BERLIN — Kevin Spacey’s “Beyond the Sea,” Sally Potter’s British drama “Yes” starring Joan Allen and Sam Neill and “Color Blossoms” from Hong Kong helmer Yonfan are among the titles screening in the upcoming Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama arthouse showcase, which promises a smorgasbord of international titles.
Nearly half of the Panorama lineup has been completed, with selections from Asia, North and South America and Europe providing a look at international filmmaking over the past 12 months. Panorama organizers said in making this year’s selections, they sought to bridge the gap between artistic visions and commercial interests and to illustrate the preoccupations of contemporary filmmakers worldwide.
Other selections include Canadian title “Childstar,” helmed by Don McKellar and starring McKellar and Jennifer Jason Leigh; Ira Sachs’ U.S. entry “Forty Shades of Blue,” starring Rip Torn; “Bulutlari Beklerken” (Waiting for the Clouds), by Turkish director Yesim Ustaoglu; and “Saratan,” a Kyrgyzstan-German co-production by Ernest Abdyjaparov.
Panorama will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year with a multimedia installation at the HomeBase Panorama Lounge at Potsdamer Platz. Panorama will exhibit selected stills from more than 1,200 Panorama films and festival photos, offering an overview of its history and of the filmmakers who have had a significant impact on the section or started their international careers at the Berlinale sidebar, including Pedro Almodovar, Ang Lee, Gus Van Sant, Oskar Roehler, Chantal Akerman and Kim Ki-duk.
Panorama initially emerged from the fest’s Info-Schau section, established in the 1970s to complement the competition. Founded by the late Manfred Salzgeber, Panorama has gone on to become the fest’s most eclectic and politically and sexually charged film showcase.
“We want to pursue social processes with our program,” said Wieland Speck, who has headed Panorama since 1992. “For us it’s about finding films that push forward exactly what is currently happening in society’s niches and at its fringes.”
Also screening in Panorama during the Berlinale’s Feb. 10-20 run are:
“Un ano sin amor” (A Year Without Love), Anahi Berneri, Argentina
“Adam and Paul,” Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland
“Dallas,” Adrian Pejo, Hungary, Austria
“Dumplings,” Fruit Chan, Hong Kong
“Elaville ja koulleille” (For the Living and the Dead), Kari Paljakka, Finland
“Les Mauvais joueurs” (Gamblers), Frederic Balekdjian, France
“The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess,” Bruce McDonald, Canada
“Love + Hate,” Dominic Savage, U.K.
“Crustaces et coquillages” (Mariscos Beach), Olivier Ducastel, France
“Chun Hua” (Plastic Flowers), Liu Bingjian, China
“Redentor” (Redeemer), Claudio Torres, Brazil
“Ono” (Stranger), Malgorzata Szumowska, Poland
“Ultranova,” Bouli Lanners, Belgium/France
