The Greek-French director Costa-Gavras will be the President of the International Jury of the Berlinale 2008. The Greek-born director, now living in France, is one of the most renowned representatives of dedicated, political film 

To date, eight titles have been confirmed for the Competition programme of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival. The films are from China, Brazil, Mexico, Great Britain, USA, Poland and Germany. 

Almost two-thirds of the programme for the Competition of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival have now been confirmed. Besides the eight titles already announced (press release: December 10, 2007), another nine films have been invited to the Competition. To date the selection includes productions from the following countries: Belgium, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Poland, Israel, Canada, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong, China 

The Rolling Stones concert film Shine A Light from Oscar® winning director Martin Scorsese will open the festival on February 7, 2008 with the director and band in attendance 

The Competition programme of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival is complete. In addition to the 18 titles already announced (press releases: Dec. 10, 2007, Jan. 9 and 15, 2008), the final eight Competition titles have been confirmed. The selection now includes the following production countries: Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Poland, Israel, Canada, USA, Brazil, Mexico, Iran, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China, as well as Hong Kong, China 

This year, eight international film experts and stars will decide who is to take home the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears. Jury President Costa-Gavras (France) is one of the most renowned figures of dedicated, political filmmaking. His international breakthrough came in 1969 with the political thriller Z, which won him two Academy Awards 

With profound regret, Susanne Bier and Sandrine Bonnaire have announced at the last moment they will be unable to participate on the jury 

Next to renowned directors like Laetitia Masson, Brad Anderson or Lucia Murat, newcomers like Javier Gutierrez from Spain or Özgür Yildirim from Germany will present their works in the Panorama 2008. Music star Madonna will give her directorial debut alongside the works of underground star Bruce LaBruce and TEDDY winner 2007, Zero Chou from Taiwan 

The selection for the Panorama is almost complete. Some 50 films will be screening in the Panorama Special, Panorama main programme and Panorama Dokumente. Alongside the strong showing of auteur films typical for the Panorama, the return of more classic narrative forms can be observed in 2008 and thus the clear presence of films whose stories are conveyed by a variety of genre formats 

This year’s Panorama will present 17 feature films in its main programme, 15 in Panorama Special and 18 in its Panorama Dokumente series. 31 of these films are world premieres and 17 directorial debuts 

The 38th Forum opens on February 8, 2008 in the Delphi Filmpalast with Guy Maddin’s new film My Winnipeg and Isabella Rossellini’s short films Green Porno as international premieres. My Winnipeg is a loving but grim homage to Maddin’s Canadian home city, an autobiographical fairytale that cleverly combines documentary footage with reenactments, family photos, and excerpts from old films 

The 38th Forum of the Berlinale is showing a truly world-spanning and diverse programme with films from 33 countries and all continents. One emphasis again this year is the experimental, unconventional, imaginative work of young filmmakers; the programme presents a total of 16 directorial debuts. A conspicuous number of films adopt the perspective of children and young people – in a world where often there is no more childhood 

For the third time, Forum expanded will accompany the Forum with exhibitions, films and video programs, performances, and discussions. More than fifty artists, filmmakers, musicians and performers are represented from over ten countries 

The long-term reportage Obcan Havel (Citizen Havel) follows the term of office of former Czech President Václav Havel in an unprecedented intimacy with the private side of political activity. In 1993, at the start of Havel’s first presidency, filmmaker Pavel Koutecký began the project that would accompany him and Havel for more than a decade 

Young film lovers with a passion for critical film analysis can apply from today on to become a jury member for the Berlinale award “Dialogue en perspective”. The prize was initiated by TV5MONDE and the FGYO, and will be awarded at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17 2008) to a film from the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section.  

