Babel Berlin in English

The Weaker Sex

Karsten — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:12:00 +02:00

Until I was almost attacked one night, I always felt completely safe in this city. Berlin is a safe place on the whole; you don’t often hear of people being mugged or knifed or raped as you do in some other capital cities. So I always walked home alone at night; I never thought twice about taking short cuts down unlit streets. I knew, with the glorious stubbornness of youth, that nothing could happen to me.

by Anna Patton

Until recently, that is, when I encountered an opportunistic stranger, late one Saturday night. He wanted to accompany me home, he said. He blocked my path and wouldn’t let me continue. Only then did I realise how dark the street was, how empty but for me and him, how ironic it would be if something were to happen here, just a few streets away from the safety of my home. For some minutes, I was aware only of the threat before me and his vice-like grip on my arm. Against his physical strength, all I had was my determination not to be beaten – that, and an instinctive rage. Maybe he sensed that determination, or maybe it was my shouting at him, or maybe he saw the couple that thankfully appeared at the end of the street; either way, he finally let go and wandered off, cursing me.

I had thought I was invincible; or more precisely, I thought I was as invincible as any man. When I was about 10 years old I had a pencil case with a cartoon picture of a girl with a speech bubble that said “Anything boys can do, girls can do better”. To say that I lived according to the slogans on my stationery would be going a bit far – but I think I did believe that girls could be just as good as boys, if not better, at everything. Turns out I was wrong. My recent encounter was a stark reminder of the weakness of the fairer sex.

For a few weeks afterwards, I felt nervous anytime I ever heard footsteps behind me. I retained the image of his face in my mind, and I compared that image to every man I saw on the U-Bahn, every man I walked past on the street, to make sure that it wasn’t him. My anxiety has more or less disappeared by now. My awareness of my vulnerability, however, has not.

As Samantha from “Sex and the City” says (and she ought to know): sex is power. Yes, women can – and do – enjoy the power that this gives us over men. But the power isn’t always in female hands; sex also makes us vulnerable. No amount of feminism will ever alter our physical inferiority. No matter how much progress we make in terms of equal rights, equal pay, equal status, we’ll always be the weaker sex – in one sense, at least.

Europe Talks

Karsten — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:54:00 +02:00

The powers that be in Brussels are always going on about giving the citizens a voice. With nearly 500 million of us, it’s not surprising that this hasn’t quite happened yet. Last Thursday in Berlin’s European House, however, some 200 of us finally got the chance to speak out.

by Anna Patton and Sébastien Vannier

Organised by the Representation of the European Commission in Berlin and the European Parliament’s Information Office, “Mitreden über Europa” (Talk about Europe) was conceived as a “citizens’ forum”. Responding to questions were MEPs from Germany’s five main parties (Bündnis 90/Grünen, CDU, SPD, the Left Party and the FDP) as well as the head of the European Commission in Berlin.

Compared to the usual debates on Europe, where the “experts” speak and the punters listen, and where the subject matter is theoretical and academic, this time it was up to the public to lead the debate. And the Berliners took that invitation seriously. It was one of the liveliest, loudest Europe discussions we’d ever witnessed, with all manner of heckling, cheering and interrupting going on. There was a tangible sense of satisfaction in the air when someone at the back shouted out loud what we’ve all, at some point or another, longed to say to politicians: “Hang on – you haven’t answered the question yet!”

Question Time

The questions focused above all on energy and the environment, and on the impact of the Lisbon Treaty, recently ratified by the German Bundesrat (the upper house of parliament). The concrete effects of the Reform Treaty on people’s lives, judging by the questions raised, remain unclear, and it was up to the respondents to clarify some confusion. Berliners were also concerned by European militarization, the Charter of Fundamental Rights, a Europe “of two speeds”, and energy policy.

Some of the more unusual questions included “How do you become a member of the European People’s Party?” A girl who can’t have been older than 15 stood up and demanded, admirably, “What are you going to do about our education system?” (Unfortunately, as the MEPs pointed out, education remains a national competence.) A 20-something year-old brought the discussion back to basics: “Europe is pretty rubbish, it costs a lot of money – so, tell us: what’s the alternative? What would Germany look like without the EU?” In response, each speaker was given the chance to justify EU membership; the usual answers were reeled out – peace, freedom, prosperity, open borders, environmental protection. The representative of the Left Party, tapping into the mood of the day, called for “more a Europe of the citizens, less a Europe of politicians”.

Democracy or Hypocrisy?

Yet even as this same politician was saying “We must learn to listen”, three disgruntled students in our row were being ignored. Their concerns related to the militarization of member states (the Lisbon Treaty’s obliges states to improve military capacity) were substantial. But instead of following up on the issue, the MEPs dismissed concern with the wording (“obligation”) as merely a translation issue. The same students also criticised the “hypocritical democracy” of the EU, though this was rejected by the Left Party politician, who saw the Lisbon treaty on the contrary as providing “an instrument for citizens to get directly involved”.

