Discover Berlin to Berlinale

A Whole Wide World of Film: Go to Berlin for the Berlinale from Feb.11-21st, 2010

The story of this successful A-list festival, Berlinale, which began in June of 1951 and has since then, attracted some of the most famous movie stars such as Sophia Loren, Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino. Actually the Berlinale is the biggest film festival in the world with about 20,000 visitors and it is one of the most important events in the film business.

Berlin is a city of culture with international appeal and so the Berlinale is part of this inpiring atmosphere. Berlin International Film Festival is not only a very important event for the international film industry, it is also the largest cultural event in Berlin. For two weeks, art, glamour, parties and business meet at the Berlinale. The 60th anniversary promises to be a special event and the public can discover personal stories and experiences of the Berlinale from international stars, whose memories will be published during the festival under the motto “ Berlinale Flashback”.

From February 11–21, 2010 the red carpet will be touched by actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, the Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan and 'Sex and the City” star Kim Catrall. Berlin is waiting especially for the premiere of the much talked about Roman Polanski film 'Ghostwriter', which will be shown at the festival.

The competition is between 26 films trying to take home a Gold or Silver Bear. The most promising German movies are German-Australian production 'Der Räuber' (The Robber) by Benjamin Heisenberg and the German-Iranian film 'Shekarchi' (The Hunter) by Rafi Pitts. 'My Name ist Khan' is an Indian production with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and shows promise to be an important rival for the Bear. The festival jury will be presided by Werner Herzog, one of Germany’s most prominent film directors, who will have a lot to do!

Outside of the competition are the following sections: Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Panorama, Generation, and Forum. In the Perspektive Deutsches Kino category, the focus is on the German film industry. This section will open with the feature film “Renn, wenn du kannst“ (Run if you Can) by the young film director, Dietrich Brüggemann. The Panorama presents independent and arthouse films, and Generation is a section for cinema aimed at the young audience. The Forum is the Berlinale's most experimental section, showcasing innovative formats and films from exotic countries.

The heart of the Berlinale is the Potsdamer Platz with four large cinemas: Cinemaxx, Cinestar, Arsenal and Berlinale Palast. There, the audience can see films from all the festival sections until late at night. With “Berlinale goes Kiez” the festival is bringing the red carpet to arthouse cinemas in Berlin’s different neighbourhoods: from Weißensee to Zehlendorf. The festival will also visit a cinema in another “Kiez” (= neighbourhood) every evening. So all quarters of Berlin, such as Zoo, Berlin-Mitte, Chalottenburg or Kreuzberg will offer films for festival.

Go to Berlin and enjoy this most important movie event - Berlinale! You will love Berlin, the most dynamic city in Europe this February. Book hostels in Berlin for the Berlinale. HostelsClub offers dorm beds from 8€ and private rooms from 15€ per person! Be a star for a day, go to the Berlinale!