Latest news with #Tykwer
Washington Post
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The 75th Berlin Film Festival kicks off with 'The Light' shining on politics
BERLIN — The Berlin International Film Festival is kicking off on Thursday with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer's 'The Light,' a timely tale of a dysfunctional German family and a Syrian refugee. The festival known as the Berlinale this year comes against the backdrop of Germany's parliament elections. For Tykwer, it's the third time he has opened the festival although his most recent success has come in the form of hit TV show 'Babylon Berlin.'
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
The 75th Berlin Film Festival kicks off with 'The Light' shining on politics
The Berlin International Film Festival is kicking off on Thursday with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer's 'The Light,' a timely tale of a dysfunctional German family and a Syrian refugee. The festival known as the Berlinale this year comes against the backdrop of Germany's parliament elections. For Tykwer, it's the third time he has opened the festival although his most recent success has come in the form of hit TV show 'Babylon Berlin.' 'The Light' infuses drama, political and social commentary, song and dance — and a migration storyline that Tykwer says he didn't know would be so relevant when he started working on the movie three years ago. 'Now that it aligns with the elections and the elections are riding on the subject so violently, of course, I feel (strongly) that this movie has a really strong position about it,' he told The Associated Press. Nineteen films will compete in the main competition lineup, with the Golden Bear winner to be announced at the closing gala on Feb. 22. The role of politics Germany's national election on Feb. 23, the final day of the Berlinale, is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country's economy. Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany, which appears to be on course for its strongest national election result yet. Politics remained front and center at a news conference with this year's Berlinale international jury, headed up by American director Todd Haynes. And despite an air of pessimism around today's global politics, there was positivity around the role of cinema. Haynes said the Berlinale 'has always had a strength of conviction and an openness to challenging and political discourse and bringing that into the filmmaking.' 'What's happening in the world right now has put an extra urgency to all of that,' he added. Franco-Moroccan director and jury member Nabil Ayouch added that people need strong creative voices. 'We have to be radical. We have to be strong in our choices, in our movies,' he said. Five films to watch 'Blue Moon' is set during the opening night of the musical 'Oklahoma!' and marks director Richard Linklater 's return to the Berlinale for the first time since 'Boyhood' premiered at the festival in 2014. Starring long-time collaborator Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley of 'The Substance,' the movie is competing for the Golden Bear. Rose Byrne stars in ''If I had Legs I'd Kick You' alongside A$AP Rocky and this year's Oscar host Conan O'Brien. The anxiety inducing dramedy from Mary Bronstein, follows Byrne's character Linda as an exhausted working mum surrounded by a revolving group of unhelpful bystanders, colleagues and family. After a hit Sundance world premiere, the movie gets to join the Berlinale's competition lineup. Jessica Chastain reunites with Mexican director Michel Franco in the drama 'Dreams,' about a young Mexican ballet dancer played by real-life dancer Isaac Hernández. Chastain plays a wealthy socialite who finds her young lover has moved illegally to San Francisco to pursue both her and his dancing dreams. Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps star in playwright Rebecca LenkiewIcz's directorial debut 'Hot Milk,' also a hot contender. Based on Deborah Levy's book of the same name, it's the story of a girl who meets a free-spirited traveler when she takes her mother to consult a healer about her mystery illness in a Spanish seaside town. And Marion Cotillard plays an actress shooting a film adaptation of Hans Christina Anderson's fairytale 'The Snow Queen' in Lucile Hadžihalilović's 70s-set French fantasy drama, 'The Ice Tower.' Fangirl favorites Though politics may play a part, some Berliners may be simply hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars. Timothee Chalamet will undoubtedly cause a stoir the Palast red carpet for the German premiere of his award-winning biopic 'A Complete Unknown' on Friday — a final push before the Oscars where Chalamet is up for best actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Jacob Elordi is also likely to attract a strong fan turnout when he premieres the new TV series 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' at the festival. Justin Kurzel's much anticipated drama about a World War II hero haunted by his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp has it's red carpet debut on Saturday. Robert Pattinson will also hit the Berlinale carpet on the same day for a special screening of Bong Joon-Ho's long-awaited follow-up to 'Parasite.' In 'Mickey 17,' a sci-fi comedy, Pattinson plays a space traveler who is sure to bring out fans braving Berlin's sub-zero temperatures this February.
