All posts by ivyle

TEDDY TODAY: 16th of February 2024

Welcome back to the second day of the 74th Berlinale and its queer program. Today there are a several premiers of stunning queer films as well as the TEDDY Jury Reception. Find more information about the event by clicking here. Six films are premiering today and we have two great interviews for you.

INTERVIEWS:

Teaches for Peaches

“Have you heard the Teaches of Peaches? Don´t miss this tour the force portrait of an uncompromising and unapologetic queer icon. Free yourself and fuck the pain away!”

Seamlessly weaving together exclusive archival gems with dynamic tour footage, this documentary captures the transformative journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed cultural powerhouse that is Peaches.

Premiere: 21.02 / 21:30 Zoo Palast 1

🎥 22.02 / 18:30 Cubix 9
🎥 23.02 / 12:15 Verti Music Hall

Click here to learn more about the film!

I Don´t Want To Be Just A Memory

“In this deeply moving film about loss and collective grief, Berlin’s queer community raises awareness about the ever growing issue of substance-related deaths in the scene. An emotive and urgent piece of filmmaking.

Berlin queer community members mourn the substance abuse-related loss of their friends by sharing memories and rituals. Resembling glow-in-the-dark fungi, they radiate light together as a network of support and care.

Premiere: 16.02/ 16:00 Kino Arsenal 1

🎥 17.02/ 21:00 Kino Betonhalle@Silent Green
🎥 22.02/ 19:30 Kino Arsenal 2
🎥 22.02/ 19:30 Cubix 7
🎥25.02/ 19:00 Kino International

Want to learn more about this film? Click here!

PREMIERES:

All Shall Be Well

Directed by: Ray Yeung
Hong Kong, China, 2024, 93′

Filmstill All Shall Be Well © Mise en Scene filmproduction

When her partner Pat unexpectedly dies, Angie is left to worry about the flat in which the couple lived together for over 30 years. Supported by her chosen family, Angie begins a later-life journey into emancipation.

SCREENING TIMES:

16.02. / 19:30 Kino International

Cuckoo

Directed by: Tilman Singer
2024, Germany, USA, 102′

Filmstill Cuckoo ©  NEON

Gretchen travels to the German Alps with her father and stepmother. In the resort town where they are staying, she comes across some
dark secrets. She hears strange noises and is plagued by frightening visions of a woman chasing her. Gretchen is drawn into a
conspiracy involving bizarre experiments by the resort’s owner that echoes back generations…

SCREENING TIMES:

16.02. / 21:00 Verti Music Hall

detours while speaking of monsters

Directed by: Deniz Şimşek
Germany, Turkey, 2024, 18′

Filmstill detours while speaking of monsters ©  Deniz Şimşek

Here, where even monsters are political, the topography has its own memory. It has the mythological blues. Meanwhile, old gods are upset with us, and I am upset with my father.

SCREENING TIMES:

16.02. / 16:00 Kino Arsenal 1

Grandmamauntsistercat

Directed by: Zuza Banasińska
Netherlands, Poland, 2024, 23′

Filmstill Grandmamauntsistercat ©  Zuza Banasińska / Educational Film Studio in Łódź

Created from archival materials from communist Poland, the film tells the story of a multispecies matriarchal family through the eyes of a child grappling with the reproduction of ideological and representational systems.

SCREENING TIMES:

16.02. / 16:00 Kino Arsenal 1

I Don’t Want To Be Just A Memory

Directed by: Sarnt Utamachote
Germany, 2024, 20′

Filmstill I Don’t Want To Be Just A Memory © Nordic Media House

Fellow members of the Berlin queer community mourn together the loss of their dead friends due to substance abuse and the mental health crisis as well as the loss of urban safe spaces in general. By sharing personal materials, stories, and honest criticism about the club scene, working on this film becomes a means of healing for this group of friends. Resembling glow-in-the-dark fungi, they radiate light together as a network of support and care, they transform dead bodies and memories into a collective structure that sustains future living..

SCREENING TIMES:

16.02. / 16:00 Kino Arsenal 1

Winners (Sieger Sein)

Directed by: Soleen Yusuf
Germany, 2024, 119′

Film still Sieger Sein (Winners) © Stephan Burchardt / DCM

Eleven-year-old Mona and the rest of her seven-member Kurdish family have fled Syria and ended up in Berlin. Or, more precisely, the
neighbourhood of Wedding where Mona is sent to a notorious primary school attended by 90 percent “foreigners”. Chaos reigns in the
school. Most of the teachers are having a nervous breakdown and frustration levels amongst the pupils are growing by the day. Mona
feels it, too. She can barely speak German, but she can speak football. In her hometown, she often played street football with her mates.
She misses her home, her friends and especially her aunt Helin. She was Mona’s hero who always supported her passion for football.
Everything is different in Germany. Then a dedicated teacher called Mr Che recognises Mona’s special talent and selects her for the
girls’ team. But this well-intentioned gesture fails to make things any easier. Mona is quickly identified as an outsider and playing in a
team with the other girls turns out to be more difficult than expected. Each of them is fighting their own battles but one thing soon
becomes clear: they will only win if they all play together.

SCREENING TIMES:

16.02. / 15:30 HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium

RERUNS:

Crossing
16.02. / 12:00 Verti Music Hall

TEDDY TODAY: 15th of February 2024

The wait is over. The 74th Berlinale is finally starting.
If you want to keep up to date with the premieres of LGBTQIA+ films, then you’ve come to the right place! Every day we will inform you about the latest films and screening times. In addition to the premieres, you will also find interesting interviews with the film makers over the next ten days.

