11 Filmstiftung-backed films at the 72nd Berlinale, with three in the Competition

• Competition: "Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush" by Andreas Dresen, "Drii Winter (A Piece Of Sky)" by Michael Koch, "A E I O U – A Quick Alphabet Of Love" by Nicolette Krebitz
• Encounters: "To the Death of My Mother" by Jessica Krummacher, "Axiom" by Jöns Jönsson
• Berlinale Special Gala: "About Joan" by Laurent Larivière – Homage and Honorary Golden Bear for lead actress Isabelle Huppert
• Panorama: "Love, Deutschmarks and Death" by Cem Kaya
• Forum: "Europe" by Philip Scheffner
• Generation Kplus: "Louis I., King of the Sheep" by Markus Wulf
• Perspektive Deutsches Kino: "Echo" by Mareike Wegener, "Ladies Only" by Rebana Liz John
• Berlinale Series Market: Filmstiftung main partner for the eighth year running
• 72nd Berlin International Film Festival from 10 to 20 February, 2022

The programme of this year’s festival was announced at today’s press conference for the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW will be represented by a total of 11 films, with three  of them in the Competition: "Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush" by Andreas Dresen ("Gundermann"), starring Meltem Kaptan and Alexander Scheer, and Michael Koch's drama "Drii Winter (A Piece Of Sky)", based on his own screenplay, with Michèle Brand and Simon Wisler – both competition entries were (co-)produced by Cologne-based Pandora Film – as well as the new film by the writer-director Nicolette Krebitz, "A E I O U – A Quick Alphabet Of Love" with Sophie Rois and Udo Kier, produced by Komplizen Film.

"11 Filmstiftung-backed films in the Berlinale programme, including three in the Competition – that’s great news for the film region of NRW,” says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. “We are really pleased for all the filmmakers who succeeded in making outstanding films despite the pandemic. A big thank you also goes to the two festival directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, who are also making the Berlinale possible despite this difficult situation. An important signal for the industry!"

Encounters
The Encounters section will present the world premiere of the Bochum writer-director Jessica Krummacher’s film "To The Death of My Mother", produced by Walker + Worm. The very personal mother-daughter drama with Birte Schnöink and Elsie de Brauw was shot almost entirely in NRW. The Filmstiftung-backed production "Axiom" by the writer-director Jöns Jönsson will also be shown here. The Bon Voyage Film production was shot entirely in NRW. The Encounters competitive section aims at providing a platform for innovative, aesthetically and structurally daring feature films and documentaries from independent filmmakers.

Berlinale Special Gala
The multi-award-winning French film and stage actress Isabelle Huppert will receive this year’s Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement. The 2022 Homage is also being dedicated to her. As part of the award ceremony on 15 February, there will be a screening at the Berlinale Palast of the Filmstiftung-backed drama "About Joan" by Laurent Larivière as a Berlinale Special Gala. Lars Eidinger was cast in the male lead alongside Huppert in the film co-produced by Cologne-based Gifted Films West. Isabelle Huppert is one of the world’s most versatile character actresses and has appeared in almost 150 films and series over the course of her career. She received an Oscar nomination and was awarded two Césars, two Golden Palms and a Golden Globe, among others.

Panorama, Forum, Generation Kplus, Perspektive Deutsches Kino
The Panorama section will be showing director Cem Kaya’s feature documentary "Love, Deutschmarks and Death", which was produced by filmfaust (Cologne) with half of the shoot undertaken in NRW. Meanwhile, the Forum selected director Philip Scheffner’s documentary fiction film featuring a cast of amateur actors, "Europe", whose screenplay he co-wrote with Merle Kröger. Cologne’s Blinker Film co-produced.

The stop-motion short "Louis I, King of the Sheep" by director Markus Wulf, produced by Cologne-based Hübner/Wallenfels, will be screening in the Generation Kplus competition. "Echo" by writer-director Mareike Wegener, a production by Cologne-based Petrolio Film, can be seen in the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section. The documentary "Ladies Only" by the KHM graduate Rebana Liz John will also be presented in Perspektive Deutsches Kino.

EFM and Berlinale Series Market in an online format
The European Film Market (EFM) will be held online due to the pandemic from 10 to 17 February under the motto "It all (re)starts here". The Berlinale Series Market is therefore also going online from 14 to 16 February. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW is serving for the eighth year running as the main partner for the conference, a joint initiative of EFM, the Berlinale Co-Production Market and Berlinale Talents. The top-class programme will be highlighting current developments in the series market, framed by regular market screenings and a selection of commercially promising series projects ("Berlinale Series Market Selects").

Berlinale as an in-person festival with a new concept
This year’s Berlinale festival will take place as a 2G-plus event due to the coronavirus pandemic. Face coverings will be compulsory and the film premieres are being planned with a reduced seating capacity (50 percent). The traditional opening will be held at the Berlinale Palast on 10 February. Screenings with the film teams at the various Berlinale cinemas are planned until 16 February, after which there will be repeat screenings as part of the "Audience Day" which is being extended to four days (17-20 February). The awards will be presented on the evening of 16 February. The European Film Market, the Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and World Cinema Fund Day will all be realised onl digitally again this year.

For more information: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Tanja Güss, phone: +49211-93050-23,