earlier statement because incoming festival director Tricia Tuttle had decided to appoint a new EFM head for the 2025 edition. The market boss said he had not been given a chance to discuss the matter with Tuttle.
News of Ruh’s departure, broke a few hours after the surprise announcement of Tuttle as the new Berlinale director, replacing Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek after the 2024 edition.
Ruh, who took up the EFM role in the fall of 2020 amid the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic, said he had expected better treatment on the back of the performance of the market’s 2023 edition, which he described as...
- 12/12/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Tricia Tuttle's first Berlinale edition will be 2025 Photo: British Film Institute Former London Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle has been named as the new director of the Berlin International Film Festival.
She will start the new role in April, replacing Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, with her first edition being in February 2025,
Tuttle was director of Lff for five editions until 2022.
Minister of State for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth said: "Tricia Tuttle brings 25 years of film and film festival experience with her. Under her leadership, the BFI London Film Festival has not only seen an increase in audience numbers, but has also gained in international profile and significance. She has developed creative strategies to meet the challenges of digitalisation and made the festival more colourful, diverse and accessible.
"Above all, she has convinced us with her clear ideas on the artistic perspectives of the Berlinale, a modern,...
She will start the new role in April, replacing Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, with her first edition being in February 2025,
Tuttle was director of Lff for five editions until 2022.
Minister of State for Culture and the Media Claudia Roth said: "Tricia Tuttle brings 25 years of film and film festival experience with her. Under her leadership, the BFI London Film Festival has not only seen an increase in audience numbers, but has also gained in international profile and significance. She has developed creative strategies to meet the challenges of digitalisation and made the festival more colourful, diverse and accessible.
"Above all, she has convinced us with her clear ideas on the artistic perspectives of the Berlinale, a modern,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Berlin Film Festival has appointed Tricia Tuttle, the former head of the BFI London Film Festival, to become the new director of the international film event starting in 2024.
Tuttle will succeed Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, who have co-led the Berlinale as artistic and executive directors since 2020 and will step down after this year’s edition when their respective mandates end.
The Berlin Film Festival is the world’s second biggest international film festival after Cannes. It also hosts the European Film Market, a crucial industry gathering where independent films are pitched and sold.
Tuttle was the director of the BFI London Film Festival during a fast-growing five-year era in which audiences nearly doubled before she stepped down after the 2022 edition. She worked as the festival’s deputy for five years before that to her predecessor Clare Stewart. She helped the festival expand outside of London with venues set up across the U.
Tuttle will succeed Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, who have co-led the Berlinale as artistic and executive directors since 2020 and will step down after this year’s edition when their respective mandates end.
The Berlin Film Festival is the world’s second biggest international film festival after Cannes. It also hosts the European Film Market, a crucial industry gathering where independent films are pitched and sold.
Tuttle was the director of the BFI London Film Festival during a fast-growing five-year era in which audiences nearly doubled before she stepped down after the 2022 edition. She worked as the festival’s deputy for five years before that to her predecessor Clare Stewart. She helped the festival expand outside of London with venues set up across the U.
- 12/12/2023
- by Erik Kirschbaum and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Former Lff director will take over after February 2024 edition
Tricia Tuttle, former festival director of the BFI London Film Festival (Lff), has been named as the new director of the Berlin International Film Festival from the 2025 edition.
Tuttle will start in the new role on April 1 2024 and will have sole charge of the Berlinale. She will replace co-directors Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek who are stepping down after the 74th edition of the festival in February 2024.
She led the Lff for five editions, stepping down after the 2022 festival. She is currently head of directing fiction at the UK’s National Film and TV School.
Tricia Tuttle, former festival director of the BFI London Film Festival (Lff), has been named as the new director of the Berlin International Film Festival from the 2025 edition.
Tuttle will start in the new role on April 1 2024 and will have sole charge of the Berlinale. She will replace co-directors Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek who are stepping down after the 74th edition of the festival in February 2024.
She led the Lff for five editions, stepping down after the 2022 festival. She is currently head of directing fiction at the UK’s National Film and TV School.
