Film

Christian Petzold’s Competition film “Roter Himmel” (Afire) hovers dreamlike between utopia and dystopia.

Hollywood stars will be there, the competition includes 19 films from 19 countries, and Kristen Stewart is president of the International Jury – what more do you need to pique your interest in the Berlinale?

Trotta and Petzold, Schanelec, Atef and Hochhäusler – believe it or not, five out of 19 competition entries come from Germany, but something else is new too. Should we be expecting erotic fireworks?

The director Johannes Naber and his co-screenwriter Oliver Keidel did a decent job in building the tension of the story by setting up the conflict gradually, inviting us as viewers to try and guess whether Rafid Alwan is a whistleblower who speaks out because of his conscience or simply an opportunist with complete disregard. 

Director Christian Petzold is far from producing a live-action Disney version of "The Little Mermaid", which is also based on the Undine mythology. Undine in the film and the mermaid Ariel have only the red hair in common.

The film Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse reminds me again why I love observational documentaries. We are there when they have simple but sincere conversations, which are basically more human. I’m sure that much of what we see in the film remains unimaginable for screenwriters of feature films.

Germany prides itself in having film festivals dedicated to almost every genre and region in the world. The scene is unique worldwide – and so diverse that one tends to almost lose track of them all. Film critic, Michael Kohler, presents his ten favorite festivals.

Over the past 120 years, Marxist ideas have undergone frequent revivals on the silver screen.