The Berlin International Film Festival will boldly be the first fest to hold in-person screenings this year although with strict protocols that will include vaccination verification, COVID testing and only up to 50% capacity in theaters. The Berlinale, in it's 72nd year and runs from today until February 20th, is a true celebration of world cinema, introducing new films and events in several sections: Encounters; Berlinale Shorts; Generation(offering films of interest to the younger film-goer); Panorama (which focuses on Queer cinema); Retrospective, Berlinale Classics, Berlinale Talents (a series of lectures and workshops), Forum (that features discussions on the medium of film) and The European Film Market, a international film trade fair.
French filmmaker, François Ozon will open the festival with his new feature, "Peter Von Kant", a reworking of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1972 film, "The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant". Ozon has switched the character from a female fashion designer to a male filmmaker (in a tribute to the late German director) and stars Denis Menochet. This film, which has been selected for the main competition, also features Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla who appeared in several of Fassbinder's films including their most popular collaboration, the 1978 drama, "The Marriage of Maria Braun".
The American director, M. Night Shyamalan will head this year's jury to award the prizes for films in competition. His fellow jurors include Brazilian filmmaker, Karim Aïnouz; French/Tunisian producer, Saïd Ben Saïd; German director, Anne Zohra Berrached; Zimbabwean playwright/filmmaker, Tsitsi Dangarembga; Japanese director, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Danish actor, Connie Nielsen. The eighteen international features in competition will unveil new works from Claire Denis ("Avec amour et acharnement (Both Sides of the Blade)"), Hong Sang-soo ("The Novelist's Film"), Carla Simón ("Alcarràs"), Ursula Meier ("La ligne (The Line)"), Andreas Dresen ("Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush"), Denis Côté ("Un été comme ça (That Kind of Summer)") and the directorial debut by the Oscar-nominated screenwriter ("Carol"), Phyllis Nagy with "Call Jane".
And the great Isabelle Huppert will receive the 2022 Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement. This legendary French performer, who has appeared in over one hundred feature films, will have her latest, "À propos de Joan (About Joan)" from Laurent Larivière screened at the fest in addition to seven of Huppert's best-known screen performances: "La Dentellière (The Lacemaker)", "Sauve Qui Peut (la vie) (Every Man For Himself)", "La Cérémonie", "La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)", "8 Femmes", "L'Avenir (Things To Come)" and her Oscar-nominated turn in "Elle".
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