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GERMANY - Welcome to the Berlinale! Gold - You Can Do More than You Think - Berlinale Special ©LimeLight PR GbR
GERMANY – Welcome to the Berlinale! Gold – You Can Do More than You Think – Berlinale Special
When Kirsten Bruhn regained consciousness after a traffic accident in 1991 she couldn’t feel her legs. The months that followed were agonising for the 22-year-old: "I wanted to find a place where there was no past, no future and no pain."
But then, eleven years later, she competed as a swimmer in the Athens Paralympics and won gold. In 2012, she participated in the London Paralympics and, drawing on all her strength and determination, once again secured success.
In his film, experienced cinematographer Michael Hammon follows three athletes on their way to the London Paralympics, capturing impressive moments that describe their hopes and doubts, victories and defeats.
Besides Kirsten Bruhn he also portrays blind Kenyan long-distance runner Henry Wanyoike and Kurt Fearnley from Australia who was born in 1981 missing the lower part of his backbone and since youth has been dubbed the marathon man of wheelchair sports.
All three athletes subscribe to Fearnley’s credo: "You can overcome any barrier if you really want to".
The film shows them in their daily lives and in training, and describes how they are a source of energy and inspiration for others.
The Trailer to the movie >>>
Gold – You Can Do More than You Think & My Way to Olympia
The programme will conclude with two films about the 2012 Paralympics: Gold – Du kannst mehr als du denkst (Gold – You Can Do More than You Think) directed by Michael Hammon and Mein Weg nach Olympia (My Way to Olympia) directed by Nico von Glasow. Radio Eins presenter Knut Elstermann will moderate the post-film discussion with the two directors.
Alongside the paraplegic swimmer Kirsten Bruhn, the wheelchair marathon athlete Kurt Fearnley and the blind long-distance runner Henry Wanyoike, the disabled boccia champion Grigoris Polychronidis and the one-legged swimmer Christiane Reppe will also be present. Both film screenings will have wheelchair access and audio-description. The subsequent discussion will have sign language interpretation.
The Berlinale
The Berlinale – Festival profile
Berlin: an exciting, cosmopolitan cultural hub that never ceases to attract artists from around the world. A diverse cultural scene, a critical public and an audience of film-lovers characterise the city.
In the middle of it all, the Berlinale: a great cultural event and one of the most important dates for the international film industry.
Around 300,000 sold tickets, almost 20,000 professional visitors from 130 countries, including about 4,000 journalists: art, glamour, parties and business are all inseparably linked at the Berlinale.
The entire world of film
The public programme of the Berlin International Film Festival shows about 400 films per year, mostly international or European premieres. Films of every genre, length and format find their place in the various sections: great international cinema in the Competition, independent and art house in Panorama, films for young audiences in Generation, new discoveries and promising talents from the German film scene in Perspektive Deutsches Kino, avant garde, experimental and unfamiliar cinematography in the Forum and Forum Expanded, and an exploration of cinematic possibilities in Berlinale Shorts.
New and extraordinary productions are shown under the auspices of the Berlinale Special and the Berlinale Special Gala. Their function is to honour great cinema personalities and to immerse audiences in cinematic history by screening film classics. Food, pleasure and the environment – these are the topics that lie at the centre of the Culinary Cinema.
The programme is rounded out by a Retrospective as well as an Homage, which focuses on the œuvre of a great personality of cinema, curated by the Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen.
Furthermore the Berlinale has regularly organised a programme of special presentations that open up new perspectives, provide insight into key themes, make new connections and explore realms where film intersects with other creative disciplines.
The film industry at the Berlinale
The Berlin International Film Festival is a source of inspiration in the global film community: film programmes, workshops, panel discussions, joint projects with other social and cultural actors – the forms of cooperation and the possibilities for creative interaction are countless.
The most important meeting point is the European Film Market (EFM). Around 400 companies and 8,000 professionals from 90 countries build and foster contacts here, strengthen their position in the industry or negotiate film rights.
The Berlinale Co-Production Market, affiliated to the EFM, offers fertile ground for international co-productions.
The Berlinale Talent Campus brings high profile professionals attending the Berlinale to workshops and discussions with 350 promising young film talents from all over the world. Both sides benefit. The talents profit from the experience of the professionals, who in turn gain fresh ideas from taking part.
The World Cinema Fund (WCF) provides financial support to film projects in countries with weak film infrastructure thereby helping strengthen the regions’ position on the international film market.
The Berlinale Residency programme offers six directors a grant to come to Berlin for four months. Working in close contact with individually selected mentors and market experts, the directors can take a decisive step toward placing their next film project on the way to a successful theatrical release.
The close connection between the festival and market is a unique characteristic of the Berlinale and always results in exceptional synergies.
Source: Berlinale
