Berlinale grows market venues

Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM) is expanding its number of screening venues by setting up shop at the recently refurbished Zoo Palast [pictured] cinema complex.

Exhibitors will be able to choose from five exclusive screening facilities with state-of-the-art projection technology, ranging from Cinemas 3-5 (with seating for 159, 161 and 157, respectively) to Club A and B with seating for 36 and 39.

Two of the cinemas can project 3D DCPs and one of the Club cinemas has its own bar, while all of the venues are kitted out with comfortable armchairs and extra space between the rows. 

The EFM will be organising a free bus shuttle service from outside  of the Gropius Mirror Restaurant and the Marriott Hotel to the Zoo Palast, but an alternative would be take the U2 underground which stops right outside of the cinema.

The Zoo Palast cinemas replace the screening venues at the Cubix cinema near Alexanderplatz, which had also been served by a dedicated shuttle service.

The hourly rates for EFM’s screening prices depend on whether an exhibitor has a stand or office at one of the official EFM locations in the Martin Gropius Bau or at the Marriott. In addition, the prices are higher during the first weekend (7-9 Feb).

For example, an exhibitor with a stand or office at the EFM will pay €400/hour for one of the Zoo Palast cinemas on the first day of the market (Feb 6) or between Feb 10-12, and €550/hour at the weekend.

Those exhibitors not represented with an official stand or office will be required to stump up €1,200/hour or €11,650/hour, respectively.

Meanwhile, after ¨testing the water¨ last year on uploading trailers of films screening at the EFM onto its website, the market is continuing this service this year and, as an innovation, can now offer streaming in HD (720p) quality.

Festival first prizes announced: Paula and Perspektive

Even before the Berlinale begins on February 6, the first prizes have already been or are in the process of being announced.

Actress Corinna Harfouch will be the recipient of this year’s Paula Prize awarded by the distributor Progress Filmverleih since 2010 to honour film-makers who began their careers in the former East German state-run DEFA studios and have since made a contribution to cinema in the reunited Germany.

The statuette will be presented to Harfouch, whose recent credits include films by Hans-Christian Schmid (Home For The Weekend), Tom Tykwer (Perfume: Story of a Murderer) and Oliver Hirschbiegel (Downfall).

Previous award-winners were actors Katharina Thalbach, Katrin Sass, Henry Hübchen and Harfouch’s ex-husband Michael Gwisdek.

Next week will see the Berlinale’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino sidebar revealing the winner of the Made in Germany grant sponsored by Glashütte Original to the tune of €15,000 to support a film-maker in the development of a new project.

All of the directors with a film in the Perspektive’s 2013 programme had been invited to apply for the grant whose winner has been decided by the jurors Andres Veiel and Frieder Schlaich.

Max Ophüls Prize winning film to screen at Berlinale

The Perspektive will continue its tradition of presenting the winning film from the competition of the Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival (Jan 20-26) on the last day of the Berlinale.

The competition of 16 titles by newcomer directors from Germany, Austria and Switzerland includes nine world premieres and three German premieres.

The world premieres range from Anna Hoffmann’s German-Kazakh debut Poka and Austrian director Johanna Moder’s High Performance to Nico Sommer’s family drama Familienfieber and Zarah Ziadi’s university shooting drama Totale Stille.

Other films in the Max Ophüls competition which could have a chance of a platform in Berlin in addition to the prize in Saarbrücken include Rick Ostermann’s Venice title Wolfskinder, Jakob Lass’ Love Steaks and Marvin Kren’s horror film Blutgletscher.