Tag Archives: Queer Film Award

3. Day: Sotschi! – Bless you!

Good health! That is what we wish the Russian government in these days, good psychological health.

At the same time as the Berlinale started, also the XXII. Olympic Winter Games in the Russian city of Sotschi celebrated their beginning. But this sports event is not just about skiing and curling. The Olympic Games were and are because of their locations also a political event, no matter if in 1936, 1980, 2008 or 2014. A lot of people will not be given a voice in this year during this sports event.

The TEDDY on the other side was and is also a political award, which by supporting queer movies and queer culture wants to give a voice to those, who otherwise would remain unheard. Everyone who listens to this voice can learn a lot – about other people, other countries but also about themselves. Today’s TEDDY films contribute to this dialogue of cultures and who know what Putin would find about himself, if he was watching them…

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So, Mr. Putin, do you have any plans for tonight?

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Sebastian


YVES SAINT LAURENT
(Yves Saint Laurent)

At the age of 21 talented young designer Yves Saint Laurent takes up a position as assistant to couturier Christian Dior. After Dior’s death Saint Laurent is made artistic director of one of the world’s most renowned fashion houses. His first collection is a triumphant success and this shy fashion genius becomes famous overnight. In Pierre Bergé he finds the love of his life and together they found their own label: ‘Yves Saint Laurent’.
Jalil Lespert creates a monument to one of the most creative proponents the world of fashion has ever known. Saint Laurent’s innovative creations revolutionised haute couture and are still regarded as the epitome of French lifestyle.

Yves_Saint_Laurent_1 Yves_Saint_Laurent_3

Cinemaxx 7, 10.00am


LOVE IS STRANGE
(Love is Strange)

love_is_strange_1

When same-sex marriage is legalised in New York in 2011, Ben and George decide to marry after 39 years together. Shortly after this, George, who works as a music teacher at a Catholic school, is dismissed without notice and they lose their apartment in Chelsea. George finds a place to stay with a gay couple and Ben is taken in by his nephew’s family in Brooklyn.
Impressively director Ira Sachs and his ensemble turn a story about loss of livelihood in the wake of homophobia into a sensitive study of partnerships. Alfred Molina and John Lithgow embody the deep bond between George and Ben with a touchingly tender light-heartedness, giving us a couple which enchants each other and us with their love.

Cinemaxx 7, 12.45am


CASTANHA
(Castanha)

Castanha_1

52-year-old actor and transvestite João has his best years behind him. He’s ill, has lost both lovers and companions along the way and appears weary, even if none of this stops him from living the way he always has. João shares two rooms with his mother in a housing complex closed off to the outside; at night he performs in small theatres and gay bars.
The film makes just as much time for solitary moments in shabby backstage areas as it does for João’s performances and his unforgettable face, exploring a milieu at once tender, brutal and cruel with precision, its fleeting glamour only skin-deep. Its complex layers of documentary observation and fictional elements coalesce into a story of life and death.

Castanha_3 Castanha_2

Cinestar 8, 1.45pm


FINDING VIVIAN MAIER
(Finding Vivian Maier)

John Maloof loves forced sales where he can acquire items from an individual’s private estate. One day he makes the astonishing discovery of a box of undeveloped films and negatives that were found in an attic. There are a particularly large number of photographs of children, absorbed in play, or staring confidently into the lens. But who was behind the camera? And why were the photographs of Vivian Maier never discovered? John Maloof embarks on his research. He is hunting for clues about the life of this woman who for over forty years travelled the world with her camera. His ensuing portrait is a fascinating depiction of an artist with an open gaze to which even strangers consented.

Finding_Vivian_Maier_1 Finding_Vivian_Maier_2

Cinestar 7, 2.30pm


THE DOG
(The Dog)

The_Dog_1Over ten years in the making, Allison Berg’s and Frank Keraudren’s powerful documentary THE DOG follows the life of John Wojtowicz, who spectacularly attempted to secure the money for his partner’s sex change by robbing a bank in Brooklyn in 1972. His attempted heist was made famous by Sidney The_Dog_2Lumet’s 1975 film DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Making use of copious archive footage, photographs and testimonials from contemporaries, the filmmakers follow not only Wojtowicz’s occasionally bizarre life and progression from lower-middle class right-winger The Dog_3to militant gay activist, but also provide an unconventional survey of gay culture in New York during the past forty years. The Dog is truly a labour of love with Wojtowicz as its fascinating anti-hero, captured here in all his humaneness.

