Silver Bear for the Filmstiftung-backed drama „Ana, mon amour“ by Calin Peter Netzer
- Cologne-based augenschein co-produced the Romanian-German-French film
- Aki Kaurismäki presented the Baumi Award to Kuba Czekaj for the treatmenr „SORRY POLAND“
- Panel discussions, pitchings, screenings: great success for the „Drama Series Days“ in the Zoo Palast
The 67th Berlin International Film Festival was brought to a close on Saturday evening with the presentation of the Bears in the Berlinale Palast at Potsdamer Platz. The editor Dana Bunescu was awarded a Silver Bear by the jury under the president Paul Verhoeven for her outstanding artistic contribution in the Filmstiftung-backed „Ana, mon amour“ by Calin Peter Netzer. The Cologne-based augenschein Filmproduktion (Jonas Katzenstein and Maximilian Leo) are the German partners on the Romanian-German-French co-production.
„The Silver Bear for the editor of the Filmstiftung-backed competition entry „Ana, mon amour“ by Calin Peter Netzer brings an exciting Berlinale to a lovely conclusion. Congratulations to the prize-winner Dana Bunescu, the director Calin Peter Netzer and naturally to the co-producers from Cologne, Jonas Katzenstein and Maximilian Leo,“ says Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. „Coming to Berlin with 29 films, we experienced great cinema backed by the Filmstiftung in all the festival sections, including three glittering premieres in the Berlinale Palast. Further highlights were the presentation of the Baumi Script Development Award together with the Bear winner Aki Kaurismäki as well as the very successful third edition of the Drama Series Days. Many thanks to Dieter Kosslick, his team and all those participating for this wonderful 67th Berlinale!“
„Ana, mon amour“
The Romanian-German-French co-production „Ana, mon Amour“ by Calin Peter Netzer is the story of extreme love. Ana and Toma decide to fight for their relationship in spite of Ana’s mental illness and the difficult circumstances of their family backgrounds, creating a union that finally ends in co-dependency. The lead roles are taken by Diana Cavallioti and Mircea Postelnicu who were warmly applauded at the world premiere in the Berlinale Palast on Friday evening. The co-production by Parada Film (RO), Cologne’s augenschein Filmproduktion und Sophie Dulac Productions (FR) was supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, with additional funding coming from Eurimages and HBO Romania onboard as a broadcaster. The Cologne-based distributor Real Fiction Film will release „Ana, mon Amour“ in the German cinemas, international sales are being handled by Beta Cinema. augenschein Filmproduktion was also featured in the Forum with „My Happy Family“, the new film by the directorial duo Nana & Simon, which had already been presented in the competition of the Sundance Festival at the end of January.
Baumi Script Development Award to Kuba Czekaj for his treatment of „SORRY POLAND“
At the halfway point in the Berlinale, film professionals came together according to tradition in the „Café am Neuen See“ for the Filmstiftung’s Press Lunch where the €20,000 „Baumi Script Development Award“ was presented for the second time. The grant awarded in memory of the producer Karl 'Baumi' Baumgartner went to the Polish writer and director Kuba Czekaj for his treatment of „SORRY POLAND“. The jury consisting of the award’s founders Pandora Film, the Baumgartner family and the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW chose the winning treatment from 47 international submissions. Filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki, this year’s guest juror for the Award and a good friend of Baumi’s, met here with such people as Hanna Schygulla who had come to Berlin for the screening of the restored version of the Rainer Werner Fassbinder series „Eight Hours Don’t Make A Day“.
Full house at the „Drama Series Days“ – market platform for European series
There was a very strong response for the third edition of the „Drama Series Days“, the industry platform for series, which was held in a markedly expanded form in the Zoo Palast. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW had initiated the „Drama Series Days“ along with the European Film Market (EFM) during the 2015 Berlinale and is the official main partner. International TV executives, producers and showrunners discussed „How to Make Your Series Global? Co-Production, Financing and Distribution Strategies for Binge-worthy TV“. German and European series funding was presented alongside a programme of market screenings and pitchings of co-productions. The opening of the Drama Series Days by the EFM Director Matthijs Wouter Knol and Petra Müller was followed by a keynote by the Polish director Agnieszka Holland who had directed such series as „The Wire“ and „House of Cards“. On Saturday evening, Holland’s new film „Spoor“ received the „Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize' for a film which opens up new perspectives. Cologne’s „Heimatfilm“ (Johannes Rexin) was involved as a co-producer.
The next deadline for the German-French TV Development Fund was announced during the Drama Series Days. The next call for projects runs until 16 May, 2017. The Filmstiftung NRW is in charge of coordinating the projects on the German side and is the contact for the submissions.
The film region of NRW was also present at other events such as the traditional reception in the permanent representation, the conference of the Cologne/Dortmund International Women’s Film Festival, the reception for Kinofest Lünen, and the 10th Reception of the Film Academies in the permanent representation. The latter is where the ifs student Bettina Baukelmann and the ifs graduates Jonas Heicks and Felix Engstfeld were presented with one of three support awards for their series project „RAF – Rentner Armee Fraktion“.
The 68th Berlin International Film Festival will be held from 15 – 25 February, 2018.