The German director and producer Peter Sehr will be jury president of the award “Dialogue en perspective” at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2008, the independent jury prize will be awarded for the fifth time to a film in the Berlinale section Perspektive Deutsches Kino 

Taking to the streets for May Day in mid-February: a feature film from Berlin, 1. Mai – Das Ende vom Lied (1st of May - All Belongs to You), will open what is now the seventh edition of the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section on February 8, 2008. This episodic film directed by Jakob Ziemnicki, Sven Taddicken (Emmas Glück/Emma’s Fortune), and duo Carsten Ludwig and Jan-Christoph Glaser recounts legendary and true tales about Labour Day in present-day Kreuzberg 

With the invitation of three more feature-length films and two documentaries, as well as a medium-length work from a film academy, the programme of Perspektive Deutsches Kino of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival is complete 

For the fifth time the international Francophone TV channel TV5MONDE, official partner of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlinale and the German-French Youth Office (FGYO) have asked German and French film fans to apply for the jury to award the prize “Dialogue en perspective” 

On November 11, 2007 in Berlin, the "Berlinale Edition" will be launched with films from Generation, the Berlin International Film Festival’s section for children and youths. To begin with, five DVDs with four feature films and a collection of short films will go on sale. 

The youth competition Generation 14plus will celebrate its premieres in the Babylon Mitte cinema at Rosa-Luxemburg Platz. The splendid 1920’s architecture, designed by Hans Poelzig in the New Objectivity style (Neue Sachlichkeit), will provide the perfect backdrop to an exciting competition 

The selection for Generation – the Berlinale section for children and youth- has been finalised. 24 feature and 31 short films from 20 countries will be screening this year. This includes eight world and seven international feature film premieres 

The members of the Kinderjury Generation Kplus Justus Paul Bauch, Jana Marie Bussmann, Jesper Ole Ebbert, Tita-Antonia Hagen, Carl-Ludwig Hausl, Ntozake Iglesias, Max Kressner, Lisa Frederike Lassen, Joelle Marianek, Lino Steinwärder und Nina-Liliht Völsch give the following awards: 

Everything begins with a razor blade slashing an eye: in the summer of 1929, Un chien andalou premieres in Paris. The audience and the critics receive the debut work of Spanish director Luis Buñuel with enthusiasm. Yet his second film, L’âge d’or (1930), causes a storm of protest 

The Homage of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival will be dedicated to the renowned Italian director Francesco Rosi. In his work, Rosi has critically reflected on political, economic and intellectual developments in Italy. Within the scope of the Homage, Francesco Rosi will receive the Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement on February 14, 2008 

This year’s Luis Buñuel Retrospective will commence and conclude at the Volksbühne with two special presentations focusing on Buñuel’s famous directorial debut: his silent film Un chien andalou (France 1929) is to be screened four times, and each time it will be accompanied live by different works of contemporary music 

The short film section has entered its second year under a new name, Berlinale Shorts, for the 58th Berlin International Film Festival. The festival made a statement last year by introducing a dedicated short film section and in doing so reaffirmed the significance of the genre for film production in general. 

The award ceremony for the Berlinale Shorts section will be held on February 12. By then the jury, with Romanian producer Ada Solomon, French actor-director Marc Barbé and Germany’s talented young actress Laura Tonke, will have seen and evaluated 29 films 

The programme of the 2008 Berlinale Talent Campus is dedicated to the theme of emotionality and film 

In its sixth year the attraction of the Berlinale Talent Campus remains strong: 3304 young filmmakers from 120 countries applied to the Berlinale Talent Campus #6, with applications received for the first time from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Vietnam. 350 applicants will be invited from February 9 – 14, 2008, to explore the Campus focus entitled “SCREENING EMOTIONS – Cinema’s Finest Asset”. 

Short film competition, part of the Berlinale Talent Campus, will be under the patronage of German foreign minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2009 

The Berlinale Talent Campus together with the Federal Foreign Office will launch a new initiative. “FOCUS AFRICA“ will take an in-depth look at contemporary filmmaking in Africa 

They show the life stories of historical or contemporary personalities and have recently grown more and more successful: Biopics. Why are they so popular? Is it perhaps because audiences prefer the real, complex characters featured in Biopics to the more simple, fictional ones created for feature films? 

