Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/646116
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 28 FEBRUARY 2016 30 This Week We are all refugees! This year's 66th Berlinale was courageous and compassionate in content, conscientious and accurate in its awards, EMMA MATTEI finds WITH 400 films to consider, and only four days of attendance, navi- gating through the programme for the 66th Berlinale to select relevant, resonant films required a combination of clear strategy, quick calculation and instinct. In truth, it wasn't much differ- ent to making the right decision for a speedy lunch whilst stand- ing in a pressed queue somewhere around Potsdamerplatz, during the world's largest film festival that takes place over 11 days each year in February. Currywurst, krakau- erwurst, weisswurst, bockwurst? Decisions, decisions… once you're up at the würstchenbude you have little time to dawdle, you must quickly identify your wurst, then wolf down your sausage of choice and hope that you will soon feel satiated, yet not too full. Upon arrival it's best to leap into the festival, meet and talk with the other folks who have come to this vibrant, diverse city for the same reason, and carry out some intense investigation. What's the buzz? Which films have been picked up? By whom? Then prepare your wish list, pick up your accreditation, rise early to get in line for tickets, fail in part, and then figure out that queuing is de rigueur at this festi- val – the only way to guarantee your attendance at a screening of choice is to get in line! On the first night we walk past the main ticket booth inside the shopping mall and notice blankets and bags placed on the ground in front of the now-closed windows, the tellers gone home for the night – was this akin to placing your towel out on a sun-bed at night to guarantee your spot by the pool, a joke often made about the Ger- mans on holiday? And in essence, is there anything wrong with this act of keenness? Dare we point out the xenophobia lurking beneath this age-old joke? Indeed, we might. Migration took centre stage at the festival; a contentious topic, particularly in the way the west handles it thematically and philanthropi- cally, it was open to much dis- course, attention and criticism. This was the overarching theme this year, explored in a substantial number of lauded works. From Meryl Streep's salient words in her opening speech, to the bril- liantly executed Swedish fiction film The Yard by Måns Månsson, and ultimately the winner of the Golden Bear, Italian documentary Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea) by Gianfranco Rosi, the issue burnt throughout Berlin. Furthermore, refugees currently residing in Ger- many were also provided with free tickets to screenings. Gianfranco Rosi, 51, is an Italian filmmaker known for winning the first ever Golden Lion for a docu- mentary at the Venice Interna- tional Film Festival in 2013, with his film entitled Sacro Gra. Had this not happened many might have scoffed a little at this year's coveted victory, and yet for those who did see the film set in Lampe- dusa that deals directly with the refugee crisis in the Mediterrane- an, there was nothing but praise. Critics believe it will appeal to a wider audience, and Italian Prime Minister Renzi has stated that he intends to give a copy of the film to all European heads of state, in the hope that we may begin to treat the migration crisis differently. Danis Tanovic's film Death in Sarajevo received the Grand Jury Prize and much praise for a film that could easily have failed where it triumphed. Described as a Bal- kan Gosford Park a la Altman, Tanovic's film is based upon Ber- nard-Henri Levy's tome Hotel Eu- rope, and deals with the region's stagnation, age-old resentments and resulting paralysis. Less successful but thematic was Soy Nero directed by the Iranian Rafi Pitts, a film that points out that all war is good for is a green card – if you're looking for citizen- ship in the US all you need to do is sign up and join the army! At the fundraiser dinner with Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, guests wore refugee blankets but were criticised by Berlin's cultural sec- retary for doing so, not long af- ter Ai Weiwei was slammed for Gianfranco Rosi accepting the Golden Bear Prize from actress Meryl Streep at the Berlinale for his Lampedusa migration documentary Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea) 'Brilliantly executed': The Yard by Måns Månsson 'Balkan Gosford Park': Death in Sarajevo by Danis Tanovic Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson in Alone in Berlin 'Nothing but praise': Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea)