Twenty-two films make up the Competition schedule for the 76th Berlinale. Three productions from Germany, a debut feature and a few second works are competing for the Golden Bear. Festival head Tricia Tuttle presided over a press conference announcing the latest entries as if in a hard selling mode to reluctant buyers where kicking the tires was not an option.
The second time around, the pressure is now on the former London BFI programmer. The most glaring part of the lineup is the lack of big-name directors. This time around with a mix of art house, up and coming talent filling the slots, this could be viewed as either a maverick way of giving the spot light to the underdogs in the industry or a lack of real interest in the Berlinale. It is no secret which festivals filmmakers prefer.
Headline from the Berlin Morgan Post
Tricia Tuttle: “The Berlinale is like an ocean liner”
Berlin. Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle talks about her second festival, lessons learned from previous years and her preparation for the star-studded hype.
Ms. Tuttle’s job of putting the German Gala on the same footing as Cannes and Venice is coming up short. While trying to convince anyone paying attention using a bit of browbeating followed by supplication, stating, “Anyone who doesn’t find anything to love here doesn’t love cinema”. Should these words be place in the desperate category? This comes across an offensive play to head off the incoming criticism and doubt that will come once the cinema crowd poured over the press releases.
Pamela Anderson, Elle Fanning, Sandra Huller, Channing Tatum are expected to arrive for the Red Carpet premieres in February adding a touch of celebrity glamour in Potsdamer Platz. While this will be an enjoyable winter occurrence, it is hardly a challenge to the South of France beach front.
Headline from the Berlin Tagesspiegel
The program of the 76th Berlinale: “Anyone who finds nothing to love here doesn’t love cinema.”
Twenty-two films are competing at the Berlinale. Festival director Tricia Tuttle, in her second year, is promoting the glamour of Berlin as a film city. But she has inherited some of the problems of her predecessors.
However, perhaps there are some gems in the Competition category. We will soon know if Tricia Tuttle turned a corner with the Berlinale.
Wim Wenders is the Jury head of the Berlinale starting on February 12th with the film No Good Men.Actress Michelle Yeoh will receive an honorary Bear.