Dreaming Reality

When it comes to portraying life upfront, with all its dreams, disappointments, daily struggles and sudden surprises until the very last moment, German cinema features diverse filmmakers who have their own strong personal styles specific to their films. An influential figure in New German Cinema in the 1970s, legendary filmmaker Wim Wenders’ cache of award- winning and critically acclaimed films include The American Friend (1978), Paris, Texas (1984), Wings of Desire (1987), Buena Vista Social Club (1999) and Don’t Come Knocking (2005).

His new film, Palermo Shooting, enjoyed its world premiere in the official competition of the Festival de Cannes 2008. One of the most impressive directors of contemporary German cinema, Andreas Dresen has been a writer and director for film and television since the early 1990s. He gained international renown in 1998 for Night Shapes, which won, amongst others, the Berlinale Silver Bear. His other award-winning films include Grill Point (2002 Berlinale Silver Bear) and Summer in Berlin (2005) and the recent feature Cloud 9, which won the Heart Throb Jury Prize at the Festival de Cannes 2008.

French-Iranian filmmaker born in Berlin, Emily Atef’s first feature length film Molly’s Way (2005) received the Jury’s Special Award and was screened in the "International Critic’s Week" of the Festival de Cannes 2008. She is currently in pre-production for her third film Kill Me. Representing three different generations of German cinema, these exemplary filmmakers join forces to throw light on how cinema is a splendid way of capturing dreams, allowing visions to become an integral part of life and making small dreams and great expectations come true on the big screen.

IT'S THE MISSION THAT MATTERS

A number of international organisations aim to complement, enhance, entertain and at the same time promote literacy, gender equity, human rights, environmental responsibility, global health – in short, sustainable human development issues through the promotion and funding of creative art and cultural projects. Focusing a part of their resources on film projects that work towards these goals, they open up an alternative financing option for filmmakers. The session examines how filmmakers and these alternative financiers can expand their influence in society while meeting common goals.

Representatives of the European Cultural Foundation, Africalia and GreenMe will present their respective organisations and its latest work with film(makers), explaining what they look for in terms of creative project proposals.This interactive session encourages attending filmmakers to partake in the discussion, get concrete information on existing initiatives, funding possibilities and procedures such that creative projects do eventually result.

LUNCH BREAK

MEET THE EXPERTS

SPEED MATCHING

Directors meet writers.

A FIELD TRIP FOR TALENTS

In cooperation with Berlinale Forum expanded.

Artists from a broad range of disciplines are experimenting with the medium of film more than ever before. Forum expanded is exploring and documenting this phenomenon in "The Physicality of Film and the Skin of the Musicians", continuing to bridge the gap between classical film festival formats and the spatial and visual practices of the art and gallery world. The artistic practices on view range from drawings (Stephen Andrews in the Wilde Gallery) to architecture films (Heinz Emigholz, Paulette Phillips) to object installation (Pavel Büchler in the Tanya Leighton Gallery) and beyond.

The Berlinale Talent Campus and Forum expanded offer Talents an opportunity to take a new look at the characteristics of conventional formats like film, video, photography and television today with a view to future collaborative works crossing the art and film divide. Bettina Allamoda will take you on an exclusive Berlin sight-seeing tour that reflects the archaeology of the city in between.

ACTORS WORKSHOP

Janusz Kaminski: Anatomy of the Shot

Camera master class. In cooperation with Robert Bosch Stiftung.

One of the most highly regarded cinematographers today, he is adept at using experimental techniques to create highly specialised concepts in his photography. The haunting and brilliant black-and-white images of Schindler’s List are the artwork of Polish-born cinematographer, Janusz Kaminski, and garnered him his first Oscar.

Subsequently, he has shot a number of Steven Spielberg films. Five years after Schindler’s List, he picked up his second Oscar for bringing the invasion of Normandy to life in Saving Private Ryan. And not long ago, the two legends worked on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Some of Kaminski’s most evocative and expressionistic work was for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly which won him, amongst others, an award at the 60th annual Cannes Film Festival.

The film revolves around the jet-setting editor of French Elle, who at 43 suffered a massive stroke. The only means of communication left to him is blinking his eyes. Kaminski‘s camera becomes the main character’s blinking eye, presenting audiences with what the man‘s life and impressions were in his paralysed state. "The camera became, as you know, almost an actor. When the actors are performing, they are performing to the camera and I happen to be reflecting what the actor […] is feeling and what he is seeing”, he said about his visual artistry in the film.

Allowing Talents a chance to peer into his camera lens, Kaminski, who was a jury member at the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival, will elaborate on his unconventional visual approach and his use of experimental techniques that are rarely seen in narrative film, citing examples from his vast portfolio of notable films.

FILMMAKERS AGAINST RACISM

In cooperation with Berlinale Forum, Goethe-Institut and Heinrich Böll Foundation.

The xenophobic violence that erupted in South Africa in May last year was horrifying, saddening and angering in different turns. These events were the impetus for the country’s leading independent filmmakers to come together and form a united front against violence and xenophobia.

The collective Filmmakers Against Racism (FAR) launched on 23rd May 2008, has produced a series of documentary films and public service announcements which document the violence and their consequences, offering the most insightful perspective on xenophobia. Rehad Desai, founding member of FAR, said in an interview that he did not believe that the crisis had been dealt with properly.

