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Short on star power but strong on gender
balance and political engagement, the 2019 Berlinale opens on
Thursday evening with the premiere of Danish director Lone
Scherfig's "The Kindness of Strangers".
The film, set in New York, is about Clara, played by Zoe Kazan,
fleeing her violent policeman husband, and touches on themes of
power and abuse that pervade much of the festival.
Other highlights include Brazilian director Wagner Moura's "Marighella",
about writer Carlos Marighella's death at the hands of Brazil's
former military dictatorship, and Polish director Agnieszka
Holland's "Mr. Jones", about a Welsh journalist whose 1930s
reports from the Soviet Union exposed the horror of famine in
Ukraine.
Other hotly-tipped films include German director Fatih Akin's
"The Golden Glove", the psychologically grueling true story of a
serial killer who preyed on women in Hamburg's port district in
the 1970s.
Though stars are present at this festival - including Juliette
Binoche, chair of the prize jury - the lower-key feel is typical
of Dieter Kosslick, outgoing director of the Berlinale, said
Scott Roxborough, European bureau chief at The Hollywood
Reporter.
WOMEN DIRECTORS
With the film industry still reeling from the "#MeToo" movement,
when a series of prominent male figures were revealed as sexual
predators and serial abusers of women, this Berlinale stands out
for its depth of female representation, he said.
"Seven of the 17 films (competing for a prize), 41 percent, are
female-directed, which isn't quite 50 percent but it's a lot
better than any of the other big film festivals," Roxborough
said. "Venice last year had one female director."
Around 400 films will be shown at this year's Berlinale, of
which 17 are competing for the Golden and Silver Bears.
The absence of star-power is also a reflection of the festival's
timing, since Venice's spring and Cannes's autumn slots are
better for films seeking to target the Oscars, which remain the
film industry's ultimate prize.
The Academy Awards, or Oscars, ceremony usually takes place in
late February or early March.
In another nod to contemporary issues this year, the festival
will highlight the importance of protecting the environment by
replacing the traditional red carpet for stars to walk down with
a green one woven from recycled fishing nets.
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Gareth Jones)
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