What VIFF Programmers Are Seeing At The 69th Berlinale

The intrepid programmers of VIFF have already started scouring the globe in search of amazing films to share with Vancouver this Fall. Our Director of International Programming, Alan Franey is heading to Germany later this week to attend The 69th Berlinale in search of cinematic delights.

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The 69^th Berlinale (Feb 7 – 17) will be the 30^th ‘Berlin Film Festival’ that I’ve attended. Heavens! After all these years it’s still the best-attended film festival on the planet, and very rewarding. Although only being in this great city in relatively bleak February makes one long for summer strolls along a leafy spree, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing:

A DOG CALLED MONEY (Ireland/UK, Dir. Seamus Murphy) “Award-winning photographer Seamus Murphy provides a glimpse into the creative process of PJ Harvey, filming her in a London recording studio and during their joint travels to Afghanistan, Kosovo and Washington D.C..”

LIGHT OF MY LIFE (Dir. Casey Affleck) Shot in BC. “A post-apocalyptic family drama about a father determined to protect his daughter at all costs”.

WHAT SHE SAID: THE ART OF PAULINE KAEL (USA, Dir. Rob Garver)

And, of course, these new films from VIFF alumni:

DIVINE LOVE (Brazil/Uruguay, Dir. Gabriel Mascaro) Director of August Winds and Neon Bull.

EARTH (Austria, Dir. Nikolaus Geyrhalter) Director of Our Daily Bread and many others.

FAREWELL TO THE NIGHT (France, Dir. André Téchiné) Director of Being 17 and Wild Reeds and many others. Stars Catherine Deneuve.

GHOST TOWN ANTHOLOGY (Canada, Dir. Denis Côté) Director of Bestiare.

THE GOLDEN GLOVE (Germany, Fatih Akin) Director of In the Fade and Head On.

I WAS AT HOME, BUT (Germany/Serbia, Dir. Angela Schanelec) Director of Marseille.

ONE SECOND (China, Dir. Zhang Yimou) Director of Shadow, Raise the Red Lantern and many others.

OUT STEALING HORSES (Norway, Dir. Hans Petter Moland) Director of In Order of Disappearance and many others.

PHOTOGRAPH (India, dir. Ritesh Batra) Director of Lunchbox.

THE SHADOW PLAY (China, Lou Ye) Director of Blind Massage, Summer Palace and Suzhou River.

SOUVENIR (UK, Dir. Joanna Hogg) Director of Exhibition.

SO LONG MY SON (China, Dir. Wang Xiaoshuai) Director of Days of Winter and Beijing Bicycle.

SYNONYMS (Israel, Dir. Nadav Lapid) Director of Wedding Photographer, Kindergarten Teacher, & Policeman.

VARDA BY AGNES (France, Dir. Agnes Varda) Director of, well, perhaps too many to mention. Our greatest woman filmmaker?

WATERGATE – Or, How We Learned to Stop an Out-Of-Control President (USA, Dir. Charles Ferguson) Director of of Inside Job and No End In Sight.