As part of our work increasing international audiences for new work from the UK and brokering opportunities for the UK film community, the British Council Film Department made its presence felt at the Berlinale, the Berlin International Film Festival (5-15 February 2009).
We organised preview screenings of new UK feature films for the festival selectors in December.
15 UK productions and co-productions were chosen to be screened in the various official sections of this year’s festival.
In the Official Competition, the Romania/UK/Hungary co production Kalalin Varga won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for the film’s sound-design. Sotigui Kouyate won the Best Actor Silver Bear for his role in London River. The film also received a special mention from the independent jury.
John Hurt won a Teddy for Best Acting Performance for An Englishman in New York. The Teddy Awards views films with a queer context across the festival programme.
UK short film Jade by Dan Elliott won the Silver Bear in the Official Competition. We supported Jade with a travel and print grant to enable participation in Berlin. Dan is a filmmaker who has been supported by the British Council since he first came on the scene - we supported his previous award-winning films Fender Bender and The Making of Parts (2006 Venice Film Festival winner) with print and travel grants.
You can read more about Dan on the Spotlight section of our website britfilms.com.
The British Council also provided travel grants to the director of Five Miles Out, which was shown in the Generations Kplus Shorts selection, and the directors of Akbulak and Top Girl which were shown in the Generations 14plus Shorts section.
For Shooting Stars 2009, Carey Mulligan was selected as the UK Shooting Star by the British Council’s Film Department as part of our work with European Film Promotion (EFP). She followed in the footsteps of previous year’s choices including Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz as the British candidate for the talent showcase. Carey has shown real promise in her early film (Pride and Prejudice, And When Did You Last See Your Father) and has four films coming out in 2009 (two of which were screened at Sundance in January 2009 - An Education and The Greatest).
The British in Berlin Stand, hosted by the British Council, returned to the European Film Market - second only to Cannes on the international film industry calendar. From our regular prime location at the entrance of the Martin Gropius Bau we provided support and information on the British film industry. The British in Berlin stand acts as an independent contact point for all British films in the market, and our stand also provided a home to 14 UK sales agents.
The British Council is also the UK partner of the Talent Campus at Berlin, a six-day creative summit for up-and-coming filmmakers. Out of over a thousand applicants for the 350 places, 43 were given to British filmmakers. The British Council gives support to the Talent Campus by providing it with travel grants for British Talents to attend.
Features
Rage
Cheri
Katalin Varga (Romania/UK/Hungary)
London River (Algeria/France/UK)
The Reader
The Private Lifes of Pippa Lee
The Naked Civil Servant
The Shock Doctrine
White Lightnin'
An Englishman In New York
Blindsight
Ascolata!
Cherrybomb
I Know you Know
Unmade Beds
Shorts
Jade
Laitue
Five Miles Out
Varmints
Akbulak
Ralph
Top Girl
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