Day 2 and 3 - 2013 Berlinale

The opening ceremony on Thursday was very ceremonial, but had its funny moments and for me was entertaining, worth watching; but was the red carpet what made me laugh more and even surprised me with the unexpected Pussy Riot protester incident.

Day 2 Screenings

Screened the third installment in Ulrich Seidl's Paradise trilogy with the story about the daughter going to "diet" camp in Paradise: Hope. Still have to see Faith, which was more acclaimed than Love, and first press comments seem to be positive for Hope.

The first American movie Promised Land was screened and as mentioned before, with all the fuzz and buzz about Matt Damon it was not until the Berlinale that noticed that is a Gus Van Sant film and yes, I see everything the director does. American press has not been kind to this film when had limited release last December to open in Jan 4 wide; but European non-English press is a lot more kind to film.

The first of the three female directors in main competition, Malgoska Szumowska's and her film In the Name was also the first film screened in competition for a Teddy; in general seems film has been received "warm" even when is the story of a "Gay Polish priest" [sic] which is interesting as many were expecting not positive reactions because of the story theme. If you enjoyed her first film, Elles with Juliette Binoche, then this film is must be seen for you.

From Panorama perhaps the most interesting movies screened in Day 2 are the ones competing for Teddy, It's All so Quiet by Nanouk Leopold and Exposed by Beth B; but the cast of Joseph Gordon Levitt's feature film directorial debut, Don Jon's Addiction makes film interesting to watch as includes Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore.

The opening film in Generation 14plus, Jîn by Reha Erdem has a story about young 17-year-old Jîn, a guerrilla girl in Turkey's Kurdish regions that absolutely calls my attention plus from film stills and local news with scenes seems to have great visuals, as many Turkish films do. But know will not be an easy-to-watch film.

Generation Kplus opening film is a Dutch/Belgian production that seems to have an interesting story, but what seems more interesting is watching Isabella Rossellini in the role of "a singing femme fatale". The film: The Zigzag Kid by Vincent Bal.

If you ask me which movie has high chances to win this year's Teddy Award have to say that is the opening film in Perspektive Deutches Kino, Free Fall by Stephan Lacant, the gay interest film seems will be a strong drama with a "torrid" love story.

If you are interested in learning films that are longlisted for the German Film Awards (Lola's) then you have to check what is screened each day at LOLA@Berlinale. From today's screenings the most pleasant surprise is to find Cloud Atlas longlisted, as yes, I enjoyed film.

Day 3 Screenings

Non-commercial Russian cinema is one that I highly appreciate, so no surprise when I say that Boris Khlebnikov's A Long and Happy Life is must be seen for me; film is in competition for a Golden Bear and from the few scenes I've been able to see, know will have some stunning visuals.

The other in Golden Bear competition film screened today is Gold by Thomas Arsland and starring none other than Nina Hoss, an actress I follow as her performances always amaze me. A period drama set in Canada 1898 telling the story of a group of German settlers. Must be seen for me.

The third film in the main competition is the feature film debut by Fredrik Bond, a multiple award-winning and DGA honored Swedish-born director for his Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials! If one transition always call my attention is when a director goes from directing ads to feature films and yes, this transition absolutely got my attention. The film: Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman. Bond was able to assemble a great cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Evan Rachel Wood and Shia LaBeouf. Today found a scene that promises film could be a lot more than what I imagined, check it at MOC. Must be seen for me.

Many films in the Panorama section, but none is more interesting for me than the Brazilian production Flores Raras (Reaching for the Moon) with the story of Pulitzer prize-winner New York poet Elizabeth Bishop crucial phase in her life. Absolutely must be seen for me. Film is competing for a Teddy.

Another interesting films in Panorama are the Argentina/Colombia/Norway production Deshora (Belated) by Bárbara Sarasola-Day, a film I have been following since screened at 2012 Telluride Francis Ha by Noah Baumbach, and can't deny that even when I do not like cast I'm curious about Lovelace by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman about infamous Deep Throat crossover into mainstream cinema.

In Forum we find a puzzling French film, Je ne suis pas mort (I'm Not Dead), the second film by Mehdi Ben Attia with a story that could be quite interesting and a cast that includes Judith Davis (Je te mangerais), Maria de Medeiros and Emmanuel Salinger. Surprisingly American reviews are calling this film "Fascinating Mysteries".

News

Yesterday, Made in Germany Perspepektive Fellowship winner was announced. The award is dedicated to support the work of young German directors. Jan Speckenbach wins the award to support his project Das Klopfen der Steine (The sound of stones) about the "Trümmerfrauen“ (Rubble Ladies), the cleaning women that cleared up the mess that WWII left behind.

Photos

Not many "interesting" photos so will share the one moment in the red carpet that surprised me most, The Pussy Riot protester being kicked off the carpet. Photos have to get more interesting when Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert and Catherine Deneuve attend the festival.