The Berlin International Film Festival's 61st season runs from Thursday, Feb. 10 through Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011, with festival goers filling almost 300,000 theater seats.
Highlights of the 2011 festival include a retrospective of the work of the late Swedish director Ingmar Bergman and a homage to German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl.
A special tribute will be held in solidarity with Iranian director Jafar Panahi, which will include screenings of his films and a panel discussion with Iranian filmmakers and artists on censorship. Panahi was originally invited to be a member of the jury, but in December, 2010, he was sentenced to prison for six years and prohibited from making films for 20 years. The festival director said, "We are going to use every opportunity to protest against this drastic verdict."
While the festival attracts people from all over the world, including film professionals from 128 countries, it is also giving special thanks to local Berlin fans. It's popular "Berlinale goes Kiez" program will bring festival films to neighborhood theaters throughout Berlin.
The festival will open with the European premiere of the Coen brothers' film "True Grit." The film, already a hit in the U.S., is a remake of the John Wayne classic.
The Berlin International Film Festival, often called the Berlinale, started on June 6, 1951 with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca." It gained official international film festival status, on a par with the festivals in Cannes and Venice, in 1955. Hollywood stars and avant-garde film makers flocked to the festival, along with throngs of fans. Today it is one of the world's largest and most important film festivals.
Most of the activities of the film festival will take place in Potsdamer Platz, in central Berlin. The city's two airports are 25 to 45 minutes away from Potsdamer Platz, via public transportation. For visitors arriving by train, the new Hauptbahnhof station is a five-minute taxi ride away.
Berlin is Germany's capital and largest city, with a population of 3.4 million. The city offers a dizzying array of cultural events. Should festival attendees have any spare time, they can immerse themselves in the city's art, food, fashion, and partying scenes.
Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own articles.
There are no comments yet