World premieres at Berlin Film Festival ’09

Berlin International Film Festival is at full swing, so guys over there in Europe can go and watch the coolest premieres of European and American movies before the official release dates.

That’s one of the greatest things about film festivals. You find yourself in the first row to enjoy movie events, and thus, get to watch everything before the rest of the world. It somehow makes you feel very V.I.P., right?

If you’re in Berlin, then you surely can’t miss big Berlin Festival premieres. If you’re not there, and I’m not, then we get to see the previews.

Kate Winslet premiered The Reader last night, and here is the film I definitely want to watch if it’s out here in the States.

Mammoth stars Michelle Williams and Gael Garcia Bernal. It’s directed by Lukas Moodysson and made by Sweden, Denmark and Germany.

The movie is a multi-strand story about life changes, and it sees a businessman (Bernal) affected by a trip to Thailand, his family, wife (Michelle Williams) and daughter, affected by their Filipino maid, and the maid’s family’s trials without her.

It’s not about action, it’s very serious, I’d say, very European in the best meaning of the word.

Other films in Berlin International Film Festival Competition are:

Little Soldier

Country: Denmark
Director: Annette K. Olesen
Cast: Trine Dyrholm, Finn Nielsen, Lorna Brown, Rasmus Botoft, Jens J?rgen Spottag

It’s a story about an army veteran becoming a chauffeur to her father’s mistress.

In The Electric Mist

Country: US, France
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard, Kelly Macdonald, Mary Steenburgen, Justina Machado, Ned Beatty, James Gammon, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Levon Helm

A detective (Jones) probing a series of murders begins to suspect they are linked to a previous case.

About Elly

Country: Iran
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Taraneh Alidoosti, Marila Zare’i, Rana Azadvar, Shahab Hosseini, Saber Abbar

In the movie friends try to matchmake for a divorcee until a disappearance leads to panic.

Gigante

Country: Uruguay, Argentina, Germany, Spain
Director: Adrian Biniez
Cast: Horacio Camandule, Leonor Svarcas

A store security guard becomes obssessed with a cleaner.

Alle Anderen (I don’t know much German but guess it’s translated as “All others”)

Country: Germany
Director: Maren Ade
Cast: Birgit Minichmayr, Lars Eidinger, Paula Hartmann, Nicole Marischka, Atef Vogel, Hans-Jochen Wagner

A couple’s relationship is threatened after an encounter with another couple.

Cheri
Country: UK
Director: Stephen Frears
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Rupert Friend, Felicity Jones, Frances Tomelty, Anita Pallenberg, Harriet Walter, Iben Hjejle, Bette Bourne, Gaye Brown

A retired courtesan embarks on a passionate love affair with the son of a former colleague.

Forever Enthralled

Country: China
Director: Kaige Chen
Cast: Leon Lai, Zhang Ziyi, Sun Honglei, Chen Hon

Biographic account of the Chinese opera star.

Happy Tears

Country: US
Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein
Cast: Demi Moore, Parker Posey, Rip Torn, Ellen Barkin, Christian Camargo, Billy Magnussen, Sebastian Roche, Victor Slezak, T. Ryder Smith, Richard Barlow

Two sisters find their relationships threatened by their father’s increasing senility.

London River

Country: UK, France
Director: Rachid Bouchareb
Cast: Brenda Blethyn, Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem, Francis Magee, Sotigui Kouyat?, Diveen Henry, Gurdepak Chaggar

Two parents hunt their missing children after the London terror attacks.

Katalin Varga

Country: Romania, UK, Hungary
Director: Peter Strickland
Cast: Hilda Peter, Norbert Tanko, Tibor Palfy, Sebastian Marina, Melinda Kantor

A mother is kicked out by her husband and sets out to find the real father of her illegitimate child, a journey which will lead her to confront her past.

The Milk Of Sorrow

Country: Spain, Peru
Director: Claudia Llosa
Cast: Magaly Solier, Susi Sanchez, Efrain Solis, Marino Ballon, Delci Heredia

Examination of Peru’s dark history refracted through the story of a woman struck with an illness from her mother’s breast milk.

The Messenger

Country: US
Director: Oren Moverman
Cast: Ben Foster, Jena Malone, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Eamonn Walker, Gaius Charles, Halley Feiffer, Peter Friedman, Merritt Wever, Jeremy Strong

A soldier faces a dilemma when he falls for the widow of a fallen comrade.

My One And Only

Country: USA
Director: Richard Loncraine
Cast: Renee Zellweger, Kevin Bacon, Logan Lerman, Mark Rendall

An unfaithful wife bundles her kids in the car and heads on an odyssey that will see all of them grow up.

Rage

Country: US, UK
Director: Sally Potter;
Cast: Judie Dench, Jude Law, Dianne Wiest, Steve Buscemi, Simon Abkarian

A death at a fashion show sparks a murder investigation.

On February, 14th we’ll find out who’ll get the Bear prizes. I keep my fingers crossed for Rage and Mammoth. And you?

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