A cross section of Berlin City. Picture by Astrid Neukirchen

More than 16000 trade visitors and 3800 journalists are set to converge on the German capital February 9-19, 2006 to witness history unfold as film directors and stars jostle for position on the red carpet in front of the Berlinale Palast, Ogova Ondego reports from Berlin.

Berlin will, yet again, become the film capital of the world for 10 days during the 56th Berlin International Film Festival. This is hardly surprising for a city that produces 300 films annually and boasts more than 150 cinemas and one seat per 55 residents per capita. It is estimated that 500,000 people attend the annual Internationale Filmfestpiele Berlin. One of Europe’s most popular metropolises after London, Paris, and Rome, the 769-year Berlin is also Germany’s foremost tourist destination with an estimated six million visitors annually.

More than 16000 trade visitors and 3800 journalists are set to converge on the German capital February 9-19, 2006 to witness history unfold as film directors and stars jostle for position on the red carpet in front of the Berlinale Palast, Ogova Ondego reports from Berlin. A cross section of Berlin City. Picture by Astrid Neukirchen Berlin will, yet again, become the film capital of the world for 10 days during the 56th Berlin International Film Festival. This is hardly surprising for a city that produces 300 films annually and boasts more than 150 cinemas and one seat per 55 residents per capita. It is estimated that 500,000 people attend the annual Internationale Filmfestpiele Berlin. One of Europe’s most popular metropolises after London, Paris, and Rome, the 769-year Berlin is also Germany’s foremost tourist destination with an estimated six million visitors annually. Berlin may be ancient, but it is also a youthful metropolis. Half of her estimated 3.6 million residents are under the age of 35 and they revel in film, art, music, dance and fashion just as they take politics, science and commerce seriously. With the culture calendar—that begins with Berlinale in February—full throughout the year, it is said that no one works in the German political capital as everyone is either an artist or a politician! A cross-section of the best in German-language theatre is presented in May by Theatertreffen. Then the street carnival of cultures and international literature festival bringing authors and readers together in May and June usher in the love parade in July.

Cubix Cinema. Picture by Astrid Neukirchen

September sees the international theatre and dance scene come to the Berliner Festwochen with the Jazzfest taking centre stage in November. But as if this wasn’t enough, the 17 national museums of Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation not only make up the biggest museum complex in Europe but gives Berlin the enviable position of being a leading cultural city. In Bauthaus Archive and Bruck Museum, Berlin has special collections of international significance. It also has more than 200 private galleries, 150 theatres, and numerous other cultural institutions of importance such as the Deutsches Theatre, Berliner Ensemble, Schaubuhne, Volksbuhne and The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras.

That Berlin is the number one sport city in the world is not in doubt. The city’s 2000 sports clubs have about 500,000 active members while 80 clubs participate in national leagues and nine in European leagues. The Berlin Olympic Stadium is the biggest of the twelve World Cup stadia with 74,500 seats. The July 9 2006 Football World Cup Final will be held here. But before then, I guess I will just take advantage of the 56th Berlinale to shop at The KaDeWe and Galerie Lafayette department stores and hang around Hotel Adlon, one of the most stylish places to spend the night at.

Gendarmenmarkt. Picture by Astrid Neukirchen

But wait, since I am culturally-conscious and want to see a mix of cultures, social fringe groups and an alternative scene, the Berlin trip for me cannot be complete without a visit to the Kreuzberg neighbourhood. I must also tour the pulled down Berlin wall, go through the Brandenburg Gate and generally, walk on the magnificent, historical boulevard Unter den Linden. After the Second World War, I am told by Astrid Neukirchen, my guide and photographer, at Niederkirchnerstrasse as she takes me round, Berlin was divided into four sectors by the victorious powers and became a divided city after the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. The Wall fell in 1989 and by 1990 Germany was reunited. In 1991 the Bundestag voted in favour of making Berlin the seat of the Government

Neukirchen takes me to the Museum Island that is now a UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site, to Alexanderplatz with its 365-metre television tower. She also does not fail to take me to Friedrichstrasse to see people shopping in boutiques and noble department stores. After what appears like too many cups of coffee at Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstrasse and Hackesche Hofe, we head to the Gendarmenmarkt.

OK then, Berlin has come a long way having originated in the 12th century as a town for merchants before becoming the capital of the German Reich in 1871 and the German federal political capital, economic and scientific centre, leading exhibition and congress venue, cultural metropolis and shopping paradise. It is by no accident that Berlin is the most frequently visited city in Germany and comes fourth in Europe after London, Paris and Rome. But as I am here to judge films and report on them, I cannot continue roaming around Berlin.

Among the highlights of the 10-day hiatus presentations in the Berlinale Competition, Kinderfilmfest/14plus, Talent Campus, International Forum of New Cinema, Panorama, Perspektive Deutsche Kino, German Cinema and European Market sections will be focus on movie heroines from the 1950s—Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, and Elizabeth Taylor, debate on African Cinema, historical film lectures and discussions, magical and fairy-tale films, and, of course, challenging film concepts and ideas for 500 (out of 3500 applicants from 120 countries) budding filmmakers at the Talent Campus.

