Love To Love You, Donna Summer

Source: Courtesy of Estate of Donna Summer Sudano

‘Love To Love You, Donna Summer’

The Berlinale has added the world premiere of documentary Love To Love You, Donna Summer and a tribute to a century of Disney animation to its upcoming 73rd edition.

The additions complete the lineup for the Berlinale Special sidebar at the festival, set to run February 16-26.

Love To Love You, Donna Summer is co-directed by Roger Ross Williams, Oscar nominated in 2016 for Life, Animated, and US actress Brooklyn Sudano, who is the daughter of Summer and makes her directorial debut with the film.

The documentary will explore the life of the late singer-songwriter, known as the ‘Queen of Disco’, through an archive of unpublished film extracts, home video, photographs, artwork, writings, personal audio and other recordings.

The strand is rounded out by 100 Years of Disney Animation – A Shorts Celebration, in which Oscar-winner and Walt Disney Animation Studios president Clark Spencer shares his favourite shorts from the studios’ century of filmmaking, ranging from the earliest days of animation through the introduction of sound, Mickey Mouse and up to present day.

The festival also announced it would award its honorary Berlinale Camera to French cinematographer Caroline Champetier. She is perhaps best-known for her work on Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods And Men, winning the Cesar for best cinematography in 2011, and Leos Carax’s Holy Motors, for which she won the Silver Frog at Camerimage in 2012.

Champetier, who recently completed filming Thomas Napper’s Cliquot, has chosen Anne Fontaine’s The Innocents to be screened at the Berlinale following the ceremony on February 23. The film, on which she conducted the cinematography, will also be part of the Berlinale Special strand.

Berlinale Special 2023

100 Years Of Disney Animation – A Shorts Celebration (US)
Dirs. Walt Disney, Dave Hand, Ben Sharpsteen, Lauren Jackson, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Hannah, Jon Kahrs, Brian Menz, Jacob Frey, Hillary Bradfield

Boom! Boom! The World Vs. Boris Becker (UK-US)
Dir. Alex Gibney

Golda (US-UK)
Dir. Guy Nattiv

Infinity Pool (Can)
Dir. Brandon Cronenberg

The Innocents (Fr-Pol)
Dir. Anne Fontaine

Kill Boksoon (S Kor)
Dir. Byun Sung-hyun

Kiss The Future (US-Ire)
Dir. Nenad Cicin-Sain

Massimo Troisi: Somebody Down There Likes Me (It)
Dir. Mario Martone

Loriot’s Great Cartoon Revue (Ger)
Dir. Peter Geyer

Love To Love You, Donna Summer (US)
Dirs. Roger Ross Williams, Brooklyn Sudano

Last Night Of Amore (It)
Dir. Andrea Di Stefano

Mad Fate (HK-China)
Dir. Soi Cheang

#Manhole (Jap)
Dir. Kazuyoshi Kumakiri

Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes (Ger-Mor)
Dir. Robert Schwentke

She Came To Me (US)
Dir. Rebecca Miller

Sun And Concrete (Ger)
Dir. David Wnendt

Superpower (US)
Dirs. Sean Penn, Aaron Kaufman

Talk To Me (Australia)
Dirs. Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

TÁR (US)
Dir. Todd Field

Der Vermessene Mensch (Ger)
Dir. Lars Kraume