2019 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

"The Kindness of Strangers" by Danish director, Lone Scherfig will open the 69th edition of the Berlin Film Festival . This fest is always the first to showcase new international films and runs this year from February 7th to the 17th. Ms. Scherfig (who won the Silver Bear in 2001 for "Italian For Beginners" and her 2009 feature "An Education" with Carey Mulligan, screened first at the fest before going on to receive three Oscar nominations) will premiere her drama, which will be in competition, about a group of disparate people struggling to get through a tough New York City winter and features Zoe Kazan, Tahar Rahim, Andrea Riseborough, Caleb Landry Jones, Jay Baruchel and Bill Nighy.

Juliette Binoche, the French Oscar-winning actress leads this year’s jury to decide on the winners of prizes. The other jury members are German actress, Sandra Hüller, British producer, Trudie Styler, Chilean director, Sebastián Lelio, Justin Chang, film critic for the Los Angeles Times and the Chief Curator of Film at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, Rajendra Roy.

Some of the films in competition include new works from acclaimed International filmmakers like Fatih Akin (“The Golden Glove”) Wang Xiaoshuai (“"Di jiu tian chang (So Long, My Son)"”), Agnieszka Holland (“Mr. Jones”), François Ozon (“Grâce à dieu (By The Grace of God)”) Denis Côté ("Ghost Town Anthology") and Nora Fingscheidt ("Systemsprenger (System Crasher)"). Netflix invades this fest for the first time in competition with “Elisa & Marcela”, a new black and white drama from Isabel Coixet (“The Bookshop”). The film is based on a true story of two women who got married in Spain in 1901 after one adapts a male identity.





It would not be a film festival without Special Screenings and this will include the German premiere of Adam McKay's Oscar-nominated look at former Vice-President, Dick Cheney in "Vice"; the European premiere of the restored Aretha Franklin documentary,"Amazing Grace"; the latest from legendary French filmmaker, André Téchiné with "L'adieu à la nuit (Farewell to the Night)" which stars Catherine Deneuve and makes it's world premiere; the documentary, "Peter Lindbergh: Women Stories" by Jean Michel Vecchiet which focuses on the longtime fashion photographer; British actor, Chiwetel Ejiofor's first film as a director with "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" and French film making icon, Agnès Varda has made another documentary whose subject is herself with "Varda by Agnès". And the fest will premiere a new restoration by the Academy Film Archive of Gregory Nava's 1984 feature, "El Norte (The North)". This timely drama tells the story of two Guatemalan youths (played by Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez and David Villalpando) who try to escape the turmoil of their country due to a Civil War in the 1980's as they make an arduous journey through Mexico to reach Los Angeles.







British actress, Charlotte Rampling will receive this year's Honorary Golden Bear and the fest will screen some highlights from her incredible career including "The Damned", "The Night Porter", "The Verdict", "Swimming Pool" and "Stardust Memories". She headed the festival’s jury back in 2006 and won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for "45 Years" in 2015. Finally, the fest’s longtime director, Dieter Kosslick will be leaving his post after eighteen years with Berlinale. The former director of the Locarno Film Festival, Carlo Chatrian will take over Berlin next year.