Associated Press
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
The 75th Berlin Film Festival kicks off with ‘The Light' shining on politics
BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin International Film Festival is kicking off on Thursday with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer's 'The Light,' a timely tale of a dysfunctional German family and a Syrian refugee. The festival known as the Berlinale this year comes against the backdrop of Germany's parliament elections. For Tykwer, it's the third time he has opened the festival although his most recent success has come in the form of hit TV show 'Babylon Berlin.' 'The Light' infuses drama, political and social commentary, song and dance — and a migration storyline that Tykwer says he didn't know would be so relevant when he started working on the movie three years ago. 'Now that it aligns with the elections and the elections are riding on the subject so violently, of course, I feel (strongly) that this movie has a really strong position about it,' he told The Associated Press. Nineteen films will compete in the main competition lineup, with the Golden Bear winner to be announced at the closing gala on Feb. 22. The role of politics Germany's national election on Feb. 23, the final day of the Berlinale, is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country's economy. Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany, which appears to be on course for its strongest national election result yet. Politics remained front and center at a news conference with this year's Berlinale international jury, headed up by American director Todd Haynes. And despite an air of pessimism around today's global politics, there was positivity around the role of cinema. Haynes said the Berlinale 'has always had a strength of conviction and an openness to challenging and political discourse and bringing that into the filmmaking.' 'What's happening in the world right now has put an extra urgency to all of that,' he added. Franco-Moroccan director and jury member Nabil Ayouch added that people need strong creative voices. 'We have to be radical. We have to be strong in our choices, in our movies,' he said. Five films to watch 'Blue Moon' is set during the opening night of the musical 'Oklahoma!' and marks director Richard Linklater's return to the Berlinale for the first time since 'Boyhood' premiered at the festival in 2014. Starring long-time collaborator Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley of 'The Substance,' the movie is competing for the Golden Bear. Rose Byrne stars in ''If I had Legs I'd Kick You' alongside A$AP Rocky and this year's Oscar host Conan O'Brien. The anxiety inducing dramedy from Mary Bronstein, follows Byrne's character Linda as an exhausted working mum surrounded by a revolving group of unhelpful bystanders, colleagues and family. After a hit Sundance world premiere, the movie gets to join the Berlinale's competition lineup. Jessica Chastain reunites with Mexican director Michel Franco in the drama 'Dreams,' about a young Mexican ballet dancer played by real-life dancer Isaac Hernández. Chastain plays a wealthy socialite who finds her young lover has moved illegally to San Francisco to pursue both her and his dancing dreams. Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps star in playwright Rebecca LenkiewIcz's directorial debut 'Hot Milk,' also a hot contender. Based on Deborah Levy's book of the same name, it's the story of a girl who meets a free-spirited traveler when she takes her mother to consult a healer about her mystery illness in a Spanish seaside town. And Marion Cotillard plays an actress shooting a film adaptation of Hans Christina Anderson's fairytale 'The Snow Queen' in Lucile Hadžihalilović's 70s-set French fantasy drama, 'The Ice Tower.' Fangirl favorites Though politics may play a part, some Berliners may be simply hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars. Timothee Chalamet will undoubtedly cause a stoir the Palast red carpet for the German premiere of his award-winning biopic 'A Complete Unknown' on Friday — a final push before the Oscars where Chalamet is up for best actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Jacob Elordi is also likely to attract a strong fan turnout when he premieres the new TV series 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' at the festival. Justin Kurzel's much anticipated drama about a World War II hero haunted by his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp has it's red carpet debut on Saturday. Robert Pattinson will also hit the Berlinale carpet on the same day for a special screening of Bong Joon-Ho's long-awaited follow-up to 'Parasite.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian Migrant Drama Opens Berlin Film Festival