"We can not address the issues of xenophobia until we have addressed the core problems. I hope the documentary series keeps the issue alive, because we need to start asking the right questions if we are to find a lasting solution.” Far more than television or any other media, films have a longer life and larger relevance in their documentation of events. FAR’s attempt is thus not only to provide a lens on xenophobia but also to lead the way using film as a tool of intervention and affecting change. It underscores their wish to make a clear statement of their solidarity, their understanding and acceptance of different cultures through the medium of film.

Panellists, the socially conscious and activist FAR filmmakers, will reflect on how filmmakers can behave in situations of extreme duress. How one decides what is the right thing to do? What moral obligations do filmmakers have in a country in transition? They will throw light on the impervious circumstances that brought them together for the first time to act with immediacy, produce and distribute films within a relatively short span of time. In a sense, the horrific events and the ensuing collective became a singular occasion for black solidarity. Dorothee Wenner will enquire into the future of their endeavour and how they plan to proceed and sustain its actions once the acuteness of the event is past.

THE INDIE FILMMAKERS GUIDE TO THE INTERNET

In cooperation with Skillset.

Traditionally independent filmmakers have been dependent on a long line of gatekeepers that stand between themselves and an audience for their films; financiers, festivals, sales agents, distributors, exhibitors, the press. Today, the Internet enables filmmakers to reach their audiences directly and therefore offers potential for a new business model independent of traditional gatekeepers. In this session leading online pioneers and experts will demonstrate a range of new tools available to filmmakers to help them build audiences, distribute their work and even collaborate with and finance their films.

THE TALENT PRESS

Editorial Meeting.

MEET THE EXPERTS

Provoking Cinema: Films that Marked Me Forever

In cooperation with Robert Bosch Stiftung.

Every once in a while, we come across a significant historical and socio-political film that influences our historical consciousness and shapes our perceptions of past events. Many people learn what they know of history – and this includes the political, economic and ideological situation of that time – through watching such films. It is like opening a historical document that enacts itself right before your eyes. The discussion among filmmakers dealing with events that might rather be forgotten is an effect interesting in itself.

For example, it was Bosnian director, Jasmila Zbanic’s Grbavica – winner of the 2006 Berlinale Golden Bear for her portrayal of the aftermath of the Balkan war – that gave impetus to a campaign forcing the government to finally recognise victims of ethnic rape as war victims. For the most part, people preferred not to think that these women existed. At the same time, when cinema displays fixation for a specific topic, it is clearly responding to the sociopolitical and cultural context in which it finds itself.

Thus, views portrayed in movies not only reflect the influence of social surroundings, they also draw on the audiences’ ambivalences. As outstanding Chilean documentary filmmaker Patricio Guzmán emphasised after his film The Pinochet Case: "Memory matters. The historical memory of a nation shapes its expectations. It may be terribly painful to speak of terrors and tragedies of the past. But the truth inspires hope.” Over the years, Guzmán has made a number of political documentaries such as Salvador Allende, Obstinate Memory and The Battle of Chile that mark the turning point in people’s contemplation of historical events. Based on these eloquent and daring explorations of revolution and repression, the discussion will focus on how films shape and change audience perception of times gone by.

TWO PRODUCERS SHARING THEIR SECRETS

In cooperation with Skillset.

Balancing the business side of movies with the creative side is no mean feat. From the outset, the filmmaking process involves endless meetings, tight schedules, strict budgets, deadlines and innumerable revisions. How do producers juggle all these responsibilities and handle challenges such as creative control? Sandy Lieberson, former president of production at Twentieth Century Fox, converses with producer Mark Herbert, joint managing director of Warp Films and low budget digital studio – Warp X, exploring the gambles of the film business and the balance between art and money.

Using his own productions as examples, he will discuss how it is possible to develop a film project, raise funds for production, find locations and crew, cast actors and get permits and music rights. He will examine the studio system versus the independent producer and what lessons filmmakers could learn from it.

Recipient of the British Film Talent Dunhill award at the London Film Festival in 2006 – an award that recognizes the achievements of new and emerging British writers, directors and producers – Mark Herbert has produced the award-winning This is England and Dead Man‘s Shoes, both Shane Meadows films, the short film Dog Altogether by Paddy Considine which he executive produced and My Wrongs by Chris Morris, winner of 2003 BAFTA Film Award in the short film category.

REMEMBER ME? THE ART OF FOLLOWING UP

"Send me the next draft of your script" is something often heard when saying goodbye after a market meeting, but getting back to industry moguls and eager producers or financiers after they initially showed interest is easier said than done. Meeting many people during a few festival days, recognising everybody and remembering who‘s working on which project, is an art in itself.

How to stay in touch successfully is the focus of this panel‘s experts will focus on. What are the best ways to follow up after that first meeting? Is there a right moment? Who is the right person to contact in a company? And what will these people really want from you? Is the script enough? What else may help your project stand out from the crowd? And last but not least: how do you develop a personal style in following up? Experienced producers and market professionals will talk about the practical do's and don'ts and discuss how following up the right way is a skill which both filmmakers and financiers can benefit from.