- 12/12/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
The German culture ministry has unveiled the new head of the Berlin International Film Festival, who will take over from co-directors Carlo Chatrian and Mariëtte Rissenbeek, who are stepping down after next year’s Berlinale. Tricia Tuttle, formerly director of the BFI London Film Festival, will take over as the sole director of the Berlinale from after next year’s event.
The Berlinale announced the replacement on Tuesday, following months of speculation and media chatter surrounding Germany’s number-one film festival. Chatrian and Rissenbeek have announced they will be leaving when their contracts expire next year. The German Ministry for Culture and Media, the main financier of the Berlinale, had previously said it would scrap the dual director set-up and revert to a single festival director from 2025 on.
Tuttle, who was BFI festivals director from October 2018 to April of this year, is currently Head of Directing Fiction at the UK...
The Berlinale announced the replacement on Tuesday, following months of speculation and media chatter surrounding Germany’s number-one film festival. Chatrian and Rissenbeek have announced they will be leaving when their contracts expire next year. The German Ministry for Culture and Media, the main financier of the Berlinale, had previously said it would scrap the dual director set-up and revert to a single festival director from 2025 on.
Tuttle, who was BFI festivals director from October 2018 to April of this year, is currently Head of Directing Fiction at the UK...
- 12/12/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tricia Tuttle has been named director of the Berlin Film Festival.
Tuttle takes over from Executive Director Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, who are due to step down after the 2024 edition. She will take over the directorship from 1 April 2024. The announcement was made at a press conference in Berlin this afternoon featuring German Culture Minister Claudia Roth.
Tuttle was chosen by a selection committee chaired by Roth, including All Quiet on the Western Front filmmaker Edward Berger, Film Academy director Anne Leppin, actress Sara Fazilat, producer Roman Paul, and Florian Graf, head of the Berlin Senate Chancellery. Tuttle was most recently head of festivals at the British Film Institute, where she led the London Film Festival. After leaving the BFI, she joined the UK’s National Film and Television School where she taught in the directing department.
“I have attended the Berlinale for many years as a professional...
Tuttle takes over from Executive Director Mariette Rissenbeek and Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, who are due to step down after the 2024 edition. She will take over the directorship from 1 April 2024. The announcement was made at a press conference in Berlin this afternoon featuring German Culture Minister Claudia Roth.
Tuttle was chosen by a selection committee chaired by Roth, including All Quiet on the Western Front filmmaker Edward Berger, Film Academy director Anne Leppin, actress Sara Fazilat, producer Roman Paul, and Florian Graf, head of the Berlin Senate Chancellery. Tuttle was most recently head of festivals at the British Film Institute, where she led the London Film Festival. After leaving the BFI, she joined the UK’s National Film and Television School where she taught in the directing department.
“I have attended the Berlinale for many years as a professional...
- 12/12/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The German film industry is eagerly awaiting the appointment of the Berlin Film Festival’s new director, expected to be announced tomorrow, and as the guessing game surrounding the choice shifts into high gear, one thing looks increasingly clear: the new head will face considerable financial and political challenges at the Berlinale.
Speculation in the local industry has been rife with likely candidates to succeed Carlo Chatrian and Mariëtte Rissenbeek, who have co-led the Berlinale as artistic and executive directors since 2020 and will step down after this year’s edition when their respective mandates end.
A number of potential contenders have now quashed those rumors, among them Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and director of the European Film Academy, who made it clear to Variety that he was not in the running and was very content in his current post; Kirsten Niehuus, head of funding org Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, who said she...
Speculation in the local industry has been rife with likely candidates to succeed Carlo Chatrian and Mariëtte Rissenbeek, who have co-led the Berlinale as artistic and executive directors since 2020 and will step down after this year’s edition when their respective mandates end.
A number of potential contenders have now quashed those rumors, among them Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and director of the European Film Academy, who made it clear to Variety that he was not in the running and was very content in his current post; Kirsten Niehuus, head of funding org Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, who said she...
- 12/11/2023
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
German producer-distributor announces measures to improve working environment for filmmakers.
Leading German producer-distributor Constantin Film has announced a package of measures “to guarantee a professional and respectful working environment for filmmakers” after the publication of an independent investigation into allegations of abuse and bullying by actor-director Til Schweiger during production of Manta Manta - Zwoter Teil (MM2).
