BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS-DAY 2: FEB. 10, 2008

BERLIN TODAY AWARD: The Talent Campus opened their events on Feb. 9, showcasing the world premier of the 3 nominated short films for the Berlin Today Award for 2008. The honored filmmakers, Maheen Zia from Pakistan, Ville Jankeri from Finland and Ole Bendtzen from Denmark were brought to the stage with a warm welcome by host Peter Tweihaus (ZDF).

The awards ceremony the following day, "Match Factor” by Maheen Zia from Pakistan convinced the jury and was awarded by Wim Wenders.

From left to right: director Wim Wenders, actress Anneke Kim Sarnau, director Maheen Zia and Kirsten Niehuus, CEO

BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS-DAY 2: FEB. 10, 2008

THE INDIE FILMMAKER'S GUIDE TO THE INTERNET I (first in a tree part series): Liz Rosenthal, an independent producer and creator from the UK, shows how using podcasts, i-Tunes, google and social networking sites is the best way to get known and stay independent. The opportunities on the Internet can be overwhelming and "It can be incredibly laborious,” she says, "But the more you share of your work, the more valuable it can become.”

BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS-DAY 2: FEB. 10, 2008

THE PANAMERICANA CONFERENCE: Producer Juan Pablo Gugliotta, director and Talent Campus Alumnus Pablo Fendrik, moderator and senior Talent Press mentor Peter Cowie, director and Talent Campus Alumnus Fernando discussed the difficulties of the Argentinean and Mexican film industries, despite wider exposure for the usual Panamerican suspects (Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuaron).

Participants discussed the long, arduous road ahead that Latin American indie films still must face, the International film festivals circuit for arthouse titles and perspectives on a collective Panamerican cine-industrial bloc that would allow for various distribution channels within Latin America that would create cross cultural media consumption amongst countries that are often still blocked.

Fendriktold stories of his no-budget guerrilla filmmaking in Argentina, at one point declaring, “We are like a bunch of thieves“, referring to his constantly on-the-run crew, and both directors touched upon the wildly divergent styles of their films and the financing problems they experienced.

Perhaps most telling was when Eimbcke’s executive producer Christian Valdelièvre commented to the Argentinean filmmakers sitting opposite that he hadn’t seen their films and they hadn’t seen his. Great strides are being made within domestic industries but the challenge ahead will certainly be to create a regional powerhouse. If and when that occurs there might be a new juggernaut to rival the Latin American’s cousins up north.

Edit from at article by Ben Cho (http://blog.berlinale-talentcampus.de/campus/4/viewentry/1835)

BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS-DAY 2: FEB. 10, 2008

Maria Schrader, who won a Silver Bear for Best Actress in "Aimée and Jaguar" in 1999 speaking at the LOVE INTERNATIONAL panel.

BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS-DAY 2: FEB. 10, 2008

Fanatic crowd of Bollywood friends meeting Shah Rukh Khan outside the LOVE INTERNATIONAL discussion panel.

BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS-DAY 2: FEB. 10, 2008

LOVE INTERNATIONAL- a panel discussion about relationships and their portrayal in the cinema culture of different countries, particularly Germany, Nigeria and India, the respective native lands of our three panel guests. Maria Schrader, Kate Henshaw-Nuttall and Shah Rukh Khan are shown here with Director of the Berlinale Talent Campus Dorothee Wenner

BERLINALE 2008- TALENT CAMPUS- OPENING DAY: FEB. 9, 2008

Festival director Dieter Kosslick and Berlinale Talent Campus director Dorothee Wenner ushered the sixth year of the Berlinale Talent Campus, a six day event (February 9 – 14, 2008) in which 350 talents from 350 countries will meet with and learn from international professionals and experts in discussion based workshop, panels and seminars. These talents (chosen from 3304 young applicants from around the world) are invited to explore the 2008 Campus focus entitled “SCREENING EMOTIONS – Cinema’s Finest Asset.”

"To examine the role of emotions in cinema is to look into the heart of the film industry," explains Dorothee Wenner. "Every cinematic craft deals with producing emotions. Yet at the same time, they are the least calculable aspect of a business that is fascinated by them and revolves around them.”

Together with guests of the Berlinale and internationally renowned experts from all fields of filmmaking, the Talents will take a theoretical and practical look at the many facets of this theme. International acclaimed film professionals for the 2008 Talent Campus include: Stephen Dladry (a 2 time Oscar Award Winner), mentor for this year's Volkswagen score competition, Gustavo Santaolalla, Nollywood star, Kate Henshaw Nuttall, Kristen Niehuus, CEO Medienboarf Berlin-Bradenburg, producer Liz Rosenthal, Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan, Serbian director Dusan Makavejev, Serbian director Andrzej Wajda, South African director Ralph Ziman and many many others.

The Talent Campus will also include a program called the Talent Press. Eight young up and coming journalists from all corners of the world will cover the events of the Berlinale and the Berlinale Talent Campus under the mentorship of experienced film critics, including the senior Talent Press mentor Peter Cowie of Variety fame, Goethe-Institut's Director of the Film Department Detlef Gericke-Schoenhagen; Secretary General of FIPRESCI Klaus Eder; boxfish events' Christiane Steiner, and mentors Dana Linssen, Derek Malcom and Stephaine Zacharek. The young journalists will learn what it takes to cover the news of the film festival world while contributing regularly to the Talent Campus website with insight into Campus events and interviews with experts.

The Campus will once again take place at the ‘Hebbel am Ufer’ and its three theatres HAU1, HAU2 and HAU3, located in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

All images from the Berlinale Talent Campus 2008 are courtesy of Maya Dalinsky.