Colosseum 1, 3.30pm


AS ROSAS BRANCAS
(The White Roses)

as_rosas_brancas_1

as_rosas_brancas_7A group of people dance at a sports ground to the music of Supertramp. The siblings take flowers to a grave in the deep snow, wearing floral wreaths in their hair. The father directs them. They embrace one another. Memories are invoked by pictures enclosed inside Gabriel’s, the brother’s, amulet. The mother is dead – how will they fill the void she left behind? Each individual family member tries to find their way, is obliged to redefine their course. Calm are the images and gestures that lead us through this film. Of the utmost importance however, is the question of how to proceed with the mother inside one’s heart.

Cinemaxx 5, 4.00pm


THROUGH A LENS DARKLY
(Through a Lens Darkly)

In his impressive and artistically versatile documentary, Thomas Allen Harris chronicles the history of photography from an Afro-American perspective. With the aid of countless archive photographs he makes apparent how, from the beginnings of photography to the present day, the black community used the camera as a tool for social change. Making use of photographic arrangements, some of which are collage-like and others animated, the film introduces us to photographers of arthistorical importance like Roy De Carvava.
Harris once again makes use of personal material depicting his own family in order to reflect upon the emergence of a sense of photographic identity among African Americans in the USA.

through_a_lens_darkly_2 through_a_lens_darkly_1

Cubix 7, 5.30pm


52 TUESDAY
(52 Tuesdays)

52_Tuesdays_3

Billie can’t believe her mother has decided to undergo gender reassignment surgery. James – as her mother now prefers to be known – has always wanted to be a man. Nonetheless, James tries to observe his motherly responsibilities, while he goes through this change. There’s plenty going on in Billie’s own life, too. Enthralled by a clandestine amorous encounter between two pupils, she joins in. When James tries to protect Billie, their already fragile relationship threatens to collapse.
Sophie Hyde, known for her documentary films, makes use of a documentary style in her first drama. Filming took place chronologically over a period of one year with the story being developed alongside.

52_Tuesdays_2 52_Tuesdays_1

Haus der Kulturen der Welt Kino 1, 8.00pm


VIHARSAROK
(Land of Storms)

Viharsarok_3Szabolcs, a young Hungarian footballer, plays for a German team and is good friends with his roommate Bernard. But Szabolcs decides to return to Hungary. In search of a new start in life, he decides to keep bees on his grandfather’s farm. But then Áron, a stonemason’s apprentice from the nearby Viharsarok_2village arrives on the scene. Together they renovate the farm and before long their matey relationship turns into a love affair. Bernard comes for a visit and tries to persuade Szabolcs to return to Germany. For a while, an idyllic ménage à trois ensues. But when Bernard leaves, Szabolcs decides to stay on with Áron: there’s no way he can leave him behind inViharsarok_1 such a repressed and intolerant environment.

International, 8.00pm


UNFRIEND
(Unfriend)

David lives with his grandmother. Warm and humorous, she supports her grandchild’s openly gay life, but he prefers to withdraw into his Facebook world at every opportunity. David would do anything for Jonathan and openly shares his feelings with online friends. When Jonathan posts images of himself with a new lover on Christmas Eve David struggles to overcome his powerlessness with a feverish obsession to win back his friend and soon finds himself in the grip of both real and virtual aspects of his unstable personality.
With an assured hand, Altarejos melds real and virtual worlds into a sensual, electrifying atmospheric arena that confronts us with his protagonist’s deep wounds.

Unfriend_2 Unfriend_1

Cinemaxx 7, 8.00pm


YA GAN BI HAENG
(Night Flight)

Yong-ju bumps into his ex-best friend, Gi-woong. They are in the same class but have long since gone their separate ways. Gi-woong’s gang is notorious for their cruel bullying of an eccentric classmate named Gi-taek. His attempts to regain their old friendship mean Yong-ju also runs the risk of becoming a target of this terrorising clan, but he refuses to give in. Instead, Yong-ju cleverly draws Gi-woong into a power game of mutual humiliation and burgeoning memories which triggers a dangerous emotional duel. The director of last year’s Panorama film WHITE NIGHT has chosen anonymous and abandoned urban spaces in which to depict the emotional turmoil gripping the two schoolboys.

