2020 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

Despite the fear of the coronavirus which has caused a major disruption in travel with some cancelling attendance, the 2020 Berlin Film Festival still plans on moving forward on February 20th and running through March 1st. The 70th edition of the fest, with newly appointed director, Carlo Chatrian taking over, will open with the world premiere of "My Salinger Year" from writer/director, Philippe Falardeau. This drama, based on the novel by Joanna Rakoff, tells the story of a college graduate (Margaret Qualley) who begins a job as an assistant to the literary agent (Sigourney Weaver) of the reclusive writer, J.D. Salinger.

Jeremy Irons, the Oscar-winning British actor, will be this year's jury president. French actress, Bérénice Bejo, American playwright/filmmaker, Kenneth Lonergan, German producer, Bettina Brokemper, Palestine director, Annemarie Jacir, Italian actor, Luca Marinelli and Kleber Mendonça Filho, a film critic and director from Brazil, make up the rest of the International jurors who will decide on which competing films will win prizes. However, one award, the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize which honors new perspectives on cinematic art, has been dropped due to the recent controversy over Bauer (a founding director of the fest) allegedly collaborating with the Nazis during the war. Some of the films in competition will include new works from celebrated filmmakers, Sally Potter ("The Roads Not Taken"), Kelly Reichardt ("First Cow"), Christian Petzold ("Undine"), Eliza Hittman ("Never Rarely Sometimes Always"), Philippe Garrel ("le sel des larmes (The Salt of Tears)") and Abel Ferrara ("Siberia").







Special screenings will include the docuseries, "Hillary" which focuses on the life of the polarizing former First Lady, Secretary of State and Presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton and a two episode premiere of the Netflix series, "The Eddy", a Paris-set musical drama by Oscar-winning director, Daniel Chazelle. The Berlinale classics line-up will feature screenings of the 1988 cult comedy, "A Fish Called Wanda", Fellini's "Il bidone (The Swindle)" and the 1963 Jerry Lewis comedy classic, "The Nutty Professor".





And Helen Mirren will receive an Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement with the fest screening some of her amazing cinematic performances in "The Long Good Friday", "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover", "The Queen" (which she won the 2007 Best Actress Oscar) and her most recent film, "The Good Liar" with Ian McKellen.