Hollywood Reporter, CA
Jan 26 2007

Berlinale Special tackles tough subjects

By Scott Roxborough

Jan 26, 2007

COLOGNE, Germany — Politics past and present, an apocalyptic fantasy
set in modern-day Russia and the art of cooking a good meal are among
the highlights of this year’s Berlinale Special, the gala sidebar of
the Berlin International Film Festival.

"I Have Never Forgotten You — The Life and Legacy of Simon
Wiesenthal," Richard Trank’s documentary on the legendary Nazi
hunter, will have its world premiere in Berlin. The documentary,
narrated by Nicole Kidman, includes previously unseen archival
material as well as interviews with Wiesenthal’s closest friends and
family.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center,
who co-wrote and co-produced the film, will attend the premiere.

Another highly political film, "The Lark Farm," from Italian brothers
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, will debut in the sidebar. Starring Paz
Vega, Germany’s Moritz Bleibtreu, Arsinee Khanjian and Angela Molina,
the film focuses on an Armenian family in Turkey in May 1915 as the
Ottoman Empire orders the expulsion and widespread slaughter of the
Armenian minority.

The events, which many regard as an act of genocide, are at the
center of a heated debate in Europe. Turkish-Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink, one of the most outspoken critics of the mass killings,
was assassinated earlier this year by a young man who accused him of
"insulting Turkey." Thousands of mourners attended Dink’s funeral in
Istanbul this week.
Advertisement

Krisztina Goda’s "Children of Glory" takes a slightly different look
at European politics, examining the infamous water polo match between
the Soviet Union and Hungary at the 1956 Olympic Games. The match,
held shortly after the Soviets violently crushed the Hungarian
uprising, has been called the bloodiest ever played as even the
spectators attacked the Soviet players.

A more personal look at politics comes from Jay Anania, whose "Day on
Fire" chronicles the lives of five very different people who meet by
chance on a winter’s day in New York.

Other films screening at the Berlinale Special program include
"Sakuran," the debut feature from Japanese photographer Mika
Ninagawa; Fernando Perez’s "Madrigal," a look at the theater
community in modern-day Cuba; and the documentary "Comrades in
Dreams," from German director Uli Gaulke, which follows film fanatics
from around the globe.

Food and Zen are the focus of Doris Doerrie’s docu "How to Cook Your
Life," which looks at the principles of Zen Buddhism and how they can
apply to cooking dinner. It features California Zen master Edward
Espe Brown.

Finally, for pure escapism, the Berlinale Special program will
feature the international premiere of Timur Bekmambetov’s "Day
Watch," the second installment in his fantasy adventure series. The
first film in the series, "Night Watch," had its international
premiere at the festival in 2005 and broke all boxoffice records in
Russia.