All six speakers were, then, more or less in agreement on most issues – even the Left politician was, unlike most of her party, pro-Lisbon Treaty. Of course, it makes sense that those invited to such events are going to be pro-Europe. Still, if there is a greater difference of opinion between the people themselves and the politicians who are supposed to represent them, than there is among a broad spectrum of politicians, one has to wonder just how representative of their constituents they really are.

The debate only touched the surface of most issues, unsurprising given the format of the event. But the discussion did show that many citizens are well-informed on European politics, and well able to challenge politicians’ platitudes. “Listening” to citizens, however, isn’t as easy as it sounds. Involving the people was all well and good, it seemed – but it had come a year too late for many of the audience. Sneaking a peek at the feedback form our neighbour was filling in, we saw he had evaluated the event as “an irrational exercise of authority”. Clearly, Brussels needs to do more than just talk about democracy – or risk losing the support of a whole generation.

The Language of Love

Karsten — Mon, 26 May 2008 20:11:00 +02:00

“That's how all start. From a misunderstanding. When you say 'guest' I think you meaning I can stay in your house. A week later, I move out from Chinese landlord.” An Englishman’s politeness (by unwittingly saying “be my guest”) triggers off a fraught love affair with a wide-eyed young Chinese girl in Xiaolu Guo’s novel, “A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers”. The scene is set for a relationship characterised by misunderstandings and miscommunication.

If anyone can relate to the linguistic challenge of dating someone of another mother tongue, it’s surely us, the Erasmus generation. Yet, though we may be getting better and better at mastering other languages, some things just don’t translate.

The damage can be serious – as I know only too well. When a French love interest said to me, “You ‘ave small eyes”, I was so taken aback, I almost muttered something about his big nose in retaliation. Turns out he wasn’t commenting on my sub-standard features, since “avoir petits yeux” is simply an expression meaning “to look tired”. By the time I’d figured that out, it was too late. My Irish friend Eddie, besotted by his new Colombian chica, recently told her over the phone how much he was looking forward to hugging her. Unfortunately for him, his Spanish wasn’t quite up to scratch: what he actually said was, “I can’t wait to impregnate you”. It was a while before he managed to convince her that he wasn’t just desperate for a kid.

Sometimes, the language barrier rears its ugly head before you’ve even had the chance to become properly acquainted. A Dutch friend, approaching a handsome English fellow in a bar, casually asked him for a cigarette. Not knowing the English for “roll-up”, she used the Dutch word instead. Of course, he nearly fell off his chair when she said, “Can I have a shag from you?”

Keeping it simple

There seem to be a few phrases designed specifically to catch out naïve lovers – and French surely wins the prize for the language causing most shame and humiliation. How are we foreigners supposed to know that there’s a difference between “un baiser” (the innocent noun) and to “baiser” (the anything-but-innocent verb)? And then there are all those unexpected innuendoes that catch you unawares: never again will I dare to mention my (female) pussy-cat in public.

Of course, the language barrier isn’t all painful – it can make things more interesting too. A sexy accent and a hint of the exotic can turn a Dull John into an infinitely More Interesting Gianni. And with all those new words to be learned, you’ll never run out of things to talk about. In some ways, too, not sharing the same native language means you’re necessarily restricted to keeping things simple: no over-analysing or having “the talk” about where the relationship is going. (I wonder, is that why men in particular are so interested in foreign girls?) On the other hand, if it takes over a minute just to formulate the sentence in your head, there is a certain limitation as to how spontaneous your relationship will ever be. Jokes are pretty hopeless; and as for arguing, forget it – once you are able to scream at someone in another language at the same time as throwing plates at them, well, by then you’re fluent anyway.

Indeed, as we all know by now, men and women – inhabitants of different planets, never mind countries – speak a different language anyway. With the odds stacked against them, then, isn’t it rather a miracle that heterosexual, cross-national couples ever make it to the bitter end?

Why German men don’t flirt

Karsten — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:07:00 +02:00

I’ve been living in Germany for a year now. So far, the closest I have come to being chatted up was when, out of the blue, I found myself at the receiving end of a stream of lager-fuelled verbal abuse. I only hope that this wasn’t supposed to be a chat-up line.

by Anna Patton

Of course, I’d be willing to accept that the problem lies with me – I’m no Angelina Jolie, after all, and I don’t even own a push-up bra. Indeed, I did assume the fault was my own, until I realised I wasn’t the only one to have experienced such blatant indifference to my feminine charms. For, as it turns out, every girl I know in this city has suffered the same disinterest. Fiona*, who’s been living here for 2 years, wasn’t at all surprised when I suggested that it was difficult to get to know men in Berlin: “Oh absolutely, you have to be really pushy here – German men never make the first move.” And Carola told me that in all her life, she had never once been chatted up by a German man: she is a native Berliner. Men here simply do not approach strangers.

