Month: February 2015

Don’t forget to go home

/ lusofonetica / 6 Comments

It is not absolutely necessary to wait for the weekend when in Berlin. Often during the week even more interesting things are happening: for instance, the Boiler Room session which took place in Stattbad only last Wednesday. Totally acceptable to the civilised-schedule and rather sober techno-aficionados as it started off as early as 8 pm. There are regular parties happening early-Wednesday-mornings or Sunday-late-afternoon.

There is obviously more craziness going on, but comparing with the past years of the techno evolution (some 20 years ago), Berlin seems like a tranquility mecca, at the same time being not losing its glory of the island of creativity. I have gathered  some of the documentary movies picturing the milestones of the city’s history watched through the darkened techno lenses:

Technocity Berlin – epic documentary from the 90s (in German)

Children of Berlin – what was then – this is now

Don’t forget to go home – a short history of Berghain, or rather formerly Ostgut

Watergate X – a journey to one of the weekends at the Spree bank’s famous location…

Meanwhile, the spring has come slowly, but surely and the bleakness of the city seems to be washed away with the rays of sun. And I am so much looking forward to wearing sunglasses not only at night.

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Berlinaling

/ lusofonetica / 2 Comments

February, the shortest month of the year, yet it seems like one of the most intense ones, at least in the Berliner galaxy. During 10 days each year Berlin becomes (this time) a place to be for the most courageous film makers. I have always enjoyed watching “sad movies” (I absolutely fell for this definition of what non-mainstream stuff was reduced to – creative credit back to my dear friend who is most likely one of the very few readers!).

I was a full-time film festival animal back in a day when down-to-earth things did not matter, i.e. sometime between high school and studies, so it was quite refreshing to live this spirit after years. Eventually, I have only seen a few movies among hundreds, but it was worthwhile. I still had some work to do at the end of the day, there were some awesome concerts in town too (Tricky and D’Angelo!) and day still counts only 24 hours.

The prizes are already announced and I am especially happy for two reasons: the Silver Bear for the Best Script goes to Patricio Guzman for his diptic documentary about Chilean complexity of geography vs. history, and for the Direction – to my compatriot Malgorzata Szumowska. It was amazing to be the audience of this success, especially that I admired them both for their previous works. Otherwise, see you hopefully next year at the 66th International Film Festival!

image the curtain