The Berlin Film Festival announced the complete list of shortlisted films 18 works competing for the Gold and Silver Bear

International Online Report (Reporter Nguyen Ka Mun): The 72nd Berlin International Film Festival will open on February 10. On January 19, local time, the Berlin Film Festival held a press conference, and the president of the festival, Marit Riesenbeck, and the artistic director Carlo Shacharian disclosed information about the festival to the media.

Marit Reithenberg (left) and Carlo Shacharian at a press conference (screenshot of online press conference)

At this year's Berlin Film Festival, audiences will have the opportunity to see 256 films from many countries and regions in the world. International superstars including Juliet Binoche, Sigour, Emma Thompson, Isabelle Adjani, Mark Reirance and many others are expected to appear on the red carpet of the festival.

Film Festival President Rysenbeck said at the press conference on the same day that although the number of films screened at this film festival decreased by a quarter compared with last year, the number of submitted films increased by 15% year-on-year, showing that the enthusiasm and enthusiasm of filmmakers have not declined due to the impact of the epidemic. "We hope to be able to present the best quality videos offline to everyone and let more people see them." It is precisely because of the epidemic that culture is particularly important, and it is the anchor of social stability. ”

Shacharian, artistic director of the film festival, also said that the significance of the film is to show different cultures and collide with each other. According to him, 18 films from 15 countries will compete for the most important awards of this year's Berlin Film Festival, the "Golden Bear" and "Silver Bear". Of these, 17 were premiered, with 7 female directors participating; more than half of the selected films were set in the present, and 2 films focused on life under the epidemic. Chinese director Li Ruijun's work "Hidden in the Dust" was also shortlisted for the main competition unit of this film festival.

"As always, the films of the 72nd Berlin Film Festival paint a good picture of what is changing the world, but also show the past and the likely future," Shacharian said. Society has never been so divided, people's lifestyles have never been so similar, and many films have tried to respond to this through conflicts of imagination, humor, and body and emotion. ”

It is worth mentioning that the opening film of this year's film festival is "Peter von Kant" by French choreographer François Oujong. On February 15, French actress Isabelle Huppel will be awarded the Golden Bear award for lifetime achievement at this film festival.

Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, all receptions and gatherings related to the Berlin Film Festival this year have been cancelled, and the number of film screening venues has been limited to 50% of the full capacity, and those who have completed the full vaccination and rehabilitation must also hold a negative virus test certificate of the day, or a certificate of vaccination to enter.

Festival President Rissenbeck stressed that in view of the recent rise in the infection rate in Germany, strict implementation of epidemic prevention measures is crucial to ensure the safety of exhibitors: "It is particularly gratifying that the 2022 Berlin Film Festival can resume offline holdings while following the concept of epidemic prevention. Because it was not easy during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was also a major transformation for the film festival. We put the health of all our guests, spectators and staff first. ”