MetFilm School goes to Berlinale 2022!

This year marked the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, and MetFilm School were excited to see films by both our students and our tutors amongst the programme. Here are our highlights from Berlinale 2022, including industry advice from Isabelle Huppert, and the three films which involved the MetFilm School community… 

MetFilm School at Berlinale 2022

Afterwater

Afterwater is the second feature film by artist, filmmaker, and MetFilm School Berlin tutor Dane Komljen, and was shown as part of the Berlinale Forum, which presents films that reflect on ‘the medium of film, social and artistic discourse, and aesthetic obstinacy.’ 

The film takes water as its subject as its two leads travel from Berlin to a lake outside of the city and find that ‘the body of water they set up camp besides somehow flows into another, populated by its own increasingly out of time figures.’ 

Watch the trailer for ‘Afterwater’, which had its World Premiere at this year’s Berlinale.

Bashtaalak sa’at (Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day)

Already nominated for a Teddy Award for Best Feature Film and for the GWFF Best First Feature Award, Bashtaalak sa’at, by director Mohammad Shawky Hassan, was also a part of the Berlinale Forum. The film follows a female narrator as she tells the story of ‘a love between two men who encounter a polyamorous chorus of lovers,’ and according to The Film Verdict, it sees ‘Egyptian queer experimental cinema come into its own’ – a review that makes us even more excited to watch the film! 

A huge congratulations to Tsvetelina Valkova, who worked on location sound for the film, and who graduated from MetFilm School Berlin’s BA Practical Filmmaking.

Berdreymi (Beautiful Beings)

Berdreymi is a coming-of-age drama by Icelandic director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsso, and was shown at the Berlinale as part of their Panorama series, which shows ‘extraordinary cinema and is a traditional audience favourite.’  Guðmundsso described the film in a piece for Variety earlier this month: 

‘It is a story about friendship that is full of youthful energy, hope, and confused feelings. [It] brings up the questions: What is true friendship? Can boys who seem like bad influences actually be good friends? And finally, how do you find your own path?’ 

We’re looking forward to catching up with MetFilm School London BA Practical Filmmaking student Elín Ramette on her experience working on Berdreymi, but until then you can learn more about the making of the film (which won the Festivals’ ‘Europa Cinemas Label’) in the Berlinale Meet: Interview with Guðmundsso here. 

Isabelle Huppert receives the Honorary Golden Bear

This year, French actress Isabelle Huppert received the Honorary Golden Bear, awarded for lifetime achievement in the industry – and it’s not difficult to see her achievements. Currently the most nominated ‘Best Actress’ in France’s prestigious César Awards history (with two wins to her name), Huppert has won Best Actress twice at Cannes and once at the Golden Globes.

Learning from the best, here’s a couple of pieces of industry advice Huppert has shared over the years…

1. What to look for in a script: ‘When a film comes with too many descriptions, it makes me very suspicious […] A script should give you a few bits of information. For me, the most important thing is the dialogue.’ 
2. How to approach a new role: ‘I keep saying I don’t work a role. I am worked by the role. It is something I know about cinema, and I am sure about it… cinema is about subtracting. It is not about adding but about going underneath.’ 
3. How to filmmaking as a whole: ‘Michael Haneke always says, “Let us be surprised”. You must approach filmmaking with the capacity to allow yourself to be surprised. That’s a quality that great directors have, and that moviemaking requires.’ 

• MetFilm School Berlin tutor Dane Komlijen currently teaches on our Three-Month Experimental Filmmaking course. 
• Learn more about our BA in Screen Acting by viewing the course page here.
• Explore what MetFilm School Berlin has to offer at our upcoming Virtual Open Events.