Editor

The Astronaut on the Roof by Spanish director Sergi Portabella starts off the next round of the Campus short film competition.

On July 7, 2009, shooting begins in Berlin for The Astronaut on the Roof, a comedy about two young screenwriters torn by the trials and tribulations of developing a screenplay who end up shamelessly quoting the films of their director idols. The film is one of five short film project finalists for the Berlin Today Award 2010, the short film competition of the Berlinale Talent Campus. 250 young filmmakers from 65 countries submitted projects ideas inspired by the competition's motto "Straight to Cinema".

Sergi Portabella's short film will be realised with the production company Penrose Film: "The experience of shooting in Berlin with a German production company and meeting all these new people is so exciting. I'm learning a lot and having a great time. And I'm absolutely sure we're going to do a great film," says Sergi Portabella about his project. The shoot will take place in Berlin until July 12 in Funkhaus Berlin in Berlin-Koepenick and other locations.

On July 16 the first clap will be heard in the CCC studios of Berlin-Spandau for Jonah and the Vicarious Nature of Homesickness by Bryn Chainey. This science-fiction romance about Jonah, who leaves his family to glide through space and time in a cardboard spaceship, will be produced by Anna Wendt Filmproduktion.

Shooting for the third project to be realised in Berlin, By Night by Juan Diaz B. from Columbia, will begin August 1. The romantic love story of Martin and Camille and their life in a wondrous parallel universe will be produced by Knudsen and Streuber Filmproduktion.

The shoot for Hum will begin in Ireland on July 18. The project, by director Rebecca Daly, will be realised near Dublin by Lichtblick Media.

The final project for this year's competition will be the documentary film Reflection by Giorgi Mrevlishvili from Georgia, produced by the production company A-FILM until the end of August in the Caucasus (Georgia).

The five short films will be realised until the end of 2009 with support from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and in-kind contributions from the film industry. The five finalist films will celebrate their world premiere during the opening of the Berlinale Talent Campus 2010 (February 13 - 18, 2010). A jury composed of prominent filmmakers will select the winning film and bestow it with the Berlin Today Award. More information at http://www.berlintoday.de/.