300 at the Berlinale Film Festival

Press Release

Berlinale Official Website


January 22, 2007

The Competition Section is Complete

The selection for the Competition section of the 57th Berlin International Film Festival has been finalised. The programme comprises 26 films, including 19 world premieres, six International premieres and one European premiere. Four films are to be presented out of competition.

Latin America is represented with two films this year: the Brazilian-Argentinean co-production O ano em que meus pais saíram de férias (The Year My Parents Went On Holiday) by Cao Hamburger tells the story of 12 year old Mauro, growing up in Brazil in the seventies when his parents were forced suddenly to “go on a trip” during the military dictatorship. The main characters are played by Michel Joelsas, Germano Haiut and Daniela Piepczyk. The director became known for his successful television series City of Men for which he received a number of awards. (International Premiere)

Ariel Rotter will be presenting his second feature film at the Berlinale after Solo por hoy (2001). This year’s contribution El otro (Argentina/France/Germany) deals with the existential uncertainty of a man who decides to change his identity. The lead is played by Julio Chávez who also appeared last year in the Argentinean Berlinale entry El Custodio. El Otro is one of the World Cinema Fund’s current funding projects. (World Premiere)

The film Beaufort from Israel has also been invited into the Competition. Joseph Cedar (Campfire) describes in his third film the story of the last military unit to be stationed in southern Lebanon prior to the troops being withdrawn from the country. The director portrays the fears and hardships experienced by the soldiers in the legendary Beaufort castle. The cast includes Alon Abutbul and Eli Eltonyo. (World Premiere)

The Berlinale will also be showing Hyazgar (Desert Dream) as a co-production between the Republic of Korea and France, directed by Zhang Lu, who recently attracted international acclaim with his award winning drama Grain in Ear. The film is set in a small, drought threatened village, situated in the border region between China and Mongolia, in which the lives of a farmer, a woman who has fled from North Korea and a soldier cross. The main characters are played by Bat-ulzii and Seo Jung. (World Premiere)

In the Chinese production, Tu ya de hun shi (Tuya’s marriage), director Wang Quan’an (The Story of Er Mei) tells the story of a woman’s efforts to find a new husband who can take care of both her and her sick ex-husband. The title role is played by Yu Nan. (World Premiere)

Ping Guo (Lost in Beijing) has also been invited from China to take part in the Competition section. Against the background of a rapidly changing metropolis, director Li Yu (Fish and Elephant) portrays the longings, fears and values of several residents of Beijing. (World Premiere)

From Canada and the USA comes the independent production When A Man Falls in the Forest. In this drama, director Ryan Eslinger (Madness and Genius) depicts a group of people in a US American provincial village who have to come to terms with their own isolation and loneliness. The film stars Sharon Stone, Timothy Hutton and Dylan Baker. (World Premiere)

300 (USA) by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) will be shown out of competition. The film, set in virtual locations and based on drawings by the legendary comic artist Frank Miller (Batman, Sin City), describes the battle of Thermopylae in the year 480 B.C. at which the King of Sparta, together with just 300 loyal followers, confronted the might of the Persian army led by King Xerxes. The cast includes Gerard Butler, Lena Headey and Rodrigo Santoro. (World Premiere)

The British film Notes on a Scandal (out of competition) by Richard Eyre (Iris) is a psychological drama about two women whose budding friendship turns sour. This story, based on Zoe Heller’s novel on loneliness, devotion, jealousy and love, sees Oscar-winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett in the leading roles. (International Premiere)

The film Hallam Foe by David Mackenzie (Asylum) is also from Great Britain. The young Hallam (Jamie Bell) is unable to cope with the loss of his mother and spends his days in the Scottish Highlands secretly spying on the people around him. Spurred on by the desire to uncover the true cause of his mother’s death and to escape from his father and unwanted step-mother, he flees to the big city. (World Premiere)

As closing film at the 57th Berlinale, François Ozon’s (8 Women) Competition entry Angel will be shown. The French-Belgian-British co-production, filmed entirely in English, is set in England at the beginning of the twentieth century. It portrays the rise and fall of a young woman from humble beginnings, who manages to break into the highest echelons of society as an author. The leading roles are played by Romola Garai, Charlotte Rampling and Sam Neill. (World Premiere)

Alphabetical list of films for the Competition programme:

* 300 by Zack Snyder, USA (World Premiere, Out of Competition)
* Angel by François Ozon, France/Belgium/UK (World Premiere) / Closing Film
* Beaufort by Joseph Cedar, Israel (World Premiere)
* Bordertown by Gregory Nava, USA (World Premiere)
* Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters) by Stefan Ruzowitzky, Germany/Austria (World Premiere)
* El otro (The Other) by Ariel Rotter, Argentina/France/Germany (World Premiere)
* Goodbye Bafana by Bille August, Germany/France/Belgium/UK/Italy (World Premiere)
* Hallam Foe by David Mackenzie, UK (World Premiere)
* Hyazgar (Desert Dream) by Zhang Lu, Republic of Korea/France (World Premiere)
* In memoria di me (In Memory Of Myself) by Saverio Costanzo, Italy (World Premiere)
* Irina Palm by Sam Garbarski, Belgium/Germany/Luxembourg/UK/France (World Premiere)
* La Vie en Rose by Olivier Dahan, France/UK/Czech Republic (World Premiere) / Opening Film
* Les Témoins (The Witnesses) by André Téchiné, France (World Premiere)
* Letters From Iwo Jima by Clint Eastwood, USA (European Premiere, Out of Competition)
* Ne touchez pas la hache (Don’t Touch The Axe) by Jacques Rivette, France/Italy (World Premiere)
* Notes On A Scandal by Richard Eyre, UK (International Premiere, Out of Competition)
* O ano em que meus pais saíram de férias (The Year My Parents Went On Vacation) by Cao Hamburger, Brazil/Argentina (International Premiere)
* Obsluhoval jsem anglickeho kralé (I Served The King Of England) by Jirí Menzel, Czech Republic/ Slovakia (International Premiere)
* Ping guo (Lost In Beijing) by Li Yu, China (World Premiere)
* Sai bo gu ji man gwen chan a (I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Ok) by Park Chan-wook, Republic of Korea (International Premiere)
* The Good German by Stephen Soderbergh, USA (International Premiere)
* The Good Shepherd by Robert de Niro, USA (International Premiere)
* The Walker by Paul Schrader, USA/UK (World Premiere, Out of Competition)
* Tu ya de hun shi (Tuya's Marriage) by Wang Quan'an, China (World Premiere)
* When A Man Falls In The Forest by Ryan Eslinger, Canada/USA (World Premiere)
* Yella by Christian Petzold, Germany (World Premiere)




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