Ya_Gan_Bi_Haeng_2 Ya_Gan_Bi_Haeng_1

Cinestar, 8.15pm


PAPILIO BUDDHA
(Papilio Buddha)

Shankaran discovers a rare butterfly, the Papilio Buddha, which is only found in the Western Ghats in India. It is a near perfect moment for him and his gay friend, Jack. The American accompanies Shankaran home where he witnesses an argument between Shankaran and his father which he fails to understand. His father is the leader of a group of Dalits, or low caste ‘untouchables’ who are engaged in a brutal struggle for land rights in many places in India. Although their rights have been enshrined in the constitution since independence, the police regard Dalits as terrorists. Shankaran is put behind bars and Jack is soon expelled from the country on account of his association with him.

Papilio_Buddha_1 Papilio_Buddha_2

Cinestar, 10.00pm


YE
(The Night)

Ye_1

A young man stands in front of a mirror. Every evening, he appraises his appearance, attired in a new shirt, leaves his apartment and waits in a poorly lit alleyway for his johns. One night he meets a female prostitute of his age who’s new in this part of town. They flirt and wander the streets and name themselves after flowers: he calls himself Tuberose and she, Narcissus. The strangers they follow remain faceless – until Rose, a one-night stand, falls in love with Tuberose. In his visually impressive, sensual debut film in which he also plays the leading role this 21-year-old director demonstrates all the poetic intensity of a Jean Genet in describing these three misfits’ mute search for intimacy.

Ye_2

Cinestar 7, 10.30pm


DER SAMURAI
(The Samurai)

Der SamuraiRegie: Till KleinertDeutschland 2013Caption: Pit Bukowski

People in the Brandenburg countryside are scared of wolves. But once this night is over people will wish it had just been a wolf that had come to haunt them. Instead, a nightmare in the shape of a nameless stranger with a samurai sword appears at the edge of the forest and leaves a trail of destruction in the village. For young local police officer Jakob the encounter with the warrior forces him to confront his own demons and face long-buried aspects of his personality. The more doggedly Jakob tries to maintain his moral armour and uphold his sense of law and order against the onslaught of the irrational, the more irresistible becomes his secret urge to accept his opponent’s gift.

 Der_Samurai_2  Der_Samurai_7

Cinemaxx 1, 11.00pm


2. Day: TEDDY PARTY – Let’s go wild

The TEDDY is normally not a shy deer, but still you don’t see it very often in its natural environment since it sleeps and rests on almost 354 days of the year. While other bears return to their caves for hibernation, the TEDDY becomes more active, its sleep more shallow, its dreams more vivid. It slowly begins to wake up, which can take between 3 and 4 months. But then it is wide awake in an instant moment, rushes to the international stars in the German capital, which – as it secretly knows – come only to see the roaring TEDDY, it is to be found on every party and at the end he is traditionally the host of the “Best Party of the Berlinale” as which experts state the grand TEDDY GALA. But this year this are different, because this year the TEDDY surprises everyone with not only one, but two big parties. And the first one is tonight’s grand opening Party at SchwuZ, where we will also welcome this year’s international TEDDY Jury!

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So, see you on the dancefloor!

Sebastian

P.S.: But please take good care of yourselves, because SchwuZ moved to Neukölln and we all know what’ going on down there…

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P.P.S.: For everyone who wants to stand in the flashlights of the Berlinale glamour before taking a bath in the party crowd, we can also today recommend a variety of fascinating movies which compete for one of the wanted TEDDY AWARDS:


BIM, BAM, BOM, LAS LUCHAS MORENAS
(Bim, Bam, Bom, las luchas morenas)

bim_bam_boom_1

Three women/three sisters/three professional luchadoras, part of the Dynasty Moreno: Rossy, Esther and Cynthia are competitive wrestlers on the ring. But they also bring lucha libre into life, wrestling with knives, pig heads, flowers and feathers!

