'Each year, about four hundred films of all genres, lengths and formats are shown in the various sections and special presentations of the Berlinale. Across the spectrum from feature films to documentary forms and artistic experiments, the audience is invited to encounter highly contrasting backgrounds, ways of life and attitudes, to put their own judgements and prejudices to the test and to reinvigorate their experience of seeing and perceiving in the realm between classic narrative forms and extraordinary aesthetics', so reads the official website.
The winners and grinners from this years films in competition, with the festive Award Ceremony scheduled to take place at the Summer Special, are as follows :-
* awarded to 'Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn' from Romania and is Written and Directed by Radu Jude, and here the story follows a school teacher, Emi, whose sex tape leaks online. When she is confronted by the parents demanding her dismissal, Emi refuses to give in to their pressure.
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
* awarded to 'Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy' from Japan and is Written and Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and is about an unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding, told in three movements (titled 'Magic (or Something Less Assuring)', 'Door Wide Open' and 'Once Again') to depict three female characters that traces the trajectories between their choices and regrets.
* awarded to 'Mr. Bachmann and His Class' from Germany and Written, Directed and Edited by Maria Speth and is a three and a half hour observational documentary centred around school teacher Dieter Bachmann and his classroom of 12 to 14 year old students in their final year of elementary school at the Georg Buchner Gesamtschule in the German town of Stadtallendorf, after which Mr. Bachmann’s charges will go on to an upper or lower high school, grades depending.
Silver Bear for Best Director
* awarded to Denes Nagy for 'Natural Light' from Hungary and is set during World War II, in the occupied Soviet Union. Istvan Semetka is a simple Hungarian farmer who serves as a Corporal in a special unit scouting for partisan groups. On their way to a remote village, his company falls under enemy fire. As the commander is killed, Semetka has to overcome his fears and take command of the unit as he is dragged into a chaos that he cannot control.
* awarded to Maren Eggert for 'I'm Your Man' from Germany and Directed by Maria Schrader about a Scientist, who in order to obtain research funds for her studies, accepts an offer to participate in an extraordinary experiment - for three weeks, she is to live with a humanoid robot, created to make her happy.
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance
* awarded to Lilla Kizlinger for 'Forest - I See You Everywhere' from Hungary and is Written and Directed by Bence Filegauf and surrounds seven hypnotic and unpredictable short stories culminating in a psychological kaleidoscope of couples, families and friends, all connected by their common fate.
* awarded to Hong Sang-soo for 'Introduction' that is also Directed, Produced, Edited, lensed and scored by the South Korean film maker.
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution (Editing)
* awarded to Yibran Asuad for 'A Cop Movie' from Mexico and is Written and Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios and sees two professional Actors who undergo an immersive process to find out what it takes to be a cop in Mexico City.
For the full synopsis of what went down at this years Industry Event at the 71st Berlinale, you can visit the official website at : https://www.berlinale.de/
And so to tempt you out to your local independent movie theatre or big screen multiplex this week we have four latest release new films, kicking off with a biographical drama offering about a far left African American revolutionary party founded in 1966 and its leader of the Illinois chapter as both he and it are infiltrated by the FBI, ultimately with long lasting impacts. Next up we have a Sci-Fi actioner set four hundred years hence when seven rogue soldiers launch a preemptive strike against a recently discovered alien civilisation in the hopes of ending an interstellar war before it begins. This is followed by a RomCom centering around a lonely widow who plans a trip around the world with her husband's ashes, to visit the places they loved in the movies, but the first stop on the journey changes her life forever. And wrapping up the week is an Aussie doco about a group of renegade female surfers who, in the 1980's, set about challenging the male-dominated professional surfing world for the shared goal of equality and change.
'JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH' (Rated MA15+) - is an American biographical drama film Directed by Shaka King in only his second film making outing following 2013's 'Newlyweds', although he has been busy in the meantime Directing a number of short films and TV series. King also Co-Produced this film and wrote the screenplay with Will Berson, based on a story by the pair and Kenny and Keith Lucas. The film saw its Premiere screening at the Sundance Film Festival in early February this year and was released in the US on 12th February simultaneously in theatres and digitally on HBO Max, having so far recovered almost US$5M from its budget outlay of US$26M, garnered universal Critical acclaim and has collected fourteen award wins and another fifty nominations to date.
Here FBI informant William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield) infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). A career thief, O'Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemmons). Hampton's political prowess grows just as he's falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback). Meanwhile, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul. Will he align with the forces of good? Or subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) commands? Also starring Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Jermaine Fowler and Dominique Thorne.
'COSMIC SIN' (Rated M) - this American Sci-Fi movie is Directed and Co-Written by Edward Drake in only his third directorial outing after 'Animals' in 2012, and 'Broil' in 2020, although he has helmed a number of short films in the meantime, and has written a number of others. Here, it is 2524, four centuries after humans started colonising the outer planets, retired Gen. James Ford (Bruce Willis) gets called back into service after a hostile alien fleet attacks soldiers on a remote planet. The threat against mankind soon escalates into an interstellar war as Ford and a team of elite soldiers try to stop the imminent attack before it's all too late. Also starring Frank Grillo, Luke Wilson, Adelaide Kane and C.J. Perry.
'THEN CAME YOU' (Rated M) - is an American RomCom Directed by Adriana Trigiani in only her third film making outing after her debut in 1996 with the doco 'Queens of the Big Time' which she followed up in 2014 with 'Big Stone Gap', although in the meantime she has busied herself with writing and Producing numerous TV series, made for TV movies and documentaries. The film was released in the US at the end of last September and has garnered generally negative Reviews thus far. And so here, Annabelle (Kathie Lee Gifford, who also wrote the screenplay and contributed to the music score here), a lonely widow, plans a trip around the world, with her husband’s ashes in tow, to visit the places they loved in the movies. Eventually, she arrives at the Inn in Loch Lomond, run by Howard, a Scotsman (Craig Ferguson). In the first stop on her planned journey, the two meet and their life is changed forever with a second chance at love. Also staring Elizabeth Hurley, Phyllida Law and Ford Kiernan.
'GIRLS CAN'T SURF' (Rated M) - is an Australian documentary film Co-Written, Co-Produced and Directed by Christopher Nelius and charts the true story of the rebellious female surfers, from Australia and beyond, who took on the male-dominated professional surfing world in a fight for recognition and equality. This group of 1980's fiercely competitive renegades weren’t just battling the waves. Everyone from their male counterparts to the media and sponsors treated them like show ponies, dismissing their undoubtable talents on the board. At a time when the sport was rapidly turning professional, they were forced to wear impractical and demeaning gear and compete for pitiful prizes. Despite their undeniable determination, it took these surfing greats 25 years to turn their sport around. Featuring revealing archival footage and stirring interviews with trailblazing surfing greats including Jodie Cooper, Frieda Zamba, Pauline Menczer, Lisa Andersen, Pam Burridge, Wendy Botha, Layne Beachley and others.
Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the four latest release new movies as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release or as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are most welcome to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and in the meantime, enjoy your big screen Odeon outing during the coming week.
With four new release films this week to tempt you out to your local Odeon, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephile friends afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead, at your local Odeon.
-Steve, at Odeon Online-
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