Panorama
2015: Probing the Past to Shape the Future
The
eleven fictional and eight documentary films selected at this early date already
provide a foretaste of the contents and global issues of the forthcoming
36th Panorama programme.
East
Asia will again make a strong showing in 2015. Already confirmed are significant
works by renowned directors from Taiwan and South Korea. They could be labelled
“modern history” or even “national traumas”. With Paradise in Service, director Doze Niu Chen-Zer from
Taiwan presents a difficult chapter of East Asian history that has hardly ever
been dealt with before: the establishment of brothels to keep up the morale of
armed forces in the battle “against Mao”. And with JK Youn’s epic Ode to My Father, South Korea, half of a
still divided country, investigates the repercussions of the Korean War and
their impact on today.
The
USA’s presence will also be felt: After Henry Fool and Fay Grim (Panorama 2007), cult filmmaker Hal
Hartley, an iconic figure from the golden days of 1980s US-independent film, has
concluded his trilogy with a masterpiece: Ned Rifle. And Justin Kelly provides an
unusual directorial debut with I Am
Michael, which was co-produced by Gus Van Sant. In it James Franco portrays
a gay activist during the so emancipating 1980s, who then tries to turn straight
in the 1990s. From the same decade, but set in the 1980s is an example of a
filmmaker’s extraordinary perseverance, even though his work was edited beyond
recognition by its investors: seventeen years after the premiere of the film 54, about the legendary New York
nightclub, Studio 54, director Mark Christopher is presenting his original cut
54 – The Director’s Cut to the public.
Winners
of the Panorama Audience Award 2009 were The Yes Men, those satirists,
anarchists and pranksters in pursuit of unscrupulous profit mongering. In 2015
they will be back in Berlin for the third time with The Yes Men Are Revolting. They now aim
their barbs at the Copenhagen Climate Conference and create havoc for the oil
giant Shell.
Raoul
Peck will present his latest work in the Panorama: the Haitian-French-Norwegian
co-production Murder in
Pacot (screenplay: Pascal Bonitzer). A character piece set outdoors against
the catastrophe of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince looks with bitter rage at
class distinctions in Haitian society.
One
film from Latin America has already been confirmed, a co-production from
Uruguay, Chile and Nicaragua: Aldo Garay’s The New Man. Here, too, recent history
is explored: in the heat of the battle that Tupamaros and Sandinistas are
fighting against the military dictatorships in their respective countries,
Roberto, a young boy from Nicaragua, suddenly finds himself with foster parents
in Uruguay. When he then decides to change his gender, he is also confronted
with the limits of tolerance in leftist society.
Child
abuse is the subject in several works, including the aforementioned The New Man, and films from Austria (The Last Summer of the Rich by Peter
Kern), Switzerland (Dora or the Sexual
Neuroses of Our Parents by Stina Werenfels), Canada (Chorus by Francois Delisle) and the
Czech Republic (Daniel’s World by
Veronika Liskova). Evidently the time is ripe to broach this difficult topic
again and in so doing take even greater risks.
The
Norwegian fictional film Out of Nature
by Ole Giæver and Marte Vold is a zeitgeisty parable about a man, and his
search for identity and joy in life. The young father needs a break from
parental bliss: he retreats to the mountains to rethink what he wants from
life.
In
the Swedish contribution Dyke Hard by
Bitte Anderson, all the stops have been pulled on what makes indie cinema so
entertaining. A zany, quasi musical of post-punk-lesbo-rock-‘n’-roll calibre:
this is underground fun at its purest.
Five
other films (besides The New Man, The Yes
Men und Daniel’s World) have
already been confirmed for Panorama
Dokumente:
B-Movie
– Lust & Sound in West-Berlin by
Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck and Heiko Lange also embraces this rediscovered
pleasure in the 1980s: a cornucopia of unbridled creativity spurts from this
period in Berlin, which is revealed here to have been a highpoint. Alongside
almost forgotten gems are tracks by Gudrun Gut, Blixa Bargeld and Nick Cave,
among others.
Scandal
at the Zoo Palast: R.W. Fassbinder’s conquest of the Berlinale began with Love Is Colder than Death in the 1969 Competition. In Fassbinder – To Love without Demands,
Danish filmmaker Christian Braad Thomsen opens his archive and generously gives
us a contemplative afternoon in a hotel room in Cannes with this unendingly
inspiring filmmaker.
