Dieter Kosslick and Campus Director Dorothee Wenner have officially opened the Berlinale Talent Campus #5 in front of ca. 600 invited guests in the Theater Hebbel am Ufer, HAU 1. The 350 Talents from more than 100 countries will meet with international experts until February 15 to learn from their experience in workshops and lectures. In addition to director Walter Salles, the Campus experts Jia Zhangke, Jan Kaczmarek and Jasmila Žbanić will welcome this year’s participants, partners and guests.

The evening culminated in the bestowal of the BERLIN TODAY AWARD (BTA) 2007 by Kirsten Niehuus, Managing Director Film Funding, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and director Sebastian Schipper (Gigantic, A Friend of Mine), advisor of the Berlin Today Award 2008.

Is it “Friedrichshain and Lower-Friedrichshain” or “Kreuzberg and East-Kreuzberg”? Every year on the Oberbaum Bridge the two neighbouring districts Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain determine who the reigning power is. The short film Wasserschlacht – The Great Border Battle gives us entertaining insight into German customs and political practices – and also paints a portrait of what is possibly the most unconventional demonstration to take place on the former east-west border of Berlin. The director-duo Kasia Klimkiewicz (Poland) and Andrew Friedman (US) distinguished themselves with their stirring documentary from the other nominated short films The Woolen Hat and Shanty Garden Town. Sebastian Schipper, this year’s jury member with director Thomas Grube (Rhythm Is It!) and author Wladimir Kaminer (“Russian Disco”), says about the jury’s decision: “Wasserschlacht – The Great Border Battle is a short film that tells you about an event that could only take place in Berlin. Witty but not just gag-orientated, real but not in one bit pretentious. Not an easy thing to do - but very well done by this film - congratulations!”

Following the award ceremony and the screening of the winning film in HAU 1, the Opening Party begins in HAU 2 with the band “Ben*Jammin”, whose live performance is supported by the Volkswagen Sound Foundation, and continues with DJ Johannes Paetzold from Radio Eins.

There will be an opportunity to see all three Berlin Today short films on Monday, February 12. Directly after the show “Becoming a Berliner”, which features comedian Adrian Kennedy, author Wladimir Kaminer and actress/singer Meret Becker as well as other guests there to share their personal view of Berlin, the three short films will have their public premiere. (7 p.m., HAU 1. In co-operation with Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and boxfish events. Tickets: 7 EUR, 5 EUR reduced admission)

This year’s series of BERLIN TODAY AWARD films were produced by the production company zero fiction film with the extensive support of the film industry and of Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. The winning film will be broadcasted after the award ceremony by media partner Deutsche Welle-TV. The deadline for applications to the next round of the BERLIN TODAY AWARD is April 13, 2007. More information available at www.berlintoday.de