Then all that’s left to do is buy your cinema ticket, order some popcorn and enjoy the screening!

For even more information and interviews about this year’s queer films, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

The first interviews with the film makers are here:

Crossing

Lia, a retired teacher, has promised to find her long-lost niece, Tekla. Her search takes her to Istanbul where she meets Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights, and Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.

Premiere: 21:00 / Zoo Palast 1

🎥 15.02 / 21:30 Zoo Palast 2
🎥 16.02 / 12:00 Verti Music Hall
🎥 17.02 / 12:30 Cubix 9
🎥 18.02 / 10:00 Cubix 5
🎥 23.02 / 16:30 Kino International

More about the director and his film

Goodbye First Love

He pays him a visit in Frankfurt during his work trip to Europe. He talks about their time in Beijing, back in 2015. He listens, sometimes answers, unblurring those seemingly important details which do not matter any longer. Worn-out joy and fresh weariness. This might be the last time they meet.

🎥 19.02 / 21:30 Cubix 9
🎥 20.02 / 13:30 Cineplex Titania
🎥 21.02. / 15:00 Cinema Betonhalle@Silent Green

More about the director and his film!

Baldiga – Unlocked Heart

Using diary excerpts, photographs and memories from companions, the film paints the portrait of the artist Jürgen Baldiga who sensitively and authentically captured the West Berlin queer scene of the 1980s and early 1990s with his camera.

🎥 21.02 / 18:45 Haus der Berliner Festspiele
🎥 22.02 / 21:30 Cubix 8
🎥 23.02 / 10:30 Cubix 5

More about the director and his film

PREMIERES:

Crossing

Directed by: Levan Akin
Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, France, Georgia, 2024, 105′

Film still Crossing © Haydar Tastan

Lia, a retired teacher, has made a promise to find out what happened to her long-lost niece, Tekla. When Lia learns from a neighbour,
Achi, that Tekla might have left their Georgian homeland and be living in Turkey, Lia and Achi set off together to find her. Arriving in
Istanbul, they discover a beautiful city full of connections and possibilities. But searching for someone who never intended to be found is harder than they expected – until they meet Evrim, a lawyer fighting for trans rights. As Lia and Achi weave their way through the city’s
backstreets, Tekla starts to feel closer than ever.
Levan Akin’s fourth feature film is filled with an impressive emotional immediacy. Two initially hesitant strangers overcome not only
ideological but also internal boundaries on their mission and join forces. The topography of the city plays just as important a role in this
ode to humanity as the array of characters that live within it.

SCREENING TIMES:

15.02. / 21:00 Zoo Palast 1

RERUNS:

Crossing
15.02/ 21:30 Zoo Palast 2

Get to know the Artwork: A Klaus Nomi Tribute

Once again this year, we are delighted to present the creative artwork of talented artist Marion Habringer. If you are now asking yourself “Wait a minute, the bow tie on the TEDDY and the pattern on the poster look familiar to me”, then you are exactly right. This year’s design for the 38th TEDDY AWARD is all about “Klaus Nomi”, who would have been 80 years old this year.

If the name doesn’t bring back any memories, here is an introduction to the unique German countertenor, performance artist and pioneer of the new wave music scene. Born on January 24, 1944 in Immenstadt, he studied opera singing in Germany before emigrating to the USA in the 1970s, where he developed his unmistakable performance style.

However, Nomi did not remain undiscovered for long. When he performed as a backing singer for none other than David Bowie, Klaus Nomi captivated audiences not only with his voice, but also with his extravagant stage outfits and theatrical presence. His performances blurred stereotypical gender roles, influencing the work of subsequent artists. The large, triangular bow tie, which this year’s TEDDY is also wearing, has become his trademark.

His self-titled debut album, released in 1981, underlines his multifaceted artistic identity. Nomi’s music incorporates a wide range of genres such as pop, new wave and electronic music, in which he has incorporated interpretations of classical pieces such as “The Cold Song” by Henry Purcell.

Klaus Nomi died at the age of just 39 as a result of his AIDS-infection. Even after his death, many influences can still be found, especially in the music of the 1970s and 1980s. He had a particular influence on the avant-garde pop, new wave, and electronic music scenes, as well as performance art.

We commemorate Klaus Nomi and his important work for the queer community.

Fly direct from the TEDDY AWARD to your dream destination

With Air France, which has been celebrating elegance above the clouds for 90 years, the whole world is open to you: Over 167 destinations in 79 countries are served by the French airline. 

And the best thing is: your vacation begins on board when you start your journey with a glass of champagne – completely “à la française”. You can also enjoy comfort and peace and quiet above the clouds or discover the varied entertainment program. Sustainable menus with French products are served on all long-haul routes from Paris, while meals in Business Class are created by leading French star chefs. 

Your stay on board will fly by and become a special experience. 

The French airline Air France is giving away a flight voucher for 2 people to a desired destination in the Air France route network, including all taxes and fees for outward and return flights. 

Every ticket buyer for the TEDDY AWARD CEREMONY on 23.02.2024 at the Volksbühne Berlin automatically takes part in the raffle.

Find out more at www.airfrance.de

Get your tickets now!

How often have you dreamt about being up close at the biggest queer film award ceremony? Experience its outstanding actors and directors live and in color?

The TEDDY has awoken from its winter sleep and is expecting everyone in the Volksbühne once again this year. The most spectacular and glamorous queer party of the Berlinale awaits you.

Mark the 23.02.2024 in your calendars!

Get your tickets now!