Pressemitteilung vom 16. Oktober 2009
BFFB: OSCAR-ANWÄRTER, OSTSEE-PIPELINE & GÄSTE
Heute, am 16.10.2009, startet im Babylon die 5. Ausgabe des BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN (BFFB) mit den neuesten Filmproduktionen aus den baltischen Staaten, u.a. auch VORTEX, Litauens Oscar-Einreichung für 2010. Als Gäste werden u.a. der Regisseur Hannu Salonen und der Schauspieler Tim Seyfi erwartet sowie der Journalist und Russlandexperte Stefan Melle
Am Samstag, 17. Oktober 2009 um 20 Uhr werden Hannu Salonen, Regisseur und ehemaliger dffb-Absolvent sowie der Schauspieler Tim Seyfi als Gäste zur Vorstellung von VASHA ins Babylon kommen. VASHA ist eine estnisch-finnisch-deutsch-irische Co-Produktion und wurde weitestgehend in Estland gedreht. An der Finanzierung beteiligten sich u.a. die Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Deutscher Koproduzent ist der Berliner Philipp Homberg. Inhalt: Vasha erzählt eine Geschichte von zwei Männern aus komplett verschiedenen Welten. Es ist eine Reise von einem naiven Jungen und einem Mann (in der Hauptrolle: Mehmet Kurtulus) aus dem kriegsversehrten Tschetschenien, der von seinen Erinnerungen zerrissen wird. Es ist eine Geschichte, die von Brudertum, Verrat und Rache erzählt - und von der Möglichkeit, sich der Gewalt zu widersetzen, selbst im Moment der absoluten Macht.
Im seinem Dokumentarfilm BURIED AT SEA, zu sehen am Dienstag, 20. Oktober 2009 um 18:45 Uhr, befasst sich der Journalist, Buchautor und Umweltaktivist Grigori Pasko mit den ökologischen Risiken und der energiepolitischen Tragweite der Ostsee-Gaspipeline. Größter Eigner des Pipeline-Konsortiums Nord Stream ist Gazprom. Paskos Recherchen dokumentieren, welche Auswirkungen der Bau der Pipeline auf Umwelt und Menschen entlang der Strecke bedeutet. Als Gast steht im Anschluss an die Vorführung Stefan Melle zur Verfügung. Es ist Geschäftsführer von Deutsch-Russischer Austausch e.V. (DRA) und arbeitet mit Pasko aktuell an einem Projekt zur Förderung des Umweltbewusstseins in Russland. Der DRA wurde 1992 von Fachleuten der Osteuropakunde in Berlin mit dem Ziel gegründet, Kontakte zwischen gesellschaftlich engagierten Personen und Gruppen in Russland und Deutschland zu ermöglichen und durch den interkulturellen Austausch die Entwicklung eines pluralistischen demokratischen Lebens in Russland und Deutschland zu unterstützen.
Am Mittwoch, 21. Oktober 2009 um 18 Uhr präsentiert das Festival den litauischen Film VORTEX, das Lebens- und Liebesdrama eines jungen Mannes im litauischen Klaipėda der fünfziger und sechziger Jahre. VORTEX ist Litauens Oscar-Nominierung für 2010.
BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN 16. – 22.10.2009
Festivalkino: BABYLON, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, 10178 Berlin
Informationen und Programm: www.balticfilmfestivalberlin.net
Sprache: Originalsprache mit Untertiteln
Tickets: 6,50 Euro
Kartenreservierung: Tel. 030 - 242 59 69
Kontakt Presse / Pressebilder:
Jelly Press /
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel.: 030-37 30 70 47, Mobil: 0177-330 85 24
P R E S S R E L E A S E
Berlin, 13 October 2009
5 YEARS BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL: OPENING FILM & PARTY
The coming-of-age drama "I was here," by Estonian director René Vilbe is the opening film of the 5th edition of the BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN, starting on Friday 16 October 2009 at the Babylon cinema. The following birthday party of the Festival will see a lot of celebration - with Baltic Beats spun by the great musician Larry Mullins aka Toby Dammit (Iggy Pop, Swans) and singer and exceptional saxophone player Jessie Evans
The festival offers a current overview of the extremely prolific film-making scene in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. From 16.10. until 22.10.2009 at the BABYLON 18 cinema, award-winning feature films, documentaries and animated films will be screened for the first time in Berlin. A festival highlight is the opening film, I WAS HERE by René Vilbre. He tells the tumultuous coming-of-age story of 17 year old Rass, who lives alone in a rundown Estonian neighbourhood. Although he is a student of an elite school, he finds himself involved in hard fights for pure survival. Rass longs for fundamental and simple things like love and family. When he runs out of money, he becomes a small time drug dealer, and thus falls into a whirlpool of threatening and uncontrollable events. The film adaptation of Estonian best-seller "I Was Here. First Arrest" by Sann Henno won the Estonian Academy Award nomination for the 2008.
Director René Vilbre, born 1970, worked among other things for the Estonian television as a film programme director and later as a general director. As a film director and screenwriter, he has produced several short films and animations, filmed commercials and written the concept for the Eurovision Song Contest 2002.
