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 Support The DrudgeReport; Visit Our Advertisers  Political cinema tipped for prizes at Berlin film festival Fri Feb 18 2005 10:42:51 ET The race for gold wraps up Friday at the 55th annual Berlin Film Festival, with political dramas tackling subjects as varied as the Rwandan genocide, Palestinian suicide bombers and the Nazi terror tipped for top prizes. Despite early complaints of a lacklustre field of contenders, a number of hard-hitting dramas have broken away from the pack of 22 nominees for the Golden Bear for best picture to be awarded Saturday night. "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" about a young German student's defiance in the face of Hitler's Gestapo and "The Late Mitterrand" on the iconic French president have won high marks from critics at the 11-day event. "Paradise Now," a contentious pan-European production offering a nuanced look at the Israeli-Palestinian violence, has also created a buzz, as has "Sometimes in April," one of two major films examining the Rwandan atrocities. The second, the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda starring Don Cheadle, appeared out of competition. Charles Masters of the industry trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter said that while "Sometimes in April" was not an artistic triumph, its worthy subject matter might sway the seven-member international jury. "The Berlin prize often goes to a political film so 'Sometimes in April' must stand a good chance," he told AFP. Critics also heaped praise on Japanese samurai love story "The Hidden Blade" by Yoji Yamada and Hollywood cult director Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic" starring Bill Murray and Cate Blanchett. A Golden Bear at the Berlinale, the first major European festival of the year, traditionally guarantees a film wide international distribution and an early boost at the box office. Last year's victor, "Head-On" about Turkish-German lovers trapped between two cultures, went on to pick up a string of awards around Europe and has made inroads in the US market. If "Paradise Now" claims the prize, however, industry magazine Screen International reported Thursday that major US distributors might nevertheless be skittish about picking it up due to its arguably sympathetic look at Arab suicide bombers. "Big companies can be afraid of doing it because they have connections with powerful people and they don't like to see such films," director Hany Abu-Assad told the daily. "But there is always another smaller distributor." Along with the gems, the 2005 competition has also had its share of howlers including "The Wayward Cloud," a Taiwanese porn musical. |
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