And I’m not even being very demanding here. After all, my standards are based on the charming yet mostly hopeless British / Irish culture, where flirting mostly consists of clumsily sidling up to a girl at the bar and stuttering something incomprehensible, or later on, perhaps, drunkenly lunging at her on the dance floor. My flirtatious encounters to date have been mostly unmemorable and rarely romantic. (The low point would have to be: “I like the way your hair blows in the breeze”. We were sitting in the living room at the time.) But even those goofy lines or leery gestures, cringe-worthy as they are, give you something to work with, and at least let you know where you stand. In Germany, that serious-looking man sitting just over there may be passionately in love with you, and you would never know.

Victims of Venustraphobia

So what is actually going on here? Is it that German men don’t want to flirt – or is it a matter of being physically unable to do so? Some kind of genetic thing, much in the way white people can’t rap and Europeans can’t dance? Did the emergence of the Italian Stallion and French charmer all those centuries ago cause the German species to evolve in the other direction – nature’s way of balancing things out for the women of Europe?

The evidence of a German incapacity to flirt is rife, at least on an anecdotal level. The numerous “flirt schools” and flirting workshops across the country would barely survive the close of a business day somewhere in the Med. And recently, an article that appeared in several publications compared flirting habits across cultures. German men, it found, “see the conquest of German women as an extreme sport…. The charm thing doesn’t really come into it”. Clearly German men aren’t much into their high-risk sports; according to the author, they may even be victims of “Venustraphobia” – the fear of chatting up beautiful women. Some see this fear as having been provoked by an excessively emancipated female population, who have now taken over the predator role in the sexual hunting game.

Scoring a German

But could it simply be a matter of men behaving in the way that society expects them to? German women, it is claimed, expect their menfolk to show restraint. The Spiegel Online, in the run-up to the German World Cup in 2006, provided some guidelines for foreign fans looking to “score a German” after the game. Would-be seducers should be cautious, it warned, since saying hello to a German lady “comes across as overly forward”. Saying hello? What is this, the 19th century? The Deutsche Welle, offering advice to international students on the subject of flirting, also advises caution. Apparently, “eye contact and good manners” will get you much further than “exaggerated macho posturing”. It seems the definition of flirting auf Deutsch is still limited to a stony-faced stare from across the room.

So why don’t men here flirt? Partly it’s about conforming to standards: getting a wolf whistle as you walked down Unter den Linden would be a bit much. But I don’t believe any German woman could justifiably be offended by being approached by a friendly stranger – that’s just an excuse. Basically, men are afraid to make fools of themselves, because that’s precisely the risk that flirting entails, and Germans don’t go in for risks. They like to do things properly and thoroughly, not spontaneously or irrationally. Forget genetic predisposition, or even cultural conditioning. Germans just aren’t into extreme sports. Although, come to think of it, I’ve never been one for the adrenalin rush either. Perhaps it’s time I checked out one of those flirting seminars?

*Names have been changed

Forget Romance – Buy a Bed

Jeko — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:02:00 +01:00

Berlin is the spiritual home of the commitment-shy. The tongue-in-cheek expression Lebensabschnittsgefährte just about sums it up. This wonderfully unwieldy description for your significant other – meaning ‘fellow companion for a part of your life’ – is Berlin in a nutshell. Forget romance: this is a city for 21st century relationships – brazenly uncommitted, ever-changing and caught up in a fever of living in the moment.

by Anna Patton

With its famously liberal attitude to sex – the proud hometown of fetish parties, swingers’ clubs, a Gay Museum and an ‘Erotic Museum’ – Berlin doesn’t exactly conform to the image of Prussian puritanism. And so Berliners replace, recycle and update their ‘fellow companions’ at the blink of an eye, much as the city itself falls in and out of love with the latest fashions. No wonder so many residents could identify with the quirky ‘Museum of Broken Relationships’, a Croatian travelling exhibition, when it toured to Berlin – with great success – in 2007.

This whole mindset of living very much in the present doesn’t just apply to relationships. It seems to be engrained in the way people live and work. The lengthy years devoted to studying – the average age of graduating in Germany is 28 – and the high unemployment rate in Berlin makes ‘settling down’ a distant prospect for most twenty-somethings. And even if you are ready to put your roots down here, there is little tradition of buying homes in Germany – worlds away from Londoners’ obsession with ‘getting on the property ladder’. You’re much more likely to rent for many years before even thinking about a mortgage. Choosing to settle in Berlin, then, is only as final as your contract with your landlord dictates. Another opt-out from making those life-changing decisions.