Arsenal 1, 2.30pm


YVES SAINT LAURENT
(Yves Saint Laurent)

At the age of 21 talented young designer Yves Saint Laurent takes up a position as assistant to couturier Christian Dior. After Dior’s death Saint Laurent is made artistic director of one of the world’s most renowned fashion houses. His first collection is a triumphant success and this shy fashion genius becomes famous overnight. In Pierre Bergé he finds the love of his life and together they found their own label: ‘Yves Saint Laurent’.
Jalil Lespert creates a monument to one of the most creative proponents the world of fashion has ever known. Saint Laurent’s innovative creations revolutionised haute couture and are still regarded as the epitome of French lifestyle.

Yves_Saint_Laurent_1 Yves_Saint_Laurent_3

Zoopalast, 6.00pm


LOVE IS STRANGE
(Love is Strange)

love_is_strange_1

When same-sex marriage is legalised in New York in 2011, Ben and George decide to marry after 39 years together. Shortly after this, George, who works as a music teacher at a Catholic school, is dismissed without notice and they lose their apartment in Chelsea. George finds a place to stay with a gay couple and Ben is taken in by his nephew’s family in Brooklyn.
Impressively director Ira Sachs and his ensemble turn a story about loss of livelihood in the wake of homophobia into a sensitive study of partnerships. Alfred Molina and John Lithgow embody the deep bond between George and Ben with a touchingly tender light-heartedness, giving us a couple which enchants each other and us with their love.

Zoo Palast, 9.00 pm


CARAVAGGIO
(Caravaggio)

On his deathbed, the painter Michelangelo Caravaggio (1571–1610) looks back on his life. In flashbacks we see his Milan, the man who fostered his talent, and above all, his relationships with his models. Caravaggio finds the models for his mainly religious paintings among outsiders. On his forays into the world of the poor, criminals, and drunkards, he meets the gambler Ranuccio and his lover, the prostitute Lena. The passionate love triangle comes to an abrupt end when the body of a pregnant Lena is pulled from the Tiber.
Derek Jarman charts the (fictional) portrait of an artist lived between debauchery and social protest, transferring Caravaggio’s art with an artistic verve of his own onto the screen.

Caravaggio_1   Carvaggio_2

Haus der Berliner Festspiele, 9.30pm


CASTANHA
(Castanha)

Castanha_1

52-year-old actor and transvestite João has his best years behind him. He’s ill, has lost both lovers and companions along the way and appears weary, even if none of this stops him from living the way he always has. João shares two rooms with his mother in a housing complex closed off to the outside; at night he performs in small theatres and gay bars.
The film makes just as much time for solitary moments in shabby backstage areas as it does for João’s performances and his unforgettable face, exploring a milieu at once tender, brutal and cruel with precision, its fleeting glamour only skin-deep. Its complex layers of documentary observation and fictional elements coalesce into a story of life and death.

Castanha_3 Castanha_2

Cinemaxx 4, 10.00pm


THE DOG
(The Dog)

The_Dog_1Over ten years in the making, Allison Berg’s and Frank Keraudren’s powerful documentary THE DOG follows the life of John Wojtowicz, who spectacularly attempted to secure the money for his partner’s sex change by robbing a bank in Brooklyn in 1972. His attempted heist was made famous by Sidney The_Dog_2Lumet’s 1975 film DOG DAY AFTERNOON. Making use of copious archive footage, photographs and testimonials from contemporaries, the filmmakers follow not only Wojtowicz’s occasionally bizarre life and progression from lower-middle class right-winger The Dog_3to militant gay activist, but also provide an unconventional survey of gay culture in New York during the past forty years. The Dog is truly a labour of love with Wojtowicz as its fascinating anti-hero, captured here in all his humaneness.

Cinestar 7, 10.30pm


YA GAN BI HAENG
(Night Flight)

Yong-ju bumps into his ex-best friend, Gi-woong. They are in the same class but have long since gone their separate ways. Gi-woong’s gang is notorious for their cruel bullying of an eccentric classmate named Gi-taek. His attempts to regain their old friendship mean Yong-ju also runs the risk of becoming a target of this terrorising clan, but he refuses to give in. Instead, Yong-ju cleverly draws Gi-woong into a power game of mutual humiliation and burgeoning memories which triggers a dangerous emotional duel. The director of last year’s Panorama film WHITE NIGHT has chosen anonymous and abandoned urban spaces in which to depict the emotional turmoil gripping the two schoolboys.

