February 2003 - Nr. 2
Berlin Welcomes Stars
to 53rd Film Festival
TWIG - The German capital rolled out the red carpet for some of the most glamorous names in cinema on Thursday (February 6) as its international film festival, the Berlinale, swung open its doors. The festival got off to a dazzling start with a screening of the musical film Chicago, an opulent adaptation of the successful Broadway show. More than 2,000 film actors, directors and aficionados attended an opening reception in the "Berlinale Palace" on Potsdamer Platz after the show.
"Towards Tolerance" is the motto of the 2003 Berlinale, highlighting the festival’s role as a forum for international exchange. A total of 300 films from 46 countries will be presented during the 11-day event, which in addition to the main competition includes a showcase for emerging filmmakers, a children’s film series, and a retrospective honoring Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, a master of silent film. In her opening greeting, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Christina Weiss called the festival’s efforts "to build bridges between eras, between continents and between cultures" the secret of its success.
Hollywood stars are expected to show up in greater numbers than usual this year, from George Clooney, Richard Gere and Dustin Hoffman to Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Meryl Streep. With five productions in the running for the coveted Golden Bear award, the United States figures prominently at the Berlinale. The German film industry is also represented in force, with three motion pictures in the main competition and a record total of 59 to be screened in all.
Among the filmmakers vying for the festival’s top prize are Claude Chabrol of France, who will show La Fleur du Mal, about a family haunted by buried guilt. Zhang Yimou of China (Raise the Red Lantern) is to present his romantic drama Ying Xiong, and Steven Soderbergh of the U.S. will screen the critically acclaimed science fiction feature Solaris. Representing Germany are Wolfgang Becker with Good Bye, Lenin!, a comedy set in the former German Democratic Republic; Oskar Roehler with the love story Der alte Affe Angst (Angst), and Hans-Christian Schmid with Lichter (Distant Lights), a series of vignettes set on the German-Polish border.
More information about the festival is available at www.berlinale.de