I thought I was being uncharacteristically decisive, however, by when I purchased my own bed on moving to Berlin. It seemed like statement; after all, a 140cm-wide lump of furniture wouldn’t be quite as easy to pick up along with the backpack anytime I got restless. I’d have to stick around for some time. But it seems I wasn’t being so decisive after all. For, as a friend pointed out, these 140cm-wide beds – the halfway-size between single and double – are precisely for people who can’t decide if they want to be single or attached. Seems I’ve already been infected by the Berlin mentality of committing to nothing.

Big in Berlin - This week: The Senator for Finance

Karsten — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:43:00 +01:00

In “Big in Berlin”, Babel journalists look back on an issue that stirred the German capital over the past week. The approach is subjective and analytical, in commentary style – yet always informative. Let us know what you think by adding your comments below.

By Matthias Jekosch

If Thilo Sarrazin (of the Social Democratic Party, or SPD) goes on like this, he’ll soon be bringing out a book with all his best quotes. He’d certainly have enough material for it: Berlin’s Senator for Finance does not mince his words – indeed, that’s precisely what he is renowned for. However, in the last few weeks, his comments have been piling up, infuriating many around him.

As recently as mid-February, he showed those on state benefits (the so-called “Hartz IV” system) how to feed themselves on just 4 euro per day. Bread rolls, spaghetti and liver sausage all featured on his example menu, thus damaging what no doubt forms the largest vote for left-wing parties of Berlin. Around 600 000 people living in the capital depend on state support. Even for his own party, Sarrazin’s comments went too far. The city’s mayor, Klaus Wowereit, called the menu listing “completely unnecessary”.

But Sarrazin would not be Sarrazin if he were to become discouraged by the current barrage of criticism. Speaking at the embassy of the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, he maintained that pupils from Bavaria who hadn’t graduated from high school were more able than Berlin pupils who had. When this was reported in the “Main-Post” a week ago, the entire Berlin press jumped on the bandwagon, with the tabloids even suggesting giving the Finance Senator a muzzle. SPD leader in the Berlin House of Representatives, Michael Mueller, in front of the press, claimed he was “astonished and angered”. Sarrazin simply kept referring to his remarks as a joke.

The commotion had barely subsided when Sarrazin made the headlines once more. In a TV programme, he actually tried to apologise for his “Hartz menu” and admitted that it had been wrong “to pour his calculations” onto a menu. Yet he then commented in an astonishing way – for a Finance Senator – on illegal workers, saying: “Rather than having someone sitting on the 20th floor just watching TV all day, I’d be almost relieved to have him do a bit of illegal work.”

Admittedly, the 63 year-old also receives encouragement from the commentary pages of the newspapers. Even Wowereit said he thought he was “a sort of political Guenter Netzer (editor’s note: a famous German football player from the 1970s, now also known as a TV expert). Sometimes brilliant, he could even speak out more, just not a team player every day.” Indeed, if the basic political statements underlying his pithy remarks were revealed, then many more people would certainly agree with the Senator. Raising benefit payments does not get people into work. The quality of teaching in Berlin is poorer than that of Bavarian schools. Someone who works illegally on a building site does more for the economy than someone who does nothing at all. One could easily agree with the statements. One doesn’t have to, though.

Learning With Oranges

Karsten — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:35:00 +01:00

Robert Bosch Foundation, first floor, plenum. 35 young journalists from eleven countries gathered here. From January 17 to January 20 they were set in motion during the 2nd Babel Academy in Berlin. Reportage workshop on the third floor, writing lab in the fourth, events everywhere in Berlin. Nobody got lost on the way, though. On the contrary, their way into professional journalism was supposed to be paved.

„After all, Journalism is also a handcraft“, said Georg Baltissen of the Berlin-based indepented newspaper taz. And handcrafts can be learned. Other than Baltissen, who spoke about writing a reportage and commentaries in his workshop, many other speakers shared their experience and knowledge: Meike Dülffer of “eurotopics“, a European Press review website, Andreas Metz from N-Ost, a network of correspondents in Eastern Europe as well as Inga Majer of the television production company „United Visions“ and „tageszeitung“ editors Barbara Oertel, Thomas Eyerich and William Totok.

35 young journalists from all over Europe improved their skills during a busy weekend in January.

For some insights however, participants had to cover a longer distance than just a few floors in the same building. The Polish ambassador to Berlin, Marek Prawda, welcomed them in the far West of Berlin, in Grunewald. His openness rewarded the young journalists for the long travel. During the rule of the Kaczynski brothers, he recalled, doors of almost all German politicians were open to him because Poland was always at the center of public attention. However, as he said, his work consisted mainly of damage limitation during that time.

