Elfi Mikesch, born 1940 in Judenburg, Styria, but living in Berlin for many years, is one of the most multi-faceted artist personalities of today. Starting off as a painter and photographer, she slowly expanded her artistic profile by making a name for herself as an internationally sought after director and cinematographer. Already her first documentary Ich denke oft an Hawaii (I Often Think of Hawaii) was awarded the Silver Filmband in 1978. Beyond that, her cinematography unambiguously informe...

61st Berlinale: World Cinema in the Panorama After visiting Asia, North and South America as well as many European countries to view and select films, 24 works - that is just under half of the 50 films to be presented in the Panorama section - are now certain. They provide lively insight into the creations of world cinema during the so-called post-crisis era. What's more, they reveal that documentary film continues to be strong in 2011: documentaries again make up about a third of the pro...

With the world premiere of the star-studded action thriller "The International" by ace German director Tom Tykwer (of "Lola Runs" fame), the 59th Berlin International Film Festival opens this evening, Febsuary 5, in the presence of the director and the actors Clive Owen, Ulrich Thomsen and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Festival Director Dieter Kosslick will ring the curtain up in conjunction with Jury President, Scottish actress Tilda Swinton. The event will be telecast live hosted by popular TV present...

PANORAMA CELEBRATES TWENTY YEARSThe Panorama section of the Berlin Film Festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, continuing a tradition of bringing the work of innovative and original artists to the international arena.The Panorama’s “patron saint” is its founder, Manfred Salzgeber, a theater owner and arthouse distributor, who almost single handedly created the underground film aesthetic in Berlin, and was influential in the spread of these unique films to countries all ove...