Fiercely Mild

Polanski's Ghost Writer wins him best director award

Best director award given to Polanski for his latest film ‘The Ghost Writer’

The controversial director of French and Polish origin was unable to collect the award as he is still under house arrest in Switzerland facing extradition to the United States. The Ghost Writer is a surprisingly good political thriller with quite a few interesting twists and turns. It is also for me, the best film starring Pierce Brosnan since his début as Mr Bond in Golden Eye. His role was quite small but proportionate, with Ewan McGregor taking the starring role as the replacement of a Ghost Writer for ex Prime Minister Brosnan. One could not help but draw contrast to Brosnan’s character and that of Blair facing the Iraq inquiry and having his relationship with the US scrutinised. I’ve not seen any other of Polanski’s films but think I will have to give them a try. But with the Berlin winter coming to an end, I fear I won’t get through much of them.

Banksy art in London

Banksy is an absent guest in Berlin. The English artist presented his first film without showing up.

Much has been spoken about Roman Polanski’s  absence from Berlinale, however, little has been mentioned about Banksy and his first film ‘Exit through the gift shop’. If the director Polanski could not go to Germany for legal reasons (which everyone knows about), the case of Banksy, the English street artist is a little different. A major figure in the graffiti world, a Bristol native born in 1974, presented ‘Exit through the gift shop‘, his first feature-length film remaining incognito on Sunday. A special requirement for this splendid outlaw who left his mark on the walls of the largest capitals, in New-Orleans after Katrina, and in the West Bank. A kind of True-fake documentary, ‘Exit through the gift shop’ speaks about a cultural movement which wants to be subversive and switches to the denunciation of the snobbery in the world. I’m not sure when it come out, but I’m looking forward to checking it out hopefully soon. Did anne see it on Sunday or at the Sundance festival?

Wang Quan'an's film wins first prestigious Golden Bear

A Chinese film opens the festival of film of Berlin

The International festival of film in Berlin, Berlinale, opens today with a Chinese film made by Wang Quan’ans. The Chinese director Wang Quan’  will aspire for a second “Gold Bear” this year.

For this anniversary, the artistic director Dieter Kosslick paradoxically made the choice of an opening without glitter and sparkles: “Apart Together” is a political drama without high-speed motorboats which recalls the pain of the Taiwaneses separated for decades from their families that remained in communist China. Its director was discovered in 2004 by the Panorama section of the festival with its second feature-length film “The story of Ermei”. It is the account of a family reunified after long and painful separation. “Together Apart” echoes the history of Germany, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, underlined Dieter Kosslick.

20 films are in competition this year

In a snow-covered and icy German capital, Wang Quan’ again aspires to the prestigious statuette won four years earlier with his “Marriage of Tuya”. He will be competing with 19 other films in the field of international cinema. The German director Werner Herzog chairs a jury of seven members, of which the American actress Renee Zellweger– who will help decide on January 20th who will be in line to receive the prestigious Golden Bears. The Japanese Master Yoji Yamada, who directed more than 80 films during the last four decades, will close the festival with “Otouto” (“About Her Brother”), which is not included in the competition. Many will also brave the cold weather for an outdoor performance of the eagerly awaited ‘Metropolisis’ on Friday. This is one of my favourite films, however, I would much rather watch this film in the comfort of the cinema. However, just like concert tickets for popular groups, tickets for Metropolisis sold out very quickly, so I will probably end up watching it at home.

Berlinale 2010 should be an exciting year for the festival

For its 60th anniversary, the film festival of Berlin opens its doors with the finest directors of the whole world from February 11th to 21st. This year, the Berlinale receives Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski amongst other guests from the cinema world.

The Festival of Berlin, second world festival of cinema after Cannes, will decree the gold Bears on February 20th. A festival of international scale to the eclectic tastes which once again promises to open its borders within the cinema of the world.

Festival of Berlin 2010, the cinema beyond the borders

Twenty-six feature films will display the gold Bears. As exceptional guests, it is necessary to count Martin Scorsese, who will come with his film “Shutter Island”, except competition, which starts tomorrow on the French screens. Roman Polanski will leave his country cottage of Gstaad for Berlinale, where his film “The Ghost Writer” is in competition, featuring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan.

On the side of French cinema, it is the film “Mammuth” of Benoit Delépine and Gustave Kerven which is in competition, with Gérard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani.

On the other side of the English Channel, the Michael Winterbottom British will present the film “The killer Inside me” with Jessica Alba and Casey Affleck. A Sheriff of the West of Texas transforms himself gradually into sociopathe.

The festival will travel as far as Asia with Zhang Yimou, crowned Bear of gold into 1988 which returns with a remake of film of the Coen brothers “Blood for blood”, heading “San qiang pai jing qi”. Still in China, Wang Quan’s (won the 2007 gold Bear with “the marriage of Tuya”), he now presents “Together Flat”. American cinema is obviously always present with the director Noam Baumbach and his film “Greenberg”.

Tickets for these performances are expected to sell out fast. So if you are dating men or women who enjoy cinema, it would be wise to book tickets for the event as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

It is the Japanese director Yoji Yamada who will close the Festival on February 20th with the projection of his film “Otuto”. It will then depend on the jury of the 60th anniversary of the festival to decide the prizes. The president of the festival is the German writer Werner Herzog. He will be accompanied, amongst others, by the American actress Renee Zellweger. It should be a great 60th anniversary to be involved in.

After the announcement of the presidency of the jury by the writer Werner Herzog last December, we are now able to reveal that the other members of the jury are Francesca Comencini, Nuruddin Farah, Cornelia Froboess, Jose Maria Morales, Yu Nan and Renee Zellweger.