Not only did the Polish ambassador make participants familiar with his country. They also got to know each other and their respective countries. „The academy really widened my international circle of friends“, Stephanie Lehner from Austria summed up her experience. She will visit another participant from Brno soon. International contact was easy during evening events – like joint dinner at the „Hell oder Dunkel“ restaurant or dancing at „Roter Salon“. Consequently, one of the goals of „Jugend für Europa“ was accomplished: Bringing together young Europeans. The German agency of the EU programme „Youth in action“ had financed the academy.

Even after the academy has ended, two participants will set off on their way: Christiane Lötsch from Berlin and Pim de Kuijer from Brussels won the journalism competition, into which 27 articles had been entered. As a price they will get their travel expenses for a research trip reimbursed. Christiane will portray the film academy in Lodz, where people like Roman Polanski studied in the past. Pim reported from the independence referendum in Kosovo. Both articles are being published at cafebabel.com. It’s not sure whether Pim will include Oranges in his report. „I didn’t know that Oranges can be so inspiring“, he said after the writing lab with Andreas Metz. Metz placed several Oranges on the table. And then, it was up to the creativity of the young talents. That is what makes a good writer in the end – even though oranges might play a minor role during a journalist’s everyday work.

Last Day at Berlinale Talent Campus: Embracing the Internet

Karsten — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:49:00 +01:00

This is the last part of Babel Berlin's feature series, in which three Babel reporters covered a not so well-known aspect of the Berlinale, Berlin's famous film festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops. Lena Meier attended "The Indie Filmmaker's Guide to the Internet" for Babel Berlin.

by Lena Meier

It was about me! Today they were actually talking about me. Me – the audience. It’s 11a.m. at HAU2. Liz Rosenthal hosts the last session of „The Indie Filmmaker’s Guide to the Internet“. She and the experts on the panel explain the talents of the Campus how to dispose a film and the experience that’s related to it. But of course the way they propose is not to go through a sales agent who would have to find a distributor who in turn would try to attract an exhibitor. No, the best way to find the audience is through the internet. At least that is what M Dot Strange and Arin Crumley – to name just two of the four guest experts – argue for. M Dot Strange for instance has a huge fan community on YouTube where he presents all of his work free for everybody to watch it. In return the casual guy in the hoody plus cap can ask his audience for favours: „Please send me scary music.“ or „Please feel free to translate my movie into your language.“ „You can do crazy stuff, just what you want“, M Dot tells us.

The HAU: For one week, the future of indie filmmaking was discussed here.

Arin Crumley, the internet optimist from New York, relies on his audience in a different way. His movie „Four Eyed Monster“ about his relationship to his girlfriend Susan Buice is a feature film and has a website where you can – at times – see the movie in full length. There’s also a podcast with additional episodes about the two protagonists. What Arin and Susan ask the audience to do is watch the movie, like it, recommend it to other viewers and maybe support it by giving some money. Also they encourage their fans to leave the code of the place they come from thus collecting people who want to see the film in a theatre. „Online,“ Arin says and the thrill this gives him is obvious „you get directly commented. You give the audience a voice.“

In the afternoon, during the premiere of the the four short internet films that have each been shot and edited in one day during the Campus two things become clear: The directors, actors, editors, sound designers, etc. of these four productions did a great job. Their films tell interesting stories in perfect images. The video below is „The String Puppet“, an impressive short tale which is less than 36 hours old, and a perfect example for the dazzling creativity of the participants. But what is really striking is that the young filmmakers didn’t have the audience on their mind when they did the films. Very slowly they seem to grasp that their films are now „out there“. „The idea of one million people to see my film ... wow ...“ Victoria, one of the directors, remarks. And M Dot recommends to pay attention to how the audience reacts. So the future is really us – the filmloving consumers.

The other garage flicks that have been produced during the last week can be watched at the Campus' Youtube Channel or at Dailymotion.

Day 5: Work Together!

Karsten — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:34:00 +01:00

This is part seven of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the Berlinale, Berlin's famous film festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Lena Meier

How are you going to approach your story? Is it a music documentary? Is there something Felliniesk about it? Will the war play a big role in your movie? How did you come across these people? The questions came from experts and they hoped to get answers from young talents – an upside-down world?

Not really, because the experts are still the ones to learn from. But on the fifth day of the Talent Campus the Doc Station and in the afternoon the Script Station at HAU2 give a selected group of talents the opportunity to present their work and get a feedback from people who know the business and also from the audience. Although the clattering metro trains outside of the windows are constantly reminding the audience of Berlin reality, Dick Fontaine, a veteran in documentary filmmaking and Doc Station jury member, is touched when Luis from Uruguay tells about his intention to do a film about female prisoners in his homecountry during the military dictatorship – „It had been boiling in me,“ Luis says. „And now I want to let it flow into a lake where people can mirror themselves.