Kenya
is among those African countries where, under the influence of evangelical
organisations from the United States, hatred has been ignited against
homosexuals. In Stories of Our Lives,
Jim Chuchu lets a whole range of brave people talk. Banned in its country of
origin, the film also presents pre-Christian rites that respect
self-determination much more than society today.
In
his 162-minute 3D documentary Iraqi
Odyssey, Iraqi-Swiss filmmaker Samir masterly depicts the latest, highly
complex history of Iraq as revealed by events in a family.
Last
not least, news of a celebration! On February 13, 2014, the Teddy Awards will be
presented for the second time at the Komische Oper Berlin. The Special Teddy
2015 will go to Udo Kier. Almost no other actor has crossed, fused, redrawn and
extended the many boundaries of cinematic art with such
ease.
54:
The Director's Cut
USA
By
Mark Christopher
With
Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Mike Myers, Sela Ward, Mark
Ruffalo
World
premiere
Chorus
Canada
By
François Delisle
With
Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Geneviève
Bujold
European
premiere
Der
letzte Sommer der Reichen (The Last Summer of the Rich)
Austria
By
Peter Kern
With
Amira Casar, Nicole Gerdon, Winfried Glatzeder
World
premiere
Dora
oder Die sexuellen Neurosen unserer Eltern (Dora or The Sexual Neuroses of Our
Parents)
Switzerland
/ Germany
By
Stina Werenfels
With
Victoria Schulz, Jenny Schily, Lars Eidinger, Urs Jucker
World
premiere
Dyke
Hard
Sweden
By
Bitte Andersson
With
Alle Eriksson, Peggy Sands, M. Wågensjö, Iki Gonzales Magnusson, Lina
Kurttila
International
premiere
Gukje
Shijang (Ode to My Father)
Republic
of Korea
By
JK Youn
with
Hwang Jung-min, Kim Yunjin
International
premiere
I
Am Michael
USA
By
Justin Kelly
With
James Franco, Zachary Quinto, Emma Roberts
International
premiere
Jun
Zhong Le Yuan (Paradise in Service)
Taiwan
/ People’s Republic of China
By Doze Niu
Chen-Zer
With
Ethan Juan, Wan Qian, Chen Jianbin, Chen Yi-Han
European
premiere
Meurtre
à Pacot (Murder in Pacot)
France
/ Haiti / Norway
By
Raoul Peck
With
Alex Descas, Ayo, Thibault Vinçon, Lovely Kermonde Fifi, Joy Olasunmibo
Ogunmakin
European
premiere
Mot
Naturen (Out of Nature)
Norway
By
Ole Giæver, Marte Vold
With
Ole Giæver, Marte Magnusdotter Solem, Rebekka Nystadbakk, Ellen Birgitte
Winther, Sievert Giaever Solem
European
premiere
Ned
Rifle (Ned Rifle)
USA
By
Hal Hartley
With
Liam Aiken, Martin Donovan, Aubrey Plaza, Parkey Posey, Thomas Jay
Ryan
European
premiere
Panorama
Dokumente
B-Movie:
Lust & Sound in West-Berlin
Germany
By
Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck, Heiko Lange
With
Mark Reeder, Marius Weber
World
premiere
Danieluv
svet (Daniel’s World)
Czeck
Republic
By
Veronika Liskova
International
premiere
El
hombre nuevo (The New Man)
Uruguay
/ Chile / Nicaragua
By
Aldo Garay
World
premiere
Fassbinder
– lieben ohne zu fordern (Fassbinder – To Love without Demands)
Denmark
By
Christian Braad Thomsen
with
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Irm Hermann, Harry Baer, Lilo
Pempeit
World
premiere
Iraqi
Odyssey
Switzerland
By
Samir
European
premiere
Stories
of Our Lives
Kenya
/ South Africa
By
Jim Chuchu
With
Kelly Gichohi, Paul Ogola, Tim Mutungi, Mugambi Nthinga, Rose
Njenga
European
premiere
The
Yes Men Are Revolting
USA
By
Laura Nix, Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno
European
premiere
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