What’s your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past?
For me, my personal Berlin moment was decades ago when I was first invited to the Panorama program. I was a documentary director and my film was selected by the legendary Manfred Salzgeber and Moritz de Hadeln. It was an incredible honour and opportunity for me as a young filmmaker, an event that truly changed my life and career. But most importantly that was my first time leaving the USSR and traveling abroad. My second Berlin moment came years later when I was invited to be a member of the Jury of the Festival. It was an incredible experience that allowed me to see not only all of the films in the official selection but also dozens of features that screened out of competition.
Favorite celebrity or industry encounter in Berlin?
Andrzej Wajda and Miloš Forman. The films of these titans of cinema influenced me in so many ways that I will forever treasure the experience of personally meeting them in Berlin.
What’s something every visitor to Berlin should see?
The Holocaust memorial. Today with the rising tide of the global antisemitism it is incredibly important to remember the horrors of Holocaust and the War that Nazism brought. For the film professionals it is twice as important as it is them who can influence millions of people around the globe.
Strategy for staying warm in chilly Berlin?
Easy: it’s always warm in cinemas.
Strategy for avoiding the dreaded “festival flu”?
To all of my colleagues coming from LA, keep in mind that Berlin winter calls for a coat, not a jacket and instead of cold beer, although it is excellent in Germany, it is better to drink hot black tea with honey and ginger.
Favorite Berlin restaurant or bar?
A bar called The Hat at Lotte-Lenya-Bogen. A nice and cozy cocktail place with live jazz, a unique and very Berlin experience.
Place to avoid during the festival/market?
Nothing really comes to mind, I love all of the Festival places.
Your top piece of advice for Berlinale newbies?
Over the last three decades I’ve been to more than 30 Berlinales in many capacities: as a producer, as a director, as a participant in the market and as a member of the jury and my strategy was always very simple: see as many films as possible and try to meet as many of your fellow industry professionals as possible. This is what Festivals are for.