Colombian film “Chocó” by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza complets Panorama Programme Berlinale 2012 (Making off video)

This year’s Panorama is presenting 53 feature films: 18 in the main programme, 15 in Panorama Special and 20 in Panorama Dokumente. A few of the topics explored in them will be examined again in four short supporting films.
34 productions from 37 countries are screening as world premieres. Seven fictional films are directorial debuts. There are 12 German productions, and 24 women filmmakers presenting 16 films.The premiere showings of Panorama’s main programme and Panorama Dokumente will be held at their unusual venues: CinemaxX 7 and Cinestar 7. Panorama Special will be screening at the Friedrichstadt-Palast and Kino International again, and for the first time also at the Cinestar Event Cinema in the Sony Center.

The most important organisational change is Panorama’s new admission regulations for the accredited press: for all public screenings it is now necessary to get tickets in advance at the ticket counter in the Hyatt. This change is due to the ever-growing number of international film professionals coming to the Berlinale. In other words, these tickets have been introduced to ensure the press continued access to Panorama’s public screenings. If by chance there are empty seats available right before a film starts, then you may still try using your Berlinale press badge to gain admission.

Among the final films to be included in the Panorama is the US indie Cherry with Heather Graham, James Franco and Lili Taylor. It portrays a confident young woman who explores her own sexuality and has to deal with the prejudice of those around her. In The Convoy, Alexei Mizgirev presents an apocalyptic portrait of the police and the army in Russia today. After her success with her film Megane (Glasses) in 2008, Japanese filmmaker Naoko Ogigami is returning to the Panorama with Rentaneko (Rent-a-Cat). It’s the enchanting story of a young woman who rents cats to people who are lonely. After presenting his star-studded Taiwan saga Monga in the Panorama 2010, director Dove is coming back to Berlin with his film Love, starring Shu Qi. Crowd-sourcing has rarely made a more monumental work possible: in Iron Sky, a largely Finnish production featuring Udo Kier, director Timo Vuorensola paints a dark picture of the world being threatened from outer space that leads right into the White House. Austrian director Peter Kern’s film is ultimately a surprise: GLAUBE, LIEBE, TOD (BELIEF, LOVE, DEATH) is an intimate drama about the conflicts smouldering between the generations and how an immigrant falls victim to them. 
New discoveries include Columbian director Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza’s Chocó, in which a young woman learns to assert herself in a rural world. Deepak Rauniyar’s HIGHWAY is a Nepalese road movie: all the passengers on a bus are in a hurry to get somewhere, but the ride is constantly delayed by strikes.

To celebrate the restoration of Yonfan’s oeuvre, Panorama is rescreening a film by this extraordinary Hong Kong director: shot in Singapore in 1995, Bugis Street Redux carries viewers off to a delightfully noisy, sexy, queer madhouse.

The TEDDY Award – the Berlinale’s queer film award ceremony – will be held in the main hall of Tempelhof Airport on February 17, 2012. Two personalities of great importance for the queer film world, and beyond, will be honoured with a Special Teddy: Ulrike Ottinger, German director, camerawoman and artist; as well as Mario Montez, the original superstar of US underground cinema, featured in works by many artists, from Jack Smith to Andy Warhol.

List of newly announced titles (earlier announced titles are listed at the end of this press release)

Panorama fictional films

Bugis Street Redux by Yonfan, Hong Kong
with Hiep Thi Le, Michael Lam, Greg-O, Ernest Seah

Cherry by Stephen Elliott, USA
with Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, Heather Graham, Dev Patel, Lili Taylor – WP

Chocó by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza, Columbia
with Karent Hinestroza, Esteban Copete, Fabio García, Daniela Mosquera, Jesús Benavides – WP

GLAUBE, LIEBE, TOD (BELIEF, LOVE, DEATH) by Peter Kern, Austria
with Traute Furthner, Peter Kern, Joao Moreira Pedrosa – WP

HIGHWAY by Deepak Rauniyar, Nepal/USA
with DAYAHANG Rai, ASHA Magarati, SHRISTI Ghimire, EELUM Dixit – WP

Iron Sky by Timo Vuorensola, Finland/Netherlands/Australia/ Germany
with Christopher Kirby, Götz Otto, Julia Dietze, Udo Kier – WP

Love by Doze, Niu Chen-zer, China/Taiwan
with Shu Qi, Vicky Zhao, Ethan Juan, Mark Jau

Man On Ground by Akin Omotoso, South Africa
with Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Fabian Adeoye Lojede, Fana Mokoena

My Brother The Devil by Sally El Hosaini, Great Britain
with James Floyd, Saïd Taghmaoui, Nasser Memarzia, Fady Elsayed – WP

Rentaneko (Rent-a-Cat) by Naoko Ogigami, Japan
with Mikako Ichikawa, Reiko Kusamura, Ken Mitsuishi, Maho Yamada, Kei Tanaka – WP

The Convoy by Alexey Mizgirev, Russian Federation
with Oleg Vasilkov, Azamat Nigmanov, Dmitry Kulichkov – WP

Panorama Dokumente

Wo men de gu shi (Our Story –10-year ‘Guerrilla Warfare’ of Beijing Queer Film Festival) by Yang Yang, People’s Republic of China

“Blut muss fließen” – Undercover unter Nazis by Peter Ohlendorf, Germany – WP

Panorama short supporting films

7 Deadly Kisses by Sammaria Simanjuntak, Indonesia
with Sunny Soon, Daud Sumolang – WP

A Lazy Summer Afternoon with Mario Montez by John Heys, Germany – WP

Green Laser by John Greyson, Canada – WP

ZUCHT und ORDNUNG (LAW and ORDER) by Jan Soldat, Germany – WP

List of fictional films announced in two earlier press releases

Source: Press Office Berlinale