Constantin commissioned the investigation from Munich law film Skw Schwarz after German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel reported that, among other things, Schweiger had been intoxicated on set on several occasions, had assaulted a staff member of Constantin Film, and forced a female...
Leading German producer-distributor Constantin Film has announced a package of measures “to guarantee a professional and respectful working environment for filmmakers” after the publication of an independent investigation into allegations of abuse and bullying by actor-director Til Schweiger during production of Manta Manta - Zwoter Teil (MM2).
Constantin commissioned the investigation from Munich law film Skw Schwarz after German weekly news magazine Der Spiegel reported that, among other things, Schweiger had been intoxicated on set on several occasions, had assaulted a staff member of Constantin Film, and forced a female...
- 10/27/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Germany’s state minister for culture and media said: “the Berlinale shouldn’t be left behind, but be in the same league as Cannes, Venice and Toronto.
Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and media, expects the decision to be made by the end of this year about a new director for the Berlinale to succeed co-incumbents Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian.
“We are well on the way with the process so that we can present a new personality this year, achieve a good Berlinale 2024 and put all our efforts into ensuring that the Berlinale continues to be...
Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister for culture and media, expects the decision to be made by the end of this year about a new director for the Berlinale to succeed co-incumbents Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian.
“We are well on the way with the process so that we can present a new personality this year, achieve a good Berlinale 2024 and put all our efforts into ensuring that the Berlinale continues to be...
- 9/19/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Nothing I heard or saw at the 80th Venice Film Festival felt more momentous than the news that came from Berlin after four days of screenings. On September 2, Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian announced he’d step down after next year’s edition, citing issues with the new management structure proposed by Germany’s minister for culture and media Claudia Roth. His premature departure will mark the end of a five-year journey that turned the festival into an event miles away from the tacky extravaganza of its Dieter Kosslick era. Shepherded by Chatrian and executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek, the Berlinale had found […]
The post Venice Film Festival 2023: What is a Festival? first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Venice Film Festival 2023: What is a Festival? first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 9/15/2023
- by Leonardo Goi
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Nothing I heard or saw at the 80th Venice Film Festival felt more momentous than the news that came from Berlin after four days of screenings. On September 2, Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian announced he’d step down after next year’s edition, citing issues with the new management structure proposed by Germany’s minister for culture and media Claudia Roth. His premature departure will mark the end of a five-year journey that turned the festival into an event miles away from the tacky extravaganza of its Dieter Kosslick era. Shepherded by Chatrian and executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek, the Berlinale had found […]
The post Venice Film Festival 2023: What is a Festival? first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Venice Film Festival 2023: What is a Festival? first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 9/15/2023
- by Leonardo Goi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The director of ‘All Quiet On The Western Front’ will help choose the next head of the Berlinale.
Edward Berger, the Oscar-winning director of All Quiet On The Western Front, has been named by Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister of Culture and Media, as one of the members of a six-person selection committee to appoint a successor to the Berlinale’s management team of executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian.
The committee will be chaired by Roth and will also include Anne Leppin, co-managing director of the German Film Academy, the Iranian-born actress-producer-screenwriter Sara Fazilat whose...
Edward Berger, the Oscar-winning director of All Quiet On The Western Front, has been named by Claudia Roth, Germany’s state minister of Culture and Media, as one of the members of a six-person selection committee to appoint a successor to the Berlinale’s management team of executive director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian.
The committee will be chaired by Roth and will also include Anne Leppin, co-managing director of the German Film Academy, the Iranian-born actress-producer-screenwriter Sara Fazilat whose...
- 9/12/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
A growing list of 300 film professionals, including Martin Scorsese, Olivier Assayas, Joanna Hogg, and Radu Jude, have signed an open letter calling for the contract of outgoing Berlinale Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian to be reinstated and extended beyond 2024.
Late last week, Chatrian released a statement via the Berlinale website announcing his intention to step down following next year’s edition of the German festival. In his statement, Chatrian pointed to the German Ministry for Culture and Media’s decision to scrap the Berlinale’s dual management structure as the main catalyst for his departure.
