Berlinale-Blogger 2017
BerlinalePeople: Amee Le, programmer

Part of an ongoing series of mini profiles on the blog German Film @ Canada on the movers and shakers that make the Berlinale one of the most important events in the international film calendar: the filmmakers, programmers, curators, industry promoters and visitors.

Name & role: Amee Le, Mayworks Festival of Working People and the Arts Toronto.

This is my 1st Berlinale!

Why I am going: I love Berlin as a city for its eccentric mix of histories (it’s the centre of Europe, hallo?!) and contemporary cultures - both mainstream and avant-garde. I fell in love with the city time and again including one summer internship (actually made possible by the Goethe-Institut Toronto, thanks again!) at the Berlin satellite of the Canadian Or Gallery. All this combined with my love for cinema, it is only about time I had my first Berlinale.

What I can’t wait to see:
Both the Generation section for the young, passionate cinematic voices and the Berlin Goes Kiez section for the Berlin moviegoers’ experience. From the press releases so far, I can’t wait to see the Brazilian film Não devore meu coração! for its intriguing storyline of “an adolescent amour fou against the backdrop of contemporary conflicts concerning land theft and cultural identity”. Also, the Maori film Poi E: The Story of Our Song, about the first-ever Maori pop song that was also featured in one of my favourite films, Taika Waititi’s Boy. I hope to visit at least three Berlin Goes Kiez cinemas in Schöneberg, Kreuzberg and Potsdam-Babelsberg neighbourhoods.

What people have “warned” me about at the Berlinale: That tickets for films at Berlinale Palast are too expensive. But I don’t know, the theatres look so beautiful!

If I have time for anything else in Berlin, I’d like to: I’m also rooted in the art world so mostly contemporary galleries, Hamburger Bahnhof, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Martin-Gropius-Bau, etc. I wanted to visit Kunsthaus Tacheles again but sadly, it is no more.

Your favourite German film ever (or two or three): Fassbinder is one of my favourite filmmakers ever so I love many of his films, and Ali: Fear Eats the Soul the most. For more contemporary works, Fatih Akin’s Soul Kitchen and Tom Tykwer’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer are my favourites.

interview by @JuttaBrendemuhl