Working together: Two Talents at the Campus.

Also Dick can already see an interesting film coming out of Pullulu’s story about a former football star in the Congo whose life got destroyed by the political system: „You come from an individual to tell a more general story. That’s very good.“ In two hours the audience gets a rare glimpse on 12 brand new projects that are still in progress. While having Linsen and Spätzle for lunch at loved and hated WAU I witness another work in progress. At the table next to me a Swiss cinematographer and a director from Iceland are talking about working together. Well, it’s rather the Swiss talking: „I don’t know if she likes me. But I saw her on the website and I had the feeling that we should meet and talk.“ What they have in common is their interest in fiction-documentary, he says. So maybe the Campus is the beginning of a wonderful international co-production?

The Script Station session at least shows a perfect collaboration. It’s between script writers and actors. Before the latter can show their skills, the screenwriters have to pitch their scripts – that is, they have to outline the story and make it sound as interesting as possible – while being observed by David Thompson, Head of BBC Films. Issues that the young generation is interested in are diversified: happy end in Rumania, teenage abuse in the US, life in Berlin, reincarnation, drugs and killing in Spain, coming of age in Argentina. David Thompson is very friendly in his questions but his advice is clear: „Be short an crisp! The relevant things you’ll get asked.“

When the actors visualize two excerpts from two different scripts one of the most important topics in feature films in general and also in the projects of the younger generation is tangible: love. And from the conversation that comes up after the performance love is also what accounts for the collaboration of authors and actors: the love for the characters.

Day 4: From Street Cred to Screen Credibility

Jeko — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:42:00 +01:00

This is part six of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the Berlinale, Berlin's famous film festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Sandra Wickert

“Hip hop is life. Hip hop is a cultural force. Hip hop has nothing to do with politics. Hip hop has everything to do with politics. Hip hop discriminates against women. Hip hop empowers women. Hip hop is poor. Hip hop is bling.” The opinions on the true nature of hip hop expressed by Talents and visitors of the panel From Street Cred to Screen Credibility- Hip-Hop and the Movies were as different as the backgrounds of the experts on stage. The stage united Karim Chrobog, Volker Meyer-Dabisch, Atif Ghani, Fatoumata Kande Senghor, Donald Mugisha and Tyron Ricketts with moderators Kevin Fitzgerald and Satti R. Kujipers.

An expert in Hip Hop: Tyron Ricketts.

The panel gave an overview of the different approaches to bringing hip hop to the big screen. German director Volker Meyer-Dabisch, whose movie Love, Peace and Beatbox is featured in this year’s Berlinale, came only indirectly to this topic. Originally planning to make a film about a Turkish family in his neighbourhood (Kreuzberg, Berlin), their young son opened the door to hip hop music for him. In his adolescence, German actor and musician Tyron Ricketts found a role model in hip hoppers in a world where there were not many black people on screen in Germany. Hip hop has changed Tyron’s life: for him it is a tool to change the situation for foreigners in Germany and is an instrument to release emotions.

London underground filmmaker Atif Ghani shows the drastic side of hip hop and features Plan B MC who uses a lot of explicit lyrics. He wants to hear the voices from the streets and for him, hip hop is not at all a national thing but has provided an international identity with global points of reference. Senegalese activist and filmmaker Fatoumata Kandé Senghor wants to give a forum to her country, which has many things to say. She showed how hip hop influences every aspect of everyday life in Senegal and how it is used by politicians to address youth – but also how the youth uses it to get back at politics. In a country where 65% of the population consists of young people, hip hop is the overall language.

Teaching screen credibility: The experts helped bring Hip Hop to the Big Screen.

Donald Mugisha from Uganda uses not only hip hop but the local version of Dancehall in his movies and shows life 'how it is'. The extract of Karim Chrobog’s movie War Child, playing at Berlinale, was very impressive. It shows the story of Emmanuel, a child soldier in three civil wars, who now has exchanged his machine gun for hip hop in order to make himself heard. “Hip hop does not only touch the mind, but the hearts” was the message. Some discussion followed – about the raw language in the songs, the stereotypes that are still used, the long way from idealism in the Bronx to the 'bling bling' of West Coast hip hop. And finally the complaint that Africa is always portrayed in the media as a continent of war, crime, disaster – and not laughter, weddings, dances, beauty. “We do documentaries. We portray life. And when the houses in Uganda are flooded and the water stays there for five months and the government doesn’t do anything about it, that’s how it is, there’s nothing to euphemize”, was Kandé Seghor's response.

The discussion was just about to start, going deeper into the connection between film and hip hop and the different approaches and possiblities, when the two hours were already over. Fortunately, there was the hip hop lounge afterwards, where theory could be turned into practice. Yo!