Yesterday evening (Saturday, Feb 9) festival director Dieter Kosslick and Campus director Dorothee Wenner opened the Berlinale Talent Campus 2008 before a crowd of ca. 600 invited guests in the Hebbel am Ufer theatre, HAU 1. Until Feb 14, 350 Talents from about 100 countries will meet with international experts to learn from their experience in workshops and discussion-based events 

On Thursday, the Berlinale Talent Campus #6 marked the end of another successful edition with a closing ceremony and announcement of the winner of this year’s Volkswagen Score Competition 

Experienced producers from around the world may submit their new feature film projects to the 5th Berlinale Co-Production Market (February 10-12, 2008) until November 1, 2007 

Kicking off the annual industry calendar, the European Film Market (EFM), part of the Berlin International Film Festival, opens its doors for business from February 7- 17, 2008. One of EFM’s major strengths is the synergy generated by the combination of the film market and festival. After the soaring growth of the past two years, the EFM has successfully established itself as one of the top three international film markets in the world 

At the fifth Berlinale Co-Production Market (February 10-12, 2008), a selection of 35 film projects from 25 countries will be presented. Their producers are looking for international investors and co-production partners 

Just a few weeks before the Berlinale begins, the European Film Market (EFM) 2008 can report a positive trend: companies from 50 countries will participate in the first big industry event of the year (February 7 to 17, 2008) and present themselves at the exhibition venues in the Martin-Gropius-Bau and the “EFM Exhibitor Offices” 

The European Film Market (EFM) and its official main partner and sponsor Arts Alliance Media (AAM), are presenting the EFM Industry Debates. Building on the success of last year’s collaboration, this year’s debates will deal with the opportunities and challenges of digital film distribution and sales 

Ten book titles have been selected for presentation on February 12 during the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Producers interested in the film rights can discuss matters on location with right holders 

The European Film Market (EFM) can report upbeat results at the conclusion of the first major business event of the year. In 2008, the EFM hosted a record number of exhibitors, sales agents and industry professionals at two venues, the Martin Gropius Bau and the EFM Exhibitor Offices, as well as presented close to 1,100 screenings in cinemas around Potsdamer Platz 

Carlos Reygadas’ Stellet Licht (Silent Light), a film supported by the World Cinema Fund of the Berlinale, has been invited to participate in the competition of the 60th Cannes Film Festival 

In the sixth selection round of the World Cinema Fund (WCF), five film projects have been chosen for funding, from Columbia, Argentina, Angola, Israel and Iran 

To mark the 150th anniversary of the German-Argentine friendship, the Embassy of Argentina, the German Foreign Office and the World Cinema Fund of the Berlinale are presenting - with the support of the INCAA - the film series “Historias de vida y melancolía – Films from Argentina”  

In the seventh selection round of the World Cinema Fund (WCF), chaired by Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick, four film projects have been recommended for funding from Armenia, Indonesia, Iran, and Israel 

On February 13, 2008, the World Cinema Fund (WCF) of the Berlinale invites WCF directors and producers as well as international representatives of the film branch and the press to a panel event. Under the heading “How to Optimize Our Potential / New Strategies for Cooperation und Funding”, the WCF’s strategic goals and current measures, as well as its experiences and results so far will be discussed 

Since 1986, the Berlin International Film Festival has presented the Berlinale Camera to film personalities or institutions to which it feels particularly indebted and wishes to express its thanks with this award 

The members of the International Short Film Jury Marc Barbé (France), Ada Solomon (Romania), Laura Tonke (Germany) award the following prizes: 

The members of the Youth Jury in the Generation 14plus Roman Akbar, Zadora Enste, Hans Hirsch, Nora Kubach, Zoe Martin, Linda Moog and Lavan Vasuthevan give the following awards: 