Multi-instrumentalist Toby Dammit recently fled from American politics and took refuge in Berlin. Under his real name Larry Mullins, he has played the drums for IGGY POP for 10 years, later on he played with the legendary SWANS, THE RESIDENTS and Stephan Eicher. Jessie Evans was the founder of the Death Rock / Electro band The Vanishing, and formed the Autonervous project together with Bettina Köster. As a festival opener, Dammit and Evans will play an exquisite set of Baltic Beats.
The festival is supported by the Estonian Film Foundation, the National Film Center Latvia, Lietuvos kinas, Förderband, Skoda and the Embassies of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN 16. – 22.10.2009
Festival Cinema: Babylon, Rosa-Luxembourg-Str. 30, 10178 Berlin
Information and programme: www.balticfilmfestivalberlin.net
Tickets: 6.50 Euro
Ticket reservations: Tel 030 - 242 59 69
Contact / Press photos:
Jelly Press /
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel.: 030-37 30 70 47, Mobil: 0177-330 85 24
P R E S S R E L E A S E, Berlin 2 October 2009
I WAS HERE: NEW CINEMA FROM ESTONIA, LATVIA & LITHUANIA
For the fifth time the BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN provides an overview of the current film industry in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. From 16.10. until 22.10.2009 at the BABYLON 19 cinema, award-winning feature films, documentaries and animated films will be screened for the first time in Berlin
Art house highlights, cult films, or blockbusters - the four series NEW BALTIC FEATURES, OPPOSITE SCREENS, ANIMANIA and BALTIC SHORTS bring you the best Baltic short and feature film productions of the last two years. Historical topics such as DEFENDERS OF RIGA (Director: Aigars Grauba) or the biopic TAARKA about the Seto singer Hilana Taarka by Ain Mäeots are there to be discovered, as well as the festival highlight I WAS HERE by René Vilbre. The opening film tells the tumultuous coming-of-age story of an elite student and drug dealer named Rass. Questions about democracy and civil society are raised in the series OPPOSITE SCREENS. Among the highlights here are the documentary THE REVOLUTION THAT WAS NOT by Aljona Polunia about the Russian opposition, or BURRIED AT SEA by environmental activist Grigori Pasko about the planned controversial gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea. The documentary THE BUG TRAINER portrays the fascinating artist and pioneer of puppet animation, Ladislas Starewitch from Lithuania, which is shown in the animated series ANIMANIA. New short films from Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, round the programme off.
"This year's selection of films gives the Berlin audience an excellent overview of the current trends in the Baltic film industry and demonstrates that the artists from the Baltic states have re-established and re-defined themselves 20 years after the regained independence. Meanwhile, their films are shown at international festivals and receive much interest; nevertheless 90% of the films we present you have no distribution in Germany. And therefore these cinematic discoveries are in very good hands here in Berlin, the interface for Eastern Europe“, says Gudrun Holz, director and founder of the BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN.
The festival is supported by the Estonian Film Foundation, the National Film Center Latvia, Lietuvos kinas, Skoda and the Embassies of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN 16. – 22.10.2009
Festival Cinema: Babylon, Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, 10178 Berlin
Information and programme: www.balticfilmfestivalberlin.net
Language: Original language with subtitles
Tickets: 6.50 Euro
Ticket reservations: Phone 030 - 242 59 69
Contact / Press photos:
Jelly Press /
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Tel.: 030-37 30 70 47, Mobil: 0177-330 85 24
GREETING of Festival director
Gudrun Holz to the 5. BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN
Dear Guests of the Festival,
we are very glad to celebrate this year the fifth anniversary of the BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN, together with an enthusiastic and thoughtful audience as well as our long-standing and new supporters, promoters and sponsors.
We would like to thank all those who have accompanied, supported, and encouraged us, and all those who are glad that this year again, the Berlin film autumn has a definite Baltic touch.
In recent years the cinema of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia was all over the international film industry’s news and made a great impression. A new generation of directors gained a lot of success both at home and abroad. It has become clear now that the filmmakers can draw from an ample pool of talent in the Baltic States. Literary adaptations, international co-productions, historic topics, as well as productions with an experimental style and coming-of-age stories have won many awards. The program NEW BALTIC FEATURES offers you a concise selection of films produced in the last two years.
A completely new element of the festival is the documentary program OPPOSITE SCREENS, with productions that are dedicated to the tension-filled processes in civil society, both in the Baltic states as well as in their neighbouring countries.
Cinema is a cross-border medium and thus has a crucial importance for increasing the visibility of the three Baltic states. It is also an important economic factor in the countries themselves. After two decades of political independence and economic consolidation, the crisis and economic upheavals affect the entire film industry, and this comes definitely at the wrong time for the three small countries in the Northeast of Europe, producing much more serious consequences for them.
Once again, the pragmatism and artistic freedom of the filmmakers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania plays an even bigger part, based on established film funding structures and film institutes since the regained independence. For this reason, dedicated distributors and co-producers are equally vital in the future.
Welcome to the 5th BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN! We You will find a Baltic cinema full of innovation that gives true credit to the theme of the festival: FILMS THAT GO BEYOND.
Gudrun Holz
Festival director BALTIC FILM FESTIVAL BERLIN