The Berlin International Film Festival is kicking off on Thursday with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer’s “The Light,” a timely tale of a dysfunctional German family and a Syrian refugee.
“The Light” infuses drama, political and social commentary, song and dance — and a migration storyline that Tykwer says he didn’t know would be so relevant when he started working on the movie three years ago.
Germany’s national election on Feb. 23, the final day of the Berlinale, is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country’s economy.
“Blue Moon” is set during the opening night of the musical “Oklahoma!” and marks director Richard Linklater's return to the Berlinale for the first time since “Boyhood” premiered at the festival in 2014.
Politics remained front and center at a news conference with this year’s Berlinale international jury, headed up by American director Todd Haynes.
