Berlinale Bloggers 2023
Back to the Big Screen

The audience is back, Steven Spielberg does a dance, and the Golden Bear goes to a French documentary film. What else has been happening at the Berlinale?

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?

Emma Soares on a contemplative film that nevertheless carries a strong message.

One of the most moving moments of the Berlinale 2023 was certainly the presentation of Steffi Niederzoll's documentary film "Seven Winters in Tehran". Daphnée Martel and Ianèle Bellemare from Montreal's Collège Maisonneuve were there.

"The Delegation", or "Ha'Mishlahat" in its original language, is one of the 17 films in the "Generation 14plus" category presented at Berlinale 2023.

After ten exciting days in Berlin, the students of the Collège Maisonneuve draw a positive conclusion.

Quebec director Vincent Bonin-Arena presented his first feature film, "Nouvelle Personne", at the Berlinale. Émilie Kessler and Emmy Champagne took the opportunity to interview their compatriot about his work and life path.

One film in particular caught the eye of the students of Collège Maisonneuve at the Berlinale: It is the short film "Gaby les collines" by Zoé Pelchat, which had its world premiere at the Berlinale.

"BlackBerry" is a Canadian fictional documentary film directed by Matthew Johnson that focuses on the origin story of the famous BlackBerry cell phone brand. The film was screened in competition at the Berlinale.

This year's Berlinale entries from Québec focused primarily on the experiences of young people. From puberty to the consequences of sibling rivalries to intimate family portraits, a wide variety of topics were covered.
 

Many people contribute to making the Berlinale an important event in the calendar of all film enthusiasts every year. Elisa Jochum, head of the Film Heritage Department at the Deutsche Kinemathek, talks about her entry into the festival world and the offer of discovering old films in a whole new way

Christian Petzold’s Competition film Roter Himmel (Afire) hovers dreamlike between utopia and dystopia. Learn more about the film and the press conference.

This year, the Nachwussektion Perspektive Deutsches Kino focuses on documentary films and the global situation of women. The documentary Seven Winters in Tehran describes the fate of the Iranian student Reyhaneh Jabbari, who was executed in 2014.

With Laggiù qualcuno mi ama (international title: Somebody Down Here Likes Me) Mario Martone presents an exceptionally beautiful documentary about Massimo Troisi at the 73rd Berlinale. Here is our review.
 

The German film festival aims to hark back to the days before the Corona pandemic. Ahmed Shawky is full of anticipation. He discovers organizational and cultural changes at the 73rd Berlinale, some positive and some disappointing.

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?

Whether in front or behind the camera, from curators to directors:  In the #BerlinalePeople series we meet the faces of the film festival. We start with young actor Langston Uibel, known from Netflix successes like How to sell Drugs online (fast) or Unorthodox.  As Felix in Christian Petzold's competition film Roter Himmel, Uibel is celebrating his world premiere at the Berlinale.

From Montréal to Berlin: This year, the Berlinale Blogger*innen team will be supported by young Canadian filmmakers. A group of 15 film students from Collège Maisonneuve will report on the film festival from a Canadian perspective as part of a Berlinale excursion.