Day 3: Who Needs Reality?

Jeko — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:50:00 +01:00

This is part five of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the Berlinale, Berlin's famous film festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Lena Meier

„I don’t like boundaries. I want to control the scene.“ It’s lunchtime at WAU – the restaurant at HAU2. We happen to be served by a very friendly waitress – which is unusual for this place – as Didzis, a filmmaker from Latvia, is explaining why he prefers making feature movies to do a documentary. Didzis has quite some experience. He has been busy during the last year shooting short films. One is about throwing out garbage – but the filmmaker added a romantic feature to it: People come out in the street with their garbage and start dancing! How cool is that!

Didzis seems to be an exception at the Berlinale Talent Campus. Most of the young directors I met so far are into documentary. Even though Alberto from Italy (he is in our Saturday blog entry) told me that „if you want to reach a big audience don’t use the documentary style.“ The Serbian director Dušan Makavejev has had a big audience all over the world since the 1960s. People love him for his politically provocative, sexually liberal movies. A good impression of his esthetic is given by a slide show of film stills during his conversation with the film critic Peter Cowie at HAU2: a golden penis, Lenin’s head in stone taken down from a monument, sex in public, sex in a bath of sugar, the Berlin wall, a beheaded woman (we learn from the filmmaker she was beheaded with an ice skating shoe after she had sex).

„Film is bigger than life“ Makavejev says and the oversize pictures behind his back prove him right, „it can only be a construction.“. But of course all the pictures in his movies are taken from real life. „You should show everything that’s there and that is violence and sex and death.“ That’s why for the Serbian film veteran there are no taboos. Even though under communism but also in the „free world“ censorship has been most inventive to ban his movies without any legal foundation.

The One-Woman Show

Turn of the scene: At HAU1 Julie Delpy, the French-American one-woman-show is tackling the borders at least of what Rafael, an Israeli talent sitting next to me, can stand. „She’s crazy!“ he comments on her and leaves the place. The topic of the panel is „Heroes vs. Anti-Heroes“ and I find Julie Delpy most entertaining and in the end the only reason to stay at this otherwise rather lame arrangement: Ralph Ziman, director from South Africa talks irritating casually about violence in Johannesburg and the morals of the protagonist in his latest movie– a kind of Robin Hood in the townships. Julia Jentsch, the German celebrity on the panel obviously feels very uncomfortable and can’t explain what it is like to play the young anti-nazi activist Sophie Scholl, a real heroine in German history.

It is a small highlight to learn about Benjamin Gilmour’s latest project „The Son of the Lion“. The Canadian filmmaker went to Pakistan with a finished script in his bag about the Pashtuns, who are known in the world as the group that forms the Taliban. As he lived with them they started to reform his original story into their story. „I didn’t have much choice. I was their guest.“ So can we see the real Pashtuns in this feature film?

Meanwhile Julie Delpy has been biting her nails, drinking her tea, making all kinds of faces and changing her position in her armchair a lot before the interviewer turns to her. All of a sudden she is fully present and rocks the scene with her description of her favourite heroes – „I love obnoxious people!“ – and an estimation of the future of the hero in American cinema – „The anti-hero is back. I’m looking forward to that.“ What she leaves open is: Do we see the real Julie Delpy in „2 Days in Paris“?: „I’m not like that. This is a completely different person. I hate her. Well, I mean, of course, there are some things … Maybe, yes I am that person. No, nonsense. Ehm, I don’t know.“

Day 2: The Indie Filmmaker's Guide to the Internet

Karsten — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:38:00 +01:00

This is part four of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the Berlinale, Berlin's famous film festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Lena Meier

There are three huge question marks hovering over the Berlinale Talent Campus and the heads of its international participants: Who can give me money to realize my ideas? Will it still be my film? And how can I attract people to see my story?

Producer Ian Smith

Take for example Didem from Istanbul. She wants to make a documentary about a famous Turkish singer who fled Turkey in the 60s and went to Paris. It’s a love story, she says. The way music and text come together is accurately written down in a folder she brought to Berlin. Of course the European Film Market is on her agenda where she’ll try to find financial help for her project – “This is the first time I’m trying to sell my stuff. So I don’t really know what to expect.” To get some ideas of how to deal with questions of financing and distribution as an independent filmmaker, many Talents follow the Campus' pink lights to HAU2 and two most interesting presentations.