German director Tom Tykwer said Thursday that his latest movie about a Syrian immigrant aimed to encourage people to stop "isolating" themselves, as it opened Berlin's international film festival. "The Light", screening out of competition at the Berlinale, tells the story of a middle-class Berlin family whose lives are upended when they hire a new domestic worker from Syria. The movie marks a return to feature filmmaking after a long hiatus for Tykwer, 59, who has been focusing on the acclaimed German television series "Babylon Berlin". In "The Light", the Engels family -- Tim, Milena and their teenage twins -- are all immersed in their separate worlds as they navigate the complexities of modern life. But when the enigmatic Farrah, recently arrived from Syria, is placed in their home as the new housekeeper, they find themselves slowly starting to reconnect. "Everyone is in their own aquarium with their head stuck in it," Tykwer said. "They are stuck with their heads under water and then some energy comes from the outside and pulls them out and enables them look at each other again." 'Extra urgency' Tykwer said the film aimed to show that better communication can help people to relate personally but also "politically". "We have to approach each other again and stop isolating ourselves so much," he said. The Berlinale, which ranks with Cannes and Venice among Europe's top festivals, serves as a key launchpad for films from around the world. US writer and director Todd Haynes will head up the jury at this year's edition, with 19 pictures vying for the festival's Golden Bear top prize. Haynes said Thursday that the world was in a "state of particular crisis" and that filmmakers had witnessed the return of US President Donald Trump "with tremendous concern, shock". Haynes said he hoped the Berlinale, which has a reputation as the most political of the big international film festivals, would serve as a forum for digesting global events. "This festival has always had a strength of conviction and an openness to a challenging and political discourse and bringing that into the filmmaking, and what's happening in the world right now has put an extra urgency to all of that," he told reporters. This year's Berlinale winds up on February 23, the same day as a snap election in Germany, called after the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition late last year. The campaign ahead of the election has been bitterly divisive, with the far-right AfD surging in the polls. 'Resistance' Last year, Berlinale organizers made headlines by barring five previously invited AfD politicians and telling them they were "not welcome". Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle said cinema could be an act of "resistance... to all of the perverse ideas that many far-right parties across the whole world and across Europe are spreading". "This is a space where we want to come together and listen to each other and communicate through cinema... I think the very fact we're all here is a resistance," she said. Films in competition at the Berlinale include "Dreams", from Mexican director Michel Franco, about a Mexican ballet dancer, and "What Does that Nature Say to You", from South Korean arthouse favorite Hong Sang-soo. Hollywood director Richard Linklater will present "Blue Moon", starring Ethan Hawke, 11 years after Linklater won Berlin's Silver Bear for Best Director for "Boyhood". Romanian director Radu Jude, who won the Golden Bear in 2021, is in the running with "Kontinental '25", a dark comedy about the rise of nationalism. And France's Lucile Hadzihalilovic will present "The Ice Tower", a fantasy drama starring Marion Cotillard. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho will present out of competition his new film "Mickey 17" with Robert Pattinson, and British actor Tilda Swinton will receive a lifetime achievement award.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Tykwer on Opening Berlin With ‘Hardcore Political' Film ‘The Light' and Why He's Not Playing the ‘Invitation Game' With Germany's Far-Right Officials (EXCLUSIVE)
Tom Tykwer will soon be opening the 75th Berlin Film Festival with 'The Light,' a timely tale in which a deeply dysfunctional German family is saved by its Syrian housekeeper. The German-language film, which Tykwer describes as a 'hardcore political' statement, will kick off the Berlinale on Feb. 13 in the turbulent lead-up to the country's Feb. 21 general elections. Much is at stake with the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which champions tough new rules pertaining to immigration. More from Variety 'How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World' Boarded by Alpha Violet Ahead of Berlin - Clip (EXCLUSIVE) Willem Dafoe-Led Drama 'The Birthday Party' Heads to Berlin With Heretic, Bankside Films Launching Sales; First Look Revealed (EXCLUSIVE) Sundance Prizewinning Director Lemohang Mosese's New Film 'Ancestral Visions of the Future' Joins Memento Intl.'s Slate Prior to Berlinale Premiere (EXCLUSIVE) 'The Light' stars Tykwer's regular collaborator Lars Eidinger and close friend Nicolette Krebitz as Milena and Tim, the 40-something parents of irate 17-year-old twins. Tala Al-Deen ('Tatort') portrays Farrah, their housekeeper, who he says 'has her own agenda.' The kaleidoscopic drama, which Tykwer calls 'the older sister' of his groundbreaking thriller 'Run Lola Run,' marks the directors' return to the big screen – and to present-day Berlin – after four seasons at the helm of hit period series 'Babylon Berlin.' It's also the third time Tykwer's opened Berlin, after 'Heaven' in 2002 and 'The International' in 2009, though these were both not German-language films. Below, Tyker speaks to Variety about how 'The Light' germinated from his personal life as a parent, why it's inherently political and shares his thoughts on the AfD. You've been immersed in 'Babylon Berlin' for a decade. What was the genesis of 'The Light'? I wanted to make a movie about us now. I was dying to get back to present day, because I realized that present day needs big-screen