The cinema of Greece has a long and rich history. Though hampered at times by war or political instability, the Greek film industry dominates the domestic market and has experienced international success. Characteristics of Greek cinema include a dynamic plot, strong character development and erotic themes. Two Greek films, Missing (1982) and Eternity and a Day (1998), have won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Five Greek films have received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Bertrand Bonello is a French film director, screenwriter, producer and composer. His background is in classical music, and he lives between Paris and Montreal. His work has also been associated with the New French Extremity.
The Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of the "Big Three" alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Cannes Film Festival in France. Tens of thousands of visitors attend each year.
The Hellenic Film Academy (HFA) is an initiative of a group of Greek filmmakers. HFA presents the annual Hellenic Film Academy Awards ceremony, awarding the best films of Greek cinema of the last year.
La Pivellina is a 2009 Austrian feature film debut directed by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel. The film premiered at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in the Directors' Fortnight, where it has been awarded the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film.
The 61st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 February 2011, with actress Isabella Rossellini as the President of the Jury. The Coen Brothers film True Grit opened the festival. 300,000 tickets were sold in total during the event, to 20,000 attendees from 116 countries, including 3900 members of the press. German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl received the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement. The Golden Bear for Best Film went to the Iranian film Nader and Simin, A Separation, directed by Asghar Farhadi, which also served as the closing film at the festival.
Luljeta Bitri, better known by her stage name Luli Bitri, is an Albanian actress, voice actress, director, and producer.
Difret is a 2014 Ethiopian drama film written and directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari. The film had its premiere in-competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinematic Dramatic Audience Award. Angelina Jolie served as the executive producer of the film.
Syllas Tzoumerkas is a Greek film director, screenwriter, and actor.
600 Miles is a 2015 Mexican drama film directed by Gabriel Ripstein. It was screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the award for Best First Feature. It was one of fourteen films shortlisted by Mexico to be their submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards. On 17 September 2015 it was selected to represent Mexico for the Foreign Language Oscar but it was not nominated.
Centaur is a 2016 Kyrgyzstani drama film directed by Aktan Abdykalykov. It was screened in the Panorama section at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival and won the CICAE award. It was selected as the Kyrgyz entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President. American film director Wes Anderson's animated film Isle of Dogs opened the festival, becoming first animated film to open the fest. The Romanian film Touch Me Not directed by Adina Pintilie won the Golden Bear, which also served as the closing night film.
The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian. The festival opened with the opening gala presented by actor Samuel Finzi followed by the world premiere of the film My Salinger Year which was selected for the Berlinale Special section. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Iranian film There Is No Evil, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.
Georgis Grigorakis is a Greek film director and screenwriter. He has received awards at the 70th Berlin Film Festival and the Hellenic Film Academy Awards 2021 for his debut film Digger.
Alcarràs is a 2022 Spanish-Italian drama film directed by Carla Simón. It is set and shot in Alcarràs, Catalonia, in the Western dialect of the Catalan language, featuring a non-professional cast of actors. The plot concerns a family drama about the disappearance of traditional peach-harvesting activities. It won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlinale, thereby becoming the first Catalan-language film to do so. The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, but did not make the shortlist.
Nathalie Álvarez Mesén is a Costa Rican-Swedish director. She won the Guldbagge Award for Best Director and Guldbagge Award for Best Screenplay for her 2021 film Clara Sola.
No U-Turn is a 2022 Nigerian biographical documentary film written and directed by Ike Nnaebue. The film reflects the real issues regarding migration and the difficulties confronted by the African immigrants.
Ghaath (transl. Ambush) is a 2023 Indian Marathi-language crime thriller film, film written and directed by Chhatrapal Ninawe in his debut feature and starring Jitendra Joshi, Milind Shinde, Janardan Kadam, Dhananjay Mandaokar and Suruchi Adarkar. The film set in India's jungles, occupied by Maoist rebels, and revolves around the tense interplay between guerrillas, civilians and the police.
Sira is a 2023 co-production drama film, written and directed by Apolline Traoré and starring Nafissatou Cissé, Mike Danon, Lazare Minoungou, Nathalie Vairac and Ruth Werner. The film depicts the story of young nomad named Sira, who after a brutal attack refuses to surrender to her fate without a fight and instead takes a stand against Islamist terror.
