In his 1987 film Wings of Desire director Wim Wenders lets the old storyteller Homer, played by Curt Bois, walk beside the Berlin Wall in search of Potsdamer Platz. But the old man can’t find it, although it was once such a very lively place. People used to meet at the famous Café Josti and observe the passersby. Instead, all he discovers is a forlorn wasteland. At that time nobody could imagine that the Wall would fall two years later and that Potsdamer Platz would come to life again. The newly created quarter is still in the process of merging into the changing cityscape. Nevertheless, it pulsates with life once again. If Homer were to continue his wanderings today, he would also discover a café named Josty.
Similarly, at that time people would never have dreamt that one day the Berlinale, Berlin’s International Film Festival, would actually move to this location: but it did exactly that, on its 50th anniversary in the year 2000. Ever since it was founded in 1951 the film festival saw itself as a showcase of the world, an interface between east and west. Then, suddenly, it had a real centre and its own festival cinema. The red carpet is now rolled out in front of the Berlinale Palast and the film world inhabits the heart of Berlin for a good two weeks in February.
The reunited city has become an attractive venue for Hollywood stars, such as George Clooney who has almost become a permanent guest at the festival. The idea of inviting singer Madonna with her directing debut to the festival in 2008 proved to be a brilliant coup. In addition to the main competition, the traditional sections also found a new home in the state-of-the-art multiplex cinemas at Potsdamer Platz. These include the Panorama, which has an open concept that equally welcomes both mainstream and auteur films; the International Forum, which for decades has provided an unerring platform for the avant-garde in filmmaking; the Retrospective, which focuses on film history far more than other festivals; the European Film Market, the commercial centrepiece of the festival, which is the industry’s largest film fair alongside the American Film Market and Cannes; and last, but not least, Generation, the festival of films dedicated to audiences of children and young people.
A fun festival
Professionals attending the Berlinale used to regard it as a working festival covering an enormous, even intimidating range of films. When Dieter Kosslick took over as festival director in 2002, there was a distinct change in emphasis. Born in the city of Pforzheim, the new director was famous in the German film scene as an exceptionally gifted communicator. He began his career in advertising, was a speechwriter for the city of Hamburg’s mayor, an editor, and as head of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Film Foundation he helped to develop that particular state into an attractive film region.
As Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick rapidly emerged as a veritable show talent. In his speeches and as a presenter he demonstrates a gift for light-hearted, spontaneous humour. He counteracts his permanent struggle with the English language by spicing it with an ample dose of self-irony. But from the very beginning Dieter Kosslick also proved himself to be a skilful strategist who has given the Berlinale a complete overhaul. As a declared champion of German film he perseveringly erected a special platform for this area of motion picture production. The section “Perspektive Deutsches Kino” has evolved into an annual exhibition of domestic productions whose international screenings have been increasing year by year.
Kosslick also activates his marketing antenna in the interests of promoting film production and is particularly committed to supporting young cinematic talent. As a result, the sixth Berlinale Talent Campus took place in 2008 (see box). Another important initiative is the World Cinema Fund, a foundation jointly created by the Berlinale and the German Federal Cultural Foundation. The fund has an annual budget of 500,000 euros at its disposal. These monies are allocated for co-productions and the distribution of films from Latin America, Africa and Asia. Even the Berlinale benefited from one of the films sponsored by the fund: Paradise Now by Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad was a competition entry in 2005 and subsequently won numerous international awards.
Expanding
Of all the major film festivals the Berlinale is the biggest festival for the general public. Year by year the number of tickets sold to “normal cinemagoers” has steadily increased. Screenings in all of the sections now reach audience levels that are the envy of the festival’s key competitors in Cannes and Venice. The numbers of festival entries is also constantly growing. And although the European Film Market moved to the extensive Martin Gropius Building two years ago, it is already threatening to burst at the seams. The Berlinale has developed into a brand name, an expandable franchise product. New film series and specials are continuously emerging. Kosslick managed to create a skilful balance between glamour and cinematography, and his charming personality convinced even the grumpiest critics, but recently there has been some dissent from commentators. They reckon the festival is threatening to turn into a “general store” that tries to offer something for everyone, but could lose its profile in the process.
However, the main competition has gradually developed its own thematic contours over the past few years. In 2007 recent history, the Second World War and the Holocaust, emerged as an area of emphasis among the entries. In 2008 a conspicuous number of entries focused on the fate of children. The decisions of the juries have also been known to come up with regular surprises, especially when they are presided over by such arresting personalities as the actress Charlotte Rampling or the director Constantin Costa-Gavras. For instance, the Bosnian film The Land of My Dreams unexpectedly won the Golden Bear in 2006 and the Brazilian film The Elite Squad received the prestigious award in 2008. The decisions were controversial, but the films were certainly worthy prize winners. In this way the Berlinale broadens the horizons of the audience’s cinema experience, similar to the effects of the world exhibitions in the days of yore: the festival provides insights into life in other, distant countries.