experiences that throw us into this mess that we live in to confront us with questions and possible answers, and detours and conflict. And the major conflict that I'm living is that I'm a parent. Like most of my friends, I have children who are saying, 'How did this happen? How did we get here?' And then you reply, 'Well, we really tried to do some good things.' And they go, 'Well, what have you done for the past 20 years?' That is when you realize that we missed out on a lot. It feels awkward, it feels slightly dark, but at the same time, there is a reawakening of courage and empowerment that I'm feeling. I want to join forces with our children's generation and see whether we can get this ship back on track all together. It's the third time you've opened the Berlinale, but it seems symbolic that it's the first time you've done so with a German-language film. It's also centered on a Syrian immigrant on the eve of the German elections, when tough new rules pertaining to migration are in the spotlight. What are your thoughts on that? Well, this is what happens with art. You create something with a group of people that really believes in it, and then, suddenly, when it comes to the surface, it seems as if we waited for this moment to have a movie that responds to a new chapter that is now opening at the Berlinale. I feel like I'm also starting the next chapter in my creative life. And I feel like Tricia [Tuttle, Berlin Film Festival artistic director] and her team have a very similar desire. They want films that really grab and challenge the audience, and yet are related to the place where the festival is rooted in. Which is, of course, Berlin. As you know, there was controversy last year when members of the AfD were first invited and then disinvited from opening night. Do you have a position on that? Of course, you should not be unclear about it. You should say either 'yes' or 'no.' You should decide before you make a statement. It's something we need to really figure out here. We need to figure out, how do we handle this complicated situation? But I'm not saying that it's easy to figure out. A film festival is a public space. But if you are in charge of it, you should put your stamp on it also in positioning yourself. You can't show super progressive films and then welcome people that are attacking all the ideas those films are fighting for. I think you need to make choices. In other words, if I'm getting this right, your stance is that members of the AfD should not be invited on opening night to see your film? I didn't say that. I was suggesting a process of thought. Look, I've made a movie that is so clearly making statements. I'm an artist, and I think my duty is to make clear statements. I don't like to mix this up because I'm not part of that process. As long as I feel the process has been profound, I will accept and respect every conclusion that they come up with. But the movie I'm showing on opening night is hardcore political. And it's the profoundest statement I can make in regards to many positions that are related to the problems of this invitation game. Below is a statement issued this week by the Berlin Film Festival on this thorny issue: 'It is a good tradition that the festival informs about its guests of honor and special guests and does not comment on other festival invitations. The Berlinale does not make the invitation list public. What the festival can promise all guests: We offer them an inclusive space in which our values are lived and respected.' Back to the film itself. 'The Light' clearly has lots of visual flair. There's plenty of amazing camera work. Talk to me about its kaleidoscopic aspect. There is a basic plot at the center of this film with this family that's in turmoil, and then gets sort of confronted by this 'crazy' woman. But around this core there is a wild hurricane of events and influences and emotions and ups and downs and critical scenes that reflect the way life is for me right now. Life has become mad. I feel mad in a sense that its intensity is really different from even just 10 years ago. The way that public life and private life have become this weird union, closing in on each other. How public we are, even if we're just solitary people, through all the social media? And of course how social media influences politics and how politics use social media now. All this has become a really intense bubble in which we live. And, of course, we have to kind of embrace it because it's not going to go away. The way to address this, the possibilities to really make this work for us in life needed a representation in filmmaking. My life does not feel at all like a one-note experience. It's polyphonic; mega symphonic; hard rock; chanson; and 12th note music all together. Everything, everywhere, all at once. That's life at the moment. So even though I wanted to keep the character development and how people relate to each other very clear, I needed an adequate representation of this explosiveness. I only recently realized that, unconsciously, 'The Light' has become the older sister of 'Run Lola Run.' I suddenly remembered that 'Lola' was my other Berlin experience where I also said, 'OK, the possibilities of life need to be reflected in the possibilities of filmmaking.' This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Grammy Predictions, From Beyoncé to Kendrick Lamar: Who Will Win? Who Should Win? What's Coming to Netflix in February 2025
