73rd Berlin Film Festival back with a blast since COVID-19 

Europe’s first major annual cinema showcase, The Berlin film festival, is starting on Thursday, February 16, 2023, taking into consideration the war for freedom in Iran and Ukraine, and the dreamiest line-up since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The 73rd Berlinale is, traditionally, the most politically involved and active of the three big European festivals. Hence, it will coincide with the first anniversary of the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A total of nine new movies will screen in this festival, for the most part, documentaries displaying Ukrainian life in wartime. One of these nine movies includes Sean Penn’s ‘Superpower’, which was shot by the two-time Oscar winner in Kyiv last February.

Besieged independent filmmakers from Iran will also take center stage in this festival. They will present a stream of premieres, as well as, panel discussions that focus on the country (Iran). The main objective is to showcase the country, which has been trembled by various protests since September.

Artistic director Carlo Chatrian said that this 11-day festival will be standing shoulder to shoulder with those people who are fighting to present their ideas through films. He promised this to all the films that will “tell the story of the world with all its wounds as well as its heartbreaking beauty”.

FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH BIG STAR POWER

Hollywood star Kristen Stewart, at 32 will be the youngest president in the festival’s history and she will be the head of the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes. French-Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani (“Paterson”) will also be a member of the jury for the top prizes.

From around the world, a total of nineteen films will compete for the main awards. These films include ‘Manodrome’ starring Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody, proclaimed as a thriller regarding masculinity in crisis.

According to Scott Roxborough, the European bureau chief of The Hollywood Reporter, after various editions spoiled by the COVID-19 outbreak, the Berlinale has now returned with “big star power” and “gala red carpet bonanzas”.

Steven Spielberg, who is already a three-time Academy Award winner, is awaiting in the German capital to receive an honorary Golden Bear Award for his life’s hard work, spotlighted in a demonstration.

Helen Mirren, the talented British actress will present the long-time coming ‘Golda’. This movie depicts the life of Israel’s only female prime minister, Golda Meir, who is played by Mirren.

THE FEMALE REPRESENTATION 

This Berlin Film Festival has a greater track record than Venice or Cannes Film Festivals for including female directors. Female directors consist of about 40 percent of the total participants at this year’s festival.

Rebecca Miller’s ‘She Came to Me’ will be the opening night film. It is a romantic comedy showing a composer fighting writer’s block. The star cast includes Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, and Peter Dinklage of ‘Game of Thrones.

‘Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker’ will be presented by award-winning US documentarian Alex Gibney. This film will take a look at the travails of the German tennis champion. Alex Gibney is also making his debut through this film at the Berlin Film Festival.

According to Scott Roxborough, Berlinale has recognition for finding new voices and releasing up-and-coming talents to the world. He said that Berlin is the place for discoveries because the selection committees in this festival are brilliant at finding films ignored by other festivals.