In the morning Liz Rosenthal, an independent producer and creator from the UK, shows how using podcasts, iTunes, Google and social networking sites is the best way to get known and stay independent. For sure Shah Rukh Khan’s appearance in HAU1 at the same time is overwhelming, but so are the opportunities on the internet. “It can be incredibly laborious,” the expert admits. “But the more you share of your work, the more valuable it can become.” Part 2 and 3 of the Indie Filmmaker’s Guide to the Internet will take place on Tuesday, Feb 12 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, Feb 14, 11 a.m respectively. In the afternoon there is the chance to hear two experienced producers share their secrets: Iain Smith in conversation with Sandy Lieberson again in HAU2. Iain Smith is the producer of films like the Fifth Element and Children of Men. His secret is to be like a mother to the filmmakers he is working with - with all the severity but also the admiration this kind of relationship demands. “Zen is a good way to deal with the fear of the filmmaker.”

Producer Liz Rosenthal

Obviously both Smith and Lieberson try to make clear that the producer and the whole marketing machinery is not necessarily the enemy of the filmmaker. Yet you can hear from their questions that some Talents still need more proof of that, as these two kind men sitting comfy in their black armchairs might turn out to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. So Smith points out that the next generation has a clear advantage when it comes to the internet: “This is your chance. I know the traditional way but I feel uncomfortable with the internet.” Didem, the Turkish Talent, is enthusiastic, but one question remains: would Smith be interested in her documentary? One person, at least, doesn’t need to worry about attention at the moment. Will Hemming, a Canadian composer/sound designer, is busy with work in HAU3. Asked if he still has time to join all the activities on the Campus he laughs: “Yes, I do. I just don’t sleep.”

PS: Some people came here and expected snow, but unfortunately it’s spring weather and bright sunshine.

Screening African Emotions

Karsten — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 10:23:00 +01:00

These days, it's film frenzy in Berlin again. Berlinale, the city's famous film festival is under way. This is the third part of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Paula Martinez

Sunday, 2 o’clock, HAU 2: the sun shines outside but dozens of Talents try to find a place in a crowded room. It’s the first round of the Focus Africa events. With a panel of experts from African cinema (producers, journalists, directors from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Nigeria...), the session "Hot Spot Africa" draws the attention of Talents from sub-Saharan Africa but also of Talents from all parts of the world. Like Alberto from Italy who told us he wanted to explore “a world which is far away from European independent production.”

Alby James, scriptwriter, Selina Ukwuoma, screenwriter and Michael Auret, distributor and former director of the Cape Town World Cinema Festival

For more than two hours the experts and the public analysed the panorama of sub-Saharan cinema and defended what Zimbabwe producer Pdero Pimenta described as the “African way of doing things.” Talk ranged from training new generations to broadcasting African cinema, from the very important issue of fundraising to the necessary cooperation between African countries and the incredible “Nollywood” phenomenon. Peace Aniyam-Fiberesima stated to the applause of many, “there’s a lot of raw talent in Africa” and there’s a real need for African movies made for an African public and focused on African topics, independent from Western influence. She also emphasized that it’s crucial to make cinema accessible to the majority of the population: for example, by setting the cinema entrance fees to one dollar (or less).

The round was followed by questions concentrated on the colossal issue of distribution. As one young speaker said, “the main problem starts when you have finished your movie”. It’s difficult to find a platform where young directors can show their work and thereby garner funding for the next film. Breeze, from South Africa, criticized the gap between younger and older, more professional generations and the latter's reluctance to bet on risky projects that explore new filmic language. Afterwards I spoke with Nyaradzo Muchena, a Campus participant from Zimbabwe. He said that the round table was interesting, but he didn’t agree with the general opinion on the Nigerian model as the only model for African cinema. Nyaradzo criticized the quality of filmmaking in Nigeria: “Nollywood is a great example of good film distribution, but definitely not a role model in film production”.

After a short break, I headed to the main stage in HAU 2 for the second Focus Africa session focussed on North Africa and the current state of independent filmmaking in Egypt. The discussion, entitled Cairo Underground, addressed the different forms of doing cinema away from mainstream channels. A modern artist who uses multimedia as a way of communicating (Shady El-Noshokaty), a female documentary filmmaker (Hala Galal) and two Egyptians participants of this edition of the Campus (Kaiser and Emad Mabrouk) showed their works and talked about multimedia language, independent cinema in Egypt and self-censorship. As Hala Galal said, “the main problem is that nobody knows that in Egypt there is also independent filmmaking”. The photos of Cairo taken by El-Noshokaty and screened on the backdrop during the talk were beautiful and a perfect touch.

The Long Road to Stardom

Karsten — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:05:00 +01:00

These days, it's film frenzy in Berlin again. Berlinale, the city's famous film festival is under way. This is the second part of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Sandra Wickert

It was a big day yesterday for Campus participants that are actors or actresses. On top of the Love International panel featuring the stars of Indian, Nigerian and German cinema, Talent actors also received expert advice in the casting workshop Don't Call Us, We'll Call You.

"Develop a thick skin for rejection“ – this was the final advice that Ilene Kahn-