The audience has decided: the 10th PanoramaAudienceAward, sponsored by Radioeins of RBB, Berlin-Brandenburg’s public radio and television broadcasting station, and Berlin’s city magazine tip in collaboration with the Berlinale’s Panorama section – goes to Lemon Tree (Israel/Germany/France 2008) directed by Eran Riklis 

A young German-French jury from TV5MONDE and the German-French Youth Office (GFYO) will award the independent prize for the fifth time at this year’s 58th Berlin International Film Festival. This year, the film Drifter from Sebastian Heidinger received the prize 

All the awards - official and independent juries - of the 58th International Film Festival 

Film-lovers who may have missed a few movies at this year’s Berlinale in February now have the chance to discover highlights from the latest Berlinale programme 

On October 11th, the Berlinale Day at the Frankfurt Book Fair (October 10th-14th 2007) will take place for the third year. The common goal is to use the synergies between literature and film to further strengthen the cooperation between the book and film industries/worlds. 

An exciting chapter of recent German film history is the focus of a special Berlinale series, “Rebellion of the filmmakers” (Aufbruch der Filmemacher). The starting point is the documentary film Gegenschuss – Aufbruch der Filmemacher (Reverse Angle – Rebellion of the Filmmakers) which deals with the origins, development and crises of the legendary film publisher, Filmverlag der Autoren, in the early nineteen seventies 

“This is the biggest change to movies since the invention of the full-length feature film. Those that understand this transformation can be winners and those who don’t will fall behind,” says Don Tapscott, one of the leading authorities on digital economy, in describing the film industry’s current situation in view of the rapid advances in the media 

After getting off to a great start last year, the Berlinale’s special programme Culinary Cinema will be held for the second time from February 11 to 15, 2008. This series of events connects movies on culinary topics with gastronomical delights inspired by the films 

For two years now the Berlinale has been offering child-care services for accredited festival guests in the Berlinale Kindergarten, at the Gemäldegalerie (Old Master Paintings) at Potsdamer Platz. This service has been enthusiastically received and will for the first time be available for the Berlinale public in 2008 

“The Berlinale’s positive development in recent years would have been inconceivable without the continued financial and creative support of our sponsors. We are particularly pleased to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of our partnership with L’ORÉAL PARiS in 2008. Volkswagen, ZDF and Hugo Boss have also supported the Festival for many years now. And as new and competent co-partner, we are delighted to welcome Vanity Fair, with its knowledge of film and the industry, on board.” Dieter Kosslick 

The Berlinale Special is a part of the Festival’s official programme and presents recent works by contemporary filmmakers whose films the Berlinale would like to honour. This blend of remembrance, information and experiment will screen at two main venues: the Filmpalast on Kurfürstendamm and the International on the Karl-Marx-Allee 

In February 1968 the Socialist German Student Association (SDS) staged the ‘Vietnam Congress’ in Berlin. This event marked the beginning of the student protest movement which went down in history as ‘May 1968’. The congress triggered the German student movement which gradually switched its main focus from the war in the Middle East to concentrate on the young Federal Republic and its own post-war history 

The Berlinale has been even more committed to supporting the next generation of film makers since 2006, when it introduced the Best First Feature Award. This year again, a dedicated, three-person international jury will decide on the best debut film. The award is endowed with 50,000 Euros, donated by the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrecht), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights 

The Berlinale 2008 press dossier, detailed film lists of all sections and the programme of the Berlinale Talent Campus can be downloaded here (only in German) 

At this year’s Berlinale Keynotes, members of the digital media avant-garde – including top producers from the international games industry, Wikinomics pioneers and Open Movie directors – will discuss some of the most challenging questions facing the film industry 

With the world premiere of the Rolling Stones concert film, Shine a Light by Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese, the 58th Berlin International Film Festival will open tomorrow, February 7, 2008. Director Martin Scorsese, and Stones Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood are all coming to Berlin to attend this big event 

More than 350 international media experts attended the secon