The lined up programme just confirms why Berlinale ranks only second to Cannes ahead of the Venice Mostra on the global cinema charts, The Kinderfilmfest/14plus section—in which I am honoured to serve on the international jury—will screen 21 feature films and 21 short films from 29 countries on the theme, Migration and Family. Thomas Hailer, director of the Kinderfilmfest and 14plus, says the impact of the increasing worldwide migration is the theme that flows throughout the programme.

Writer Ogova Ondego with Marianne Wagner in an underground train (U-Bahn) from Kreuzberg. Picture by Axel Timor

“Particularly remarkable is the great number of feature films from Asian countries in which family issues are controversially depicted in their complexity especially by young filmmakers,” he says, adding, “To make the Berlinale even more accessible to youths, five films will be shown for young audiences from the Competition, Panorama, Forum and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections in special screenings during 14plus.” Child journalists are set to report on the Kinderfilmfest festival on all the JETIX television channels. "Cinema experiences are very important to our subscribers", says JETIX managing director, Christophe Erbes. "Support and coverage of the festival on air, online, in the print media by JETIX MOVIE and by JETIX's child reporters clearly demonstrates our commitment." JETIX is this year's partner of the Kinderfilmfest/14plus. Among the films lined up for screening are Drømmen (We Shall Overcome) by Niels Arden Oplev (Denmark/Britain), Hänsel und Gretel (Hansel and Gretel) by Anne Wild, (Germany), Der Räuber Hotzenplotz (The Robber Hotzenplotz) by Gernot Roll, (Germany), Opal Dream by Peter Cattaneo (Britain/Australia), Doodh aur Apheem (Milk & Opium) by Joel Palombo (India), Mizu no Hana (Water Flower) by Yusuke Kinoshita (Japan), Het Paard van Sinterklaas (Winky's Horse) by Mischa Kamp, (The Netherlands /Belgium), Lapislazuli - im Auge des Bären by Wolfgang Murnberger (Austria/Germany /Luxembourg), Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros) by Auraeus Solito, (Philippines), Jestem (I Am) by Dorota Kedzierzawska, (Poland), Percy, Buffalo Bill & Jag (Percy, Buffalo, Bill & I) by Anders Gustafsson, (Sweden /Denmark), and A Dios Momo by Leonardo Ricagni (Uruguay).

Short films in the Kinderfilmfest include Bloody Footy by Dean Chircop (Australia), Alice ou la vie en noir et blanc (Alice or life in black and whiteby Sophie Schoukens (Belgium), Krig og kager (War and Peas) by Jannik Hastrup (Denmark), Sprækker (Cracks) by Aage Rais-Nordentoft (Denmark), Der Propellervogel (The Propellerbird) by Jan Locher and Thomas Hinke (Germany), Wutz & Wiebke by Leonore Poth (Germany), 00h17 by Xavier de Choudens (France), O Kleftis (The Thief) by Irina Boiko (Greece), Lucky by Avie Luthra (Britain), The Gift by Jessica Langford (Britain), Rajkumari (Little Princess) by Victoria Harwood (Britain), The Faery Wind by Edith Pieperhoff (Ireland), Vika by Tsivia Barkai (Israel), Big Girl by Renuka Jeyapalan (Canada), The first day of my life by David Uloth (Canada), Den Danske Dikteren (The Danish Poet) by Torill Kove (Norway/Canada), Blue Willow by Veialu Aila-Unsworth (New Zealand), Zlydni (Troubles) by Stepan Koval (Russia / Ukraine), Aldrig en absolution (Never an Absolution) by Cameron B. Alyasin (Sweden / USA), Wei xiao der yu (A fish with a smile) by C. Jay Shih, Alan Tuan, Poliang Lin, (Taiwan), and Chicle (Gum) by Josh Hyde (USA / Peru).

The 14plus will screen the following films: Women Liang by Dome Karukoski (Finland), Marock by Laïla Marrakchi (France), Kamataki by Claude Gagnon (Canada / Japan), Het Schnitzel Paradijs (Schnitzel Paradise) by Martin Koolhoven (The Netherlands), Tae-Poong-Tae-Yang (The Aggressives) by Jeong Jae-eun (Republic of Korea), Lovitor by Farkhot Abdullaev (Russia), Fyra Veckor i Juni (Four Weeks in June) by Henry Meyer (Sweden), and Quinceañera by Wash Westmoreland, Richard Glatzer (USA).

Since Dieter Kosslick took over the Berlinale in 2001, the Berlin International Film Festival has grown in importance every year in the 3.6 million-inhabitant German capital that accommodates 450,000 foreigners from 185 nations and that counts culture as its most important asset.

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