Locals get big boost at Berlin

German culture minister Julian Nida-Ruemelin is spearheading what he says is "the scheme to boost German cinema on a national and international level. No doubt the new guise of the Berlinale will contribute greatly to (this)."

While German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has enthusiastically thrown his weight behind the Berlinale, he is also battling spiraling debt and unemployment, more corporate bankruptcies, political blunders and a financial crisis gripping the city of Berlin.

Yet never before in the Berlinale's 52-year history has the government so embraced the festival and raised its status to a national level.

Germanic flavor

With his focus on German film, including four Teutonic movies in competition, new fest topper Dieter Kosslick has done his part in transforming Berlin into a national cultural celebration.

Local competition entries have been mixed, with Andreas Dresen's gritty comedy-drama "Halbe Treppe" (Grill Point) generating the most buzz, eclipsing Tom Tykwer's "Heaven."

The new Perspectives German Cinema section, screening experimental and alternative pics, has drawn such a huge response that the whole series had to be moved into a bigger theater, which continued to sell out.

"I haven't reinvented German film," says Kosslick, adding that maybe he better reflects the local industry because it's what he knows.

With his 20 years of experience in state film subsidy organizations, the good-humored Kosslick was seen as the man to fulfill the government's vision of not only upping the profile of German film domestically, but also working to make local pics a viable export commodity. Local players are unanimous in their praise of Kosslick.

"What Dieter has pulled off is really outstanding," says Gabriela Bacher, head of Studio Babelsberg Motion Pictures. "He's managed to include quality German, European and U.S. movies in the festival, and it's been a real benefit.

For both regional and federal government officials, this year's Berlinale has indeed been a platform to show off the fruits of state film subsidies.

While insiders are quick to praise the government's support, some wonder what, if anything, political leaders can really do.

"The government is at a crossroads," says Georgia Tornow, general secretary of Berlin-based producer lobby group Film 20. "We are entering a new media technology age, and the government realizes that the industry is not only of cultural but also of economic importance for the future. And film production is at the center of it. The industry can provide jobs at all levels."

An obvious problem facing German cinema is a lack of money for local productions. The chancellor's cheerleading may help spur TV webs into investing more money in domestic film.

Most of the projects produced here have the modest budgets of TV movies, and that has to change if the film industry is to grow, says Doris Zander, head of Studio Berlin Produktion and co-managing director of Studio Berlin.

"In order to get theatrical projects off the ground that will stand a chance internationally and attract foreign co-producers, you need bigger budgets than the average $3 (million) to $4 million," she argues.

While French TV spends around $240 million a year on bigscreen productions, German broadcasters contribute only around $65 million, Zander points out.

"In the U.S., you usually hear about the new big French movie, you don't usually hear about the current German film," Bacher notes.

Nevertheless, the lavish attention from the government has boosted morale in the local film business, and that in itself has engendered a new self-confidence among German filmmakers, she adds.

"The government can help by providing German producers with a greater self-understanding. Schroeder's involvement has started a discussion in the German trades that did not exist before. What Schroeder has done is great," Bacher concludes.