Ich bin ein Berlinaler!

In a few days time I'll be boarding a plane bound for the Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin, or as it's commonly known, the Berlinale. Unlike my last appearance back in 2005, I go this year not as a blogger, but as a buyer. That's not to say I won't be providing coverage here (and perhaps elsewhere), but a good chunk of my time will be spent at the European Film Market (EFM) meeting with sales agents and seeking out titles for distribution. Joining me will be Aaron 'Cinephiliac' Hillis, who has of late become an integral part of this new venture, but more on that anon. With 400 films in the festival, and a whopping 700+ films at the Film Market, I've been doing what I can to prevent my head from exploding as I attempt to organize my screening schedule for the ten-day festival – a somewhat Sisyphean task. Though there are several competition titles I'm looking forward to, particularly Zhang Lu's Desert Dream, Rivette's Don't Touch the Axe, and of course Park Chan-wook's I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok, it's the festival's Panorama, Forum, and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections where you'll find more cutting-edge fare. This year's lineup has some very promising titles, including Anders Nilsson's When Darkness Falls, Srdan Golubovic's The Trap, and the (yes!) Scott Walker documentary, 30 Century Man, to name but a few. There are a few wonderful retrospectives, including a one day, fifteen-hour marathon screening of the restored Berlin Alexanderplatz, but I doubt I'll have the time. Still, it would be great if I could manage to catch Arthur Penn's Mickey One on the big screen. Not sure when or how often I'll manage to post, but I should be able to bang out some stream of consciousness thoughts every now and then. The Wednesday screen quiz should appear as usual, barring any foul-ups from Typepad. Oh, and if any Filmbrain readers are going to be at the fest, please drop me an email at this address – it would be great to meet up and compare notes on what's worth seeing or avoiding. Tschüss!

Comments

[girish]

Have a great trip, Filmbrain (and Aaron).

And I look forward to your film impressions, however brief or stream-of-consciousness they may be; I know you'll have your hands full....700+ films is mind-boggling. And I thought Toronto was large...

[jo]

anyway, you're welcome ,)

[Peter Nellhaus]

Have a good time. If you haven't been to Berlin, make sure to go to the Film Museum. Also take some time to check out the Martin Gropius Bau. For reasonably priced food, especially breakfast, in the area, I liked Andy's Diner. The restaurants inside the mall behind Potsdamer Platz aren't bad either.

[HarryTuttle]

Enjoy your festival marathon.

[Jenna]

Have lots of fun, FilmBrain - looking forward to your posts on the Berlinale! I had thought of going, but thesis duties call (but that's another story). If you head for the Director's Lounge (video art and experimental film), say hi to Kim Collmer for me - she's an amazing animator and curator. Have a great time!

[colinr0380]

70 films a day, so 3 films begin showing every hour! It sounds like a nightmare for film lovers - always knowing you are missing another screening going on at the same time! Very best of luck and my (jealous!) thoughts are with you!