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Day 7 at the Berlinale 2024

Powell & Pressburger, Scorsese & Schoonmaker

Kino International
Kino International © visitBerlin, Foto: Angela Kröll

Stars on the red carpet, films from all over the world, long nights of partying, discussions after the screening: that's what a film festival is all about. And sometimes there are those very special moments when the film unfolds its magic, when it speaks to you and touches your heart. 
Or when film history suddenly comes to life - and there was such a moment at the Berlinale on Wednesday when Martin Scorsese presented the documentary Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger.

Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger 

Everything done right! It hadn't been communicated by the Berlinale in advance, but we had hoped that Martin Scorsese would come to the premiere of Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger. After all, he plays an important role in the film and has actively contributed to rescuing the two directors from oblivion and making their wonderful films known again. And so he did, before continuing on to the Berlinale Talents discussion round at the HAU.

The documentary film about Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger not only traces the duo's career, but also tells the story of how they significantly influenced Scorsese. And it tells of their love of film and filmmaking.

In doing so, he shows what makes each of their films special and why they are so unique: Masterpieces such as The red Shoes, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp or more obscure films such as A Canterbury Tale and I Know Where I'm Going! It's such a shame that there is no accompanying retrospective of their work, it would have been a perfect fit. 
After the screening, there was a long discussion with the director of the documentary and Thelma Schoonmaker. She was married to Michael Powell and is probably the most famous editor of all, she also edits all Scorsese films, has already won three Oscars and is currently nominated for another one for Killers of The Flower Moon. 
And with these legends of film history in front of and on the screen, it was one of the highlights of this Berlinale.

And what's next?

We can still hope for more highlights: This Thursday, Atom Egoyan will be showing his new film Seven Veils with Amanda Seyfried, who is also expected to attend the Berlinale Special Gala in the Berlinale Palast in the evening. The Danish drama Vogter and the Tunisian film Mé el Aïn will then screen in the Competition. On Friday, Shambhala will close the Competition before Beom-Joe-do-si 4 closes the Berlinale Palast.

Berlinale
© Berlin Daily/Foto: Karsten Thielker

And on Friday there will be a big party at the Volksbühne when the queer film prize, the Teddy Award, is presented.

By the way: tickets are still available for many screenings. So if you'd like to see a film that's not otherwise in the regular programme, the Berlinale offers you the perfect opportunity until Sunday.
 

Kristin: visitBerlin-Bloggerin unter visitBerlin.de/blog

Kristin

does not smile on fotos. But in real life she enjoys with a smile in her face the rich cultural life of Berlin - the metropolis both in front of and behind the scenes. Her favourite season is the Berlinale, then she spends 10 days watching movies and writing about them in the blog. All posts