A record number of female directors in Berlin – but the evil of the swedes and the stars

”Wo bleiben die Weltstars?” (Where is todays leading stars?) wonder German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, in a slightly indignant heading. When the Berlinale was founded in the beginning of the cold war as ”a showcase for the free world” with hollywood stars as luftlandsattes to spread the star-power in west Berlin. Now, it seems that even Hollywood follow Donald Trump's example and turn its back on Europe.

On the other hand, is nothing like in the film business. In the fall, touched the global strömningsjätten on properly in the european festivalgrytan when Alfonso Cuaróns ”Roma” became the first Netflixfilmen which won the golden lion in Venice. Now Netflix is also his first film that has the chance to win the golden lion in Berlin – Isabel Coixets biographical drama ”Elisa & Marcela”, which depicts Spain's first known lesbian marriage in 1901.

Greta Fernández and Natalia de Molina Isabel Coixets ”Elisa & Marcela”. Photo: Netflix

is also one of a record number of female directors in the competition. Seven of the seventeen Guldbjörnskandidater is a woman – which is by far if you compare with recent vintages of festivalkonkurrenterna Cannes (3 of 21 films had female directors) and Venice (1 of 21 films with a female director).

– Although it is not entirely equal so it is a clear improvement, " explained Dieter Kosslick which now ends after 18 years as a festival general in Berlin.

Coixet competition of filmsystrar by the Danish Lone Scherfig that comes with ensembledramat ”The kindness of strangers” by Zoe Kazan, Bill Nighy, Tahar Rahim and Andrea Riseborough.

James Norton in ”Mr. Jones”, directed by Agnieszka Holland, Photo: Robert Palka / Film Produkcja

another experienced colleague is Agnieszka Holland visits Berlin with the real-life 30-talsdramat ”Mr. Jones” where James Norton is playing a welsh journalist who traveled to the Soviet union and discovered a horrific reality behind the communist propaganda.

the Other directors as to be visible by Juliette Binoches Guldbjörnsjury are regulars as François Ozon, Zhang Yimou and hemmasonen Fatih Akin. The only Swedish hägringen in the competition is Stellan Skarsgard, who plays one of the leading roles in the Norwegian Hans Petter Molands psychological drama ”Out stealing horses” after Per Pettersson's novel.

Also in the rest of the official program, it is thin with yellow and blue elements of the festival that tends to be one of the most reliable continental window display of the Swedish film. This year's slimmed-down Swedish delegation composed of Carl Javér with the guldbagge awarded the documentary ”Reconstruction Sunday”, Jon Holmberg ”Sune vs Sune”, Lasse Hallström as jubileumsvisar “My life as a dog” and Ardalan Esmaili (”Charmer”, ”the Grey zone”), which is Sweden's official shooting star. In addition, öppningsavsnitten of Netflix first Swedish originalserie ”Greatest of all” after Malin Giolitos best-seller.

P J Harvey in Seamus Murphy's ”A dog called money” Photo: Seamus Murphy

Even the anglo-saxon, the film shines with its absence. In addition to the occasional contributions which Seamus Murphy's ”A dog called money”, a documentary about P J Harvey seems the british have implemented a sort of cultural Brexit, while Hollywood keeps a lower profile than in living memory. The few stars who are choosing to stand behind the camera – both Jonah Hill and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Casey Affleck visits Berlin with a debut film.

Christian Bale as Dick Cheney, and Sam Rockwell as George W Bush in the ”Vice”. Photo: Matt Kennedy

also relief by luftlandsätta a small task force for the eightfold oscar nominated ”Vice”. To Potsdamer Platz will director Adam McKay along with Christian Bale, who won a Golden Globe for his demonic portrait of the former us vice president Dick Cheney.

another film that fits into Berlinfestivalens traditionally the political profile of Charles Ferguson's four-hour long documentary ”Watergate”, which digs up more dirt out of one of history's most infamous american scandals. Eight years ago, won the Ferguson award for ”Inside job” where he depicted the systematic corruption in the financial sector. In the eerily current ”Watergate”, he draws parallels between the corruption in the White house in the early 70's and today without mentioning the name.