Casting Network: Can you tell us more about this year's opening film, the German Oscars submission The Seeds of the Sacred Fig Tree, and why you see it as the perfect choice for the 19th edition of the festival? Bernhard Karl: The new work by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof is indeed a masterpiece for me. Narratively, cinematically, politically and also visionary. Our festival has already presented three of his films over the last 18 years. He also won the then main prize of “14 Films” in 2011 with the dissident:inside work GOODBYE. Unfortunately, he was only able to be with us physically once. So it's all the better that Mohammad Rasoulof will be there in person again this time. And there will also be some important surprise guests! CN: Can you tell us something about the closing films The End and Queer? What makes them an ideal conclusion to the festival and how have they been received internationally so far? BK: With THE END and QUEER, the two great cult directors Joshua Oppenheimer and Luca Guadagnino are presenting two courageous works that are also a perfect fit for us in terms of content. Fresh from Telluride and Venice, where both had their world premieres. An innovative, poetic-apocalyptic end-time musical and a William Burroughs adaptation, a queer story that lets cultures collide. Both with a world star cast: Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon and Daniel Craig. A fantastic closing night for us! CN: What are the main themes and aims of the 19th edition of the festival, and are there any particular trends or thematic focuses in current world cinema that you would like to highlight? BK: As always, our main concern is the communication of world cultures. It's about a multifaceted, complex image of our world from Argentina to China. Uprooting and the awakening to new ways of life, which could be described as personally conquered niches to the capitalist “mainstream”, are certainly major themes in the current films. The festival offers a huge map of significant socio-political issues such as economic collapse, abortion bans, alienation, homophobia, the erosion of democracy, life in dictatorial regimes, land theft and patriarchal state doctrine. But also a lot of pleasure and joy in small and large revolutions and escapisms! CN: What criteria play a role in the selection of the “14 films”? What makes these films stand out and how do they reflect world cinema? BK: First and foremost, artistic quality. Of course, Susanne Bieger and I actually look for the most convincing film from each of the world's major cultural regions. To name just three regional examples, we select everything we find from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa or East Asia and discuss the films we like in terms of their aesthetic, political and social relevance. In addition, with the 14 films in the competition we primarily want to “discover” first and second feature films, with a special focus on new cinema by women. And in the 14 films program outside the competition, in addition to special series and partnerships, we naturally also want to give space to great masters and stars of world cinema. CN: How do you discover these special film gems with Susanne Bieger? Which international events, press screenings and festivals do you attend to find the best films for the festival? BK: We go to the most important festivals from January to October from Sundance, Rotterdam, Cannes, Locarno, Venice, San Sebastián, among some other smaller festivals, and basically try to screen the entire line-up there. In this way, together we get an accurate picture of the current state of world cinema. We order some films that we can't physically see on site as links to the home office. The dialog about what remains in the intersection for both of us is always a fantastic discussion and, in the end, consensus experience. CN: Is there a prize again this year and can you tell us more about the jury and the award criteria? BK: The BASIS Berlin Postproduction Award is being presented for the sixth time and is endowed with 5000 euros. We are really proud of this, because it is becoming increasingly difficult to find idealistic award sponsors in this day and age. A huge thank you to the BASIS team! The jury will be made up of three Berlin film personalities who will focus their attention on the innovative directorial achievement of one of the “14 films around the world”. As always, we attach great importance to diversity and complexity in the jury line-up. The three of them will view all 14 films in the screening rooms together with the audience. The names will be announced very soon. CN: Where is the festival taking place this year, and how important is the movie theater for you as a physical space for the film experience? BK: The festival takes place in two of Berlin's most beautiful cinemas. The Cinestar cinema in the Kulturbrauerei and the Yorck cinemas Delphi Lux and Neues Og. But we have expanded our guest appearances of the 2023 festival to Munich and Schloss Elmau and are now taking place again in Munich's City-Kinos (10.12.-14.12.), and brand new at the Odeon cinema in Cologne (11.12.-18.12.) and the Filmhaus Nuremberg (28.12. - 06.01.). The movie theater is the matrix of cinema. Nothing and no one can replace this communal experience in these magical halls. When people take their seats, the light slowly disappears and this fascinating window opens into a completely foreign world, absorbing our feelings and leaving us as others in the end. CN: Which patrons are accompanying the films this year, and can you briefly explain the concept behind them? BK: This year, we won't reveal the mentors until just before the festival. The tension is rising ... The concept is as simple as ever. The communication of a film with the guests present by an artist with the audience offers the decisive experience, the added value that has become increasingly important for festivals. What can we do better than the projector at home, apart from the wonderful hall experience described above? We need to see each other, talk to each other and also celebrate. The world is dying in digital isolation! I am deeply convinced of that. CN: How do the current global crises and political tensions influence your choice of films, and which themes and perspectives do you consciously want to emphasize in order to stimulate social dialogues? BK: I can say that in 2006, when we started with “14 Films”, the aesthetics of a film actually influenced our selection a bit more. Over the last 20 years, socio-political contexts have become strikingly more important in what was once such a “safe” Germany. And back then, the selection was also much more “male”, I have to admit. Today, the relevance of a film is measured more by its diversity of content and political explosiveness. In my opinion, film festivals have a much more politically communicative role to play than they did back then, in our world (order), which is currently under ultimate threat. CN: What role do you see for cinema in times of great social and political challenges? BK: Cinema can open our eyes, force us to see and personally experience things that we would otherwise not be able to immerse ourselves in. It creates unique mental communities of all people and shows hardships, but also ways of dealing with them creatively. We can literally “sit in the same boat” with people in completely different times, worlds and cultures and realize that in the end, despite all our differences, we all have similar challenges to overcome. We need more empathy! CN: In addition to the official program - are there any other events or special program items that you want visitors to remember? BK: We are celebrating several festivals this year with our wonderful partners. ARTE has been working closely with us since 2006. In 2024, we will be able to present a total of 14 ARTE co-productions in our program. Starting with our opening evening on Friday, where we will raise our glasses to ARTE. Then there are two birthdays of very important partners over the years. The daring distributor Grandfilm is celebrating its tenth anniversary with four films at our festival and a party on Monday. And our important partner, the Berlinale's World Cinema Fund, is looking back on its 20th anniversary with another five important productions from the Dominican Republic to Vietnam. As always on World Cinema Fund Sunday. A Chinese Night on Wednesday will once again reveal the great artistic power of East Asian cinema. And German cinema, represented by our long-standing artistic friends and supporters Pia Marais and Christoph Hochhäusler, will have two wonderful “home games” with two international works! Which brings us last but not least to another very important partner: Medienboard-Berlin Brandenburg. The Medienboard not only supported two of the films we presented, Christoph Hochhäusler's thriller “Death Will Come” and the wonderful Iranian World Cinema Fund film “Boomerang”, but also provided fantastic support for our festival for the first time, making it possible for our international guests to attend. Let the cinematic fireworks begin! Many thanks to our supporters since the founding of the festival in 2006 from Casting Network