David Sieveking is a young emerging, Berlin-based filmmaker, with high ambitions, but no real inspiration. Making subversive films like David Lynch, his hero, in his dreams. Meeting the master himself has been on his list for a long, long time. When he learns that Lynch will speak at a conference about transcendental meditation in Fairfield, Iowa – of all places – he seizes the moment, gets a ticket and flies out to meet his idol. As an added bonus he get a first introduction to transcendental meditation which takes him on a journey from Berlin to the US, via India,…
Author: Tanja Meding
As I write this report, oil continues to pour into the Gulf of Mexico, despite the many highly qualified scientists, environmentalists, engineers, technicians, politicians, activists, and volunteers all trying to control this catastrophe. Add numerous other human emergencies going on day-after-day around the world to this major environmental disaster and you can start feeling helpless and hopeless. But, turn around and take a look at some of the entries of this year’s HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, and there is actually some light at the end of the tunnel. A plethora of dedicated and talented filmmakers display their work,…
Muslims in our society was a prominent theme at this year’s Berlinale. Two films portrayed Muslims in today’s Berlin, each in its own yet very much related way, one fictitious, one real. Berinale competition entry FAITH (SHAHADA, 2010) by Afghan-German filmmaker Burhan Qurbani elegantly weaves together the stories of three young Muslims living in Berlin – all at a crossroads of their lives and forced to make grave decisions about their future. Maryram (Maryam Zaree) is a young Turkish women raised in Germany who struggles to come to terms with her recent abortion; Turkish police officer Ismael (Carlo Ljubek), is…
Last summer was a sad one for the dance world. The sudden and unexpected passing of world-known German choreographer Pina Bausch in June was shortly followed by the death of veteran US choreographer Merce Cunningham—both were icons of modern dance that will be missed. During the 60th Berlinale, Anne Linsel and Rainer Hoffmann presented their latest documentary DANCE DREAMS (TANZTRAEUME, 2009); a moving and most fitting memorial piece for Pina Bausch. Introducing the premiere screening, Berlinale program manager Thomas Hailer announced that everyone at the Berlinale was still devastated about the sad news of Bausch’s unexpected passing last summer, but…
For the past two weeks, the news was filled with world-impacting events: first the outbreak of the unpronounceable Icelandic volcano, then the explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, furthermore the total collapse of the Greek economy plus a SUV loaded with explosives on Times Square – all of this framing the 9th Tribeca Film Festival. So, there will be plenty of new material to explore for next year’s festival! But – returning to this year’s edition: the following report will feature a few festival favorites – by the press, the professional juries, the public, and me…
Since last year’s edition, New York’s Museum of Modern Art moved the dates of its annual survey of German films from a dark November slot to a sunny spring one, to benefit from the new crop of German productions premiering at the Berlin Film Festival. And so this year’s KINO! 2010: New Films from Germany took place between April 21-30, featuring some familiar as well as fresh faces, with an unusually high number of documentaries. 7 out of 10 full length film slots were occupied by non-fiction films! Margarethe von Trotta’s latest work VISION (VISION – AUS DEM LEBEN DER…
Internationally, German actor Fabian Busch is best known for his roles in films such as Hans-Christian Schmid’s 23 (1998), playing opposite August Diehl; Oliver Hirschspiegel’s Academy Award-nominated film THE DOWNFALL (DER UNTERGANG, 2004); and, most-recently, Busch played alongside Kate Winslet in Stephen Daldry’s Oscar winner, THE READER (2008). Besides an impressive list of feature films and television roles, Busch recently added some further credits to his name. Last year, he wrote and directed the short film EDGAR, demonstrating his skills, not just in-front, but also behind-the-camera. Edgar (Wilfried Dzallas) is lonely, sad, and desperate for something to do; anything to…
There are a number of ways to work through a festival program. One can look at the different festival sections, divide between the main program and the sidebars, report about the films that were picked up for distribution, write about the works one really liked (or not at all), group the film into common themes, search for an overarching focus, or simply write about entries from one specific country — which is what follows – a review of the German entries at this year’s Tribeca International Film Festival. A second report will look at some of the highlights from this…
Already in its 39th year, NEW DIRECTORS NEW FILMS is firmly established in the annual NY Film Festival calendar. Jointly selected and presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, it’s an annual showcase of noteworthy films –documentaries and fiction—by emerging filmmakers from around the world. This year’s edition features twenty-seven highlights from the past festival season, including this year’s Sundance and Berlin Film Festival. Fresh from its world premiere at the Berlinale, HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER (KAL YA PROVYOL ETIM LETOM, 2010) comes Russian filmmaker Alexei Popogrebsky’s follow up to his 2003…
Now in its 38th year, the DANCE ON CAMERA Festival is New York’s annual landmark for dance on film and films on dance. Coproduced by DANCE FILMS ASSOCIATION and the FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER and curated and programmed by artistic director Deirdre Towers with support from programmer and writer Joanna Ney and festival assistant Kathryn Lockstone, this year’s festival presented a packed week of dance and film. There were numerous film programs, events and discussions all around town in such prestigious places like the beautiful Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn, downtown’s landmark Judson Memorial Church – birthplace of…