21st Edition of Berlinale Talents: The Film Community of the Many

21st Berlinale Talents successfully concluded: The Film Community of the Many

Berlinale Talents came to a successful close at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival on 23 February, 2023. This year's edition, under the theme "You Must Be Joking: Humour In Serious Times", once again became the extraordinary summit meeting of the diverse international film family with intercultural exchange and great emotions. The Talents, prominent guests such as Kristen Stewart, Ruben Östlund, Euzhan Palcy, Cate Blanchett and the Berlin audience met again in presence - and from these intense encounters they take strength and inspiration with them on their future professional and personal paths.

Berlinale Talents was able to impressively prove its position as one of the largest international communities for film professionals. Well over 300 Alumni returned to the festival this year alone, many of them with films in the programme or - as in the case of 2022 Golden Bear winner Carla Simón - as part of the International Jury. The six-day Summit, with 66 talks, workshops, script labs, think tanks and stage events open to the public, highlighted to audiences and the 203 Talents the importance of diversity, fair collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange in a progressive, sustainable film industry. The focus on "Humour in Serious Times" proved to be a perfect door opener to create stable communities and process social realities in the crisis-ridden present.

Together with the World Cinema Fund, Berlinale Talents addressed the conditions and challenges for Iranian filmmakers in depth. On the occasion of this event, the Minister of State for Culture and the Media, Claudia Roth, paid tribute to the courage of the people in Iran who, despite the restrictions and dangers, make art. They deserve the greatest recognition.

"As a political festival, the Berlinale shows that cinema is an outstanding space for discourse. Especially for international exchange, this is more important than ever, and not only for the films. In cooperation with Berlinale Talents, the World Cinema Fund Day sends a clear signal for the free development of art and its protagonists worldwide. The programme not only makes an important contribution to intercultural communication and understanding. With its large, active community, Berlinale Talents offers a network that can support filmmakers even in socially and politically very turbulent times. It shows that community, that art and culture can be stronger than crises and wars."

"The Programme provides insightful perspectives. Where are we coming from? Where are we now? Where do we want to go to fulfil our potential?"

The series of big public talks at HAU1 reached its first climax this year right at the beginning with the International Jury of Kristen Stewart, Carla Simón, Radu Jude, Golshifteh Farahani and Valeska Grisebach. Another highlight was the extraordinary encounter with director and master of social satire Ruben Östlund, who further developed his upcoming film project - including countless spoilers - together and live with the audience. The power of humour to counter a crisis was emphasised by Geraldine Chaplin in her conversation together with John Malkovich: "Humour is the greatest weapon [...] and it is a lot about that: laughing at the monster."

As a sign against all forms of discrimination and oppression, there were talks on queer visions, the immediate perspectives of Ukrainian filmmakers and a conversation with Euzhan Palcy, the filmmaker and activist for marginalised voices who was recently awarded an Academy Honorary Award for her lifetime achievements. Palcy appealed to the audience: "Jump over the fence and fly! [...] I am here to share my journey and speak my truth - not to lecture you."

Berlinale Talents closed on the last evening with "Grand Orchestra: Conducting TÁR" in the presence of director Todd Field, actors Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss and Sophie Kauer as well as film composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and the exclusive world premiere of Todd Field's new short film "The Fundraiser", set in the TÁR universe and featuring again its stunning ensemble.

"The highlights have definitely been the Talents Tanks. It gives this inner boost. You discover hidden parts of your personality, and of course, meeting these people."

In the Talents Tanks, Berlinale Talents' innovative three-day think tank for 200 participants, Talents from 68 countries visualised their own hero stories shaped by professional experiences and personal backgrounds. Focusing on "A Film Community of the Many," and in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and Telefilm Canada, the event is becoming a key Berlinale Talents format, also highly regarded elsewhere in the industry, to build film communities, strengthen them in their resources and give a space to the desire for ownership of the next generation.

Within the framework of intensive workshops, the Acting Studio, Camera Studio, Editing Studio, Market Studio, Production Design Studio, Sound Studio and Talent Press, the Talents were able to network and train in their respective disciplines. Among others, Hollywood acting coaches Jean-Louis Rodrigue and Kristof Konrad sharpened the Talents' body awareness here. Together with Berlinale Talents co-partner ARRI, renowned cinematographers Caroline Champetier and Kirsten Johnson, among others, provided in-depth insights into their previous and upcoming films.

In the Talents Labs Presentations, 40 Talents from the Doc Station, Short Form Station, Script Station and, in cooperation with the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the Talent Project Market presented their upcoming projects with the aim of finding partners and supporters. The intensification and foundation of international co-productions was again the focus of many events, especially together with Creative Europe MEDIA and the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. The artistic examination of interpersonal relationships in great diversity and - not surprisingly, but all the more impressive in its creative urgency - the conflicts caused by multiple crises are currently particularly present in the works of the Talents.

Berlinale Talents is a Berlinale Pro* initiative of the Berlin International Film Festival, a division of Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH, supported by the Minister of State for Culture and Media, Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, German Federal Film Board, Mastercard, and ARRI.