ISLAMABAD/Berlin: After a star-studded edition highlighting the liberation movements in Iran and Ukraine, the 73rd Berlinale film festival bestows its awards on Saturday, including the Golden Bear for best picture.
The 11-day festival was back in full gear this year with A-listers like Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren, and Steven Spielberg walking the red carpet after two years of a scaled-down format because of pandemic restrictions.
Variety magazine reported, “The Berlinale has returned with a vengeance and added something that it wasn’t particularly known for in its pre-pandemic days: star power.”
The festival reached its peak of fame on Tuesday when Bono, the lead singer of U2, gave
Spielberg an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime accomplishment. Bono was in town for the world premiere of the documentary “Kiss the Future.”
The Berlinale, one of Europe’s premier film festivals, along with Cannes and Venice, commemorated the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by emphasizing Ukrainian filmmaking.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the opening ceremony via video connection; he is the subject of a documentary by two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn that premiered at the occasion.
With new feature films and documentaries, the festival, which has historically had the most prominent political focus of the three major European film festivals, highlighted the anti-government demonstrations in Iran.
Continent-spanning love story
This year’s Golden Bear is up for grabs, and 19 films from around the globe are competing for it. The prize will be given at a gala event by a jury presided over by Hollywood star Kristen Stewart, the festival’s youngest president at 32.
The top contenders include several films directed by Asian filmmakers, including Celine Song’s debut film “Past Lives,” a pan-Asian love story by a Korean-Canadian.
The movie, which became an instant sensation at the US film festival Sundance last month, received much praise from critics. It was described as a “remarkably assured debut” by The
A character piece that speaks profoundly to the idea of love in the present day, according to Deadline, was developed by Song. It is exquisite and unexpectedly fascinating.
The first Japanese anime to contend for the Golden Bear since Hayao Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” won the award in 2002 is Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume,” also in the running.
Suzume, a 17-year-old student, is followed as she becomes involved in a mission to shut a string of magical doors to stop earthquakes.
The Hollywood Reporter commented, “Suzume is a keeper, even though one would feel weary in advance to read ‘Suzume’ is yet another anime in which a young kid is drafted into a battle to preserve their family/hometown/Japan/the globe.
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