Ya_Gan_Bi_Haeng_2 Ya_Gan_Bi_Haeng_1

Cinemaxx 7, 10.30pm


TEST
(Test)

It’s 1985. The location is San Francisco, America’s ‘gay mecca’. Introverted Frankie is an understudy in a prestigious modern dance company. Todd, an established dancer in the troupe, is openly homosexual. When one of the dancers falls ill one day, Frankie is asked to stand in and Todd helps him prepare. Could the illness be the ‘gay plague’ as they are already vilifying AIDS? Ignorance, repression, panic, fear, prejudice and open homophobia are rife. The friendship between these two very different men deepens in these new circumstances.
Chris Mason Johnson’s richly atmospheric film is reminiscent of the first great films of the time depicting the challenges faced by the community.

DSC_3661   100092_still_TitleFrame

Cinestar 3, 10.45pm


1. Day: TEDDY liftings

The lights turn off, the curtains are opened and on the white screen we see the panorama of the world. And then, all of a sudden, everything is different. The TEDDY has changed during its summer sleep in the last year. It got himself a new fur and moved officially into this blog as its second home, its second cave. Here it is looking forward to coming in contact with those, who are especially important to it: You. The readers, users, reporters and fans. Therefore we ardently invite all of you to check out this webpage blog, to click, to read and for sure also to comment!

And for all those of you who asked themselves what happened to screen, which a moment ago still was white, can here and now – like usual – get all the news about the Berlinale films which are competing for a TEDDY AWARD. Because today the festival opens its doors and the beginning makes…no one. On the first day the TEDDY will still rest a bit and prepare for the Grand Opening Party which will take place tomorrow at SchwuZ. Until then we recommend you to inform yourself about this year’s programme and everyone who has not a ticket yet for the grand TEDDY Gala on the 14th of February at the Komische Oper Berlin should buy them immediately otherwise there will be none left.


If you don’t have a clue yet what to wear for the grand opening party at Schwuz tomorrow, you might want to check out some old Disney movies.  After all J.Law did it, too:

jennifer lawrence golden globes dress meme1 Jennifer Lawrences Dior Dress at Golden Globes Inspires Meme

 

jennifer lawrence golden globes dress meme Jennifer Lawrences Dior Dress at Golden Globes Inspires Meme

 

This dress was brought to you by Snow White Design.

https://31.media.tumblr.com/00eea067757e2c240ab889fb2be0fe8a/tumblr_inline_mzctmp9L4S1r5w6uf.gif


28th TEDDY AWARD Ceremony – Ticket presale has begun

The 28. TEDDY AWARD will be given away during the 64. Berlin International Film Festival on Friday, 14th of February 2014. The location of the festive awarding in 2014 will be the Komische Oper Berlin. Besides of the award winners of the evening, a high class artistic stage programme will await the audience. Among many others the baritone singer Günther Papendell, the actress Dagmar Manzel and the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin will perform on the TEDDY stage. A musical homage will be dedicated to the pop icon Dusty Springfield. Valeska Gert, exceptional person, dancer, cabaret artist and actress will accompany us digitally through the evening. And last but not least the TEDDY bows to Russians most famous and important queer film icon: Sergej M. Eisenstein.
FRIDAY FEB. 14, 2014 
21:00 TEDDY AWARD Ceremony, Komische Oper Berlin
23:00 TEDDY AFTER SHOW LOUNGE
23:45 MIDNIGHT SPECIAL Premiere DAVID PEREIRA & JACK WOODHEAD mit “WHIPSTICK”
23:00 TEDDY AWARD Closing Party / SchwuZ

Friday Feb. 07, 2014

TEDDY GRAND OPENING NIGHT / SchwuZ

Friday Feb. 14, 2014

21:00 TEDDY AWARD CEREMONY,  Komische Oper Berlin
23:00 TEDDY AFTER SHOW LOUNGE
23:45 MIDNIGHT SPECIAL Premiere DAVID PEREIRA & JACK WOODHEAD mit “WHIPSTICK”
23:00 TEDDY AWARD Closing Party / SchwuZ

>> TICKET INFO