Berlin Unveils Juries: Kenneth Lonergan & Bérénice Bejo On Competition Duty

A revisionist Outback Western set in early 20th century Australia, High Ground draws on genre conventions but also transcends them with some unusually thoughtful elements, notably its meticulous and respectful depiction of Aboriginal culture. The result is a gripping, visually spectacular revenge thriller that makes superb use of stunning landscapes while also addressing the lingering scars of colonial-era racism.

The myth of Undine, the water nymph who has to kill her lover should he ever betray her, gets a 21st-century German makeover courtesy of Christian Petzold in his Berlin competition titleUndine. The major innovation is that the story doesn’t just concentrate on the betrayal of Undine that might cost her man so dearly — she gets a new and true love story that allows her to feel what it is like to be truly loved.

The Assistant director Kitty Green on Sunday called for men to no longer dominate the media and film industry narrative around the #MeToo movement. "We really need to center women in these narratives.

For 25 years, from 1992’s “La Frontera” through 2017’s ”A Fantastic Woman,” a subsequent Oscar winner, the Berlinale has prized a rich trove of Chilean movies.

In the run up to Berlin’s European Film Market, Indie Sales has unveiled the trailer for Thor Klein’s “Adventures of a Mathematician” which had its world premiere in Palm Springs.

Defiant Dedryck Boyata insists Scottish football's snipers have got it all wrong because Celtic helped make him a Belgium star.

By Tom Grater

Picture Tree Intl. has secured global sales rights of Berlin comedy “Nightlife,” directed by Simon Verhoeven, following his last film “Welcome to Germany,” which was Germany’s comic relief to the refugee crisis. The film sold to more than 60 territories and screened at more than 50 festivals worldwide, while being the No.1 box office hit in Germany in 2016.

Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland’s “Charlatan,” which premieres in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival.

Variety has been given an exclusive clip from Berlin Film Festival competition film “Volevo Nascondermi” (Hidden Away) by Giorgio Diritti. The film stars Cannes award-winner Elio Germano (“La nostra vita”) as the 20th century Naïve artist Antonio Ligabue.

London-based sales agency Film Republic has boarded Finnish film “Eden” as it prepares for the European Film Market in Berlin. The company has released a teaser for the film.

Variety has been given exclusive access to the trailer for Christian Petzold’s “Undine,” which world premieres in competition at the Berlin Film Festival. Petzold won the Silver Berlin Bear for best director for “Barbara” in 2012.

Berlin-based sales agent M-appeal has picked up Norwegian children’s film “Sisters: The Summer We Found Our Superpowers,” ahead of the European Film Market in Berlin, where it will screen.

Photo courtesy Tom of Finland Foundation/Copyright by Peter Berlin

The Berlin Film Festival has unveiled the six film professionals —three men and three women —who will join jury president Jeremy Irons in picking the winners of this year's competition.Oscar-nominated French actress Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Oscar-winning screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea) will judge the 2020 Berlin line-up, alongside Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Bacurau, Aquarius) and Palestinian filmmaker Annemarie Jacir (Wajib, Salt of This Sea).