Last month, German Culture Minister Claudia Roth announced that she wants the Berlinale to be placed back under the control of a single director. Roth is reported to have told a meeting on Thursday of the supervisory board of federal cultural events in Berlin (Kbb), which oversees the festival, that her conclusion was the film should be led by one person.
Late last week, Chatrian released a statement via the Berlinale website announcing his intention to step down following next year’s edition of the German festival. In his statement, Chatrian pointed to the German Ministry for Culture and Media’s decision to scrap the Berlinale’s dual management structure as the main catalyst for his departure.
Last month, German Culture Minister Claudia Roth announced that she wants the Berlinale to be placed back under the control of a single director. Roth is reported to have told a meeting on Thursday of the supervisory board of federal cultural events in Berlin (Kbb), which oversees the festival, that her conclusion was the film should be led by one person.
- 9/6/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The letter has been signed by filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Joanna Hogg, Radu Jude and Tilda Swinton.
An open letter supporting the continuation of artistic director Carlo Chatrian’s leadership at the Berlinale has received nearly 300 signatures and counting from the international film community, including Martin Scorsese, Joanna Hogg, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Ulrich Seidl, Marie Kreutzer, Tilda Swinton and M. Night Shyamalan.
Italian Chatrian is set to step down from the role of artistic director following the 2024 edition, in the wake of the festival confirming it will return to a single-director model, having employed Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek as...
An open letter supporting the continuation of artistic director Carlo Chatrian’s leadership at the Berlinale has received nearly 300 signatures and counting from the international film community, including Martin Scorsese, Joanna Hogg, Radu Jude, Paul Schrader, Ulrich Seidl, Marie Kreutzer, Tilda Swinton and M. Night Shyamalan.
Italian Chatrian is set to step down from the role of artistic director following the 2024 edition, in the wake of the festival confirming it will return to a single-director model, having employed Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek as...
- 9/6/2023
- by Mona Tabbara¬Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
More than 200 international filmmakers have rallied in support of ousted Berlinale artistic director Carlo Chatrian, pledging their names to an open letter imploring the cultural organization to keep the artist director in place. Among the first signatories were Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Joanna Hogg, “Corsage” director Marie Kreutzer, Andrew Ross Perry, and Olivier Assayas. Over the course of the day on Wednesday, another 130 directors joined them, the list swelling to include M. Night Shyamalan, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Tilda Swinton, and Claire Denis. 260 filmmakers have now signed the open letter.
“We, a diverse group of filmmakers from all over the world, who have deep respect for Berlin International Film Festival as a place for great cinema of all kinds, protest the harmful, unprofessional, and immoral behavior of state minister Claudia Roth in forcing the esteemed Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian to step down despite promises to prolong his contract,” says the letter.
Chatrian...
“We, a diverse group of filmmakers from all over the world, who have deep respect for Berlin International Film Festival as a place for great cinema of all kinds, protest the harmful, unprofessional, and immoral behavior of state minister Claudia Roth in forcing the esteemed Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian to step down despite promises to prolong his contract,” says the letter.
Chatrian...
- 9/6/2023
- by Ben Croll
- The Wrap
Martin Scorsese, Radu Jude, Joanna Hogg, Claire Denis, Bertrand Bonello, M. Night Shyamalan, Kristen Stewart, Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Margarethe von Trotta are among the international filmmakers and talents who have signed an open letter in support of Carlo Chatrian whose mandate as artistic director of the Berlinale will come to an end next year. The number of signatories has now exceeded 400 names and keeps growing.
As we reported last week, Chatrian had been expected to stay on beyond 2024, and was surprised to learn that the German body which oversees the festival, Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin (Kbb), announced that it would no extend his contract. The org had previously said it would abandon the model of having an executive director and an artistic director and return instead to having a single director, following the next edition. The festival’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek will also be leaving her post after the next edition.
As we reported last week, Chatrian had been expected to stay on beyond 2024, and was surprised to learn that the German body which oversees the festival, Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin (Kbb), announced that it would no extend his contract. The org had previously said it would abandon the model of having an executive director and an artistic director and return instead to having a single director, following the next edition. The festival’s executive director Mariëtte Rissenbeek will also be leaving her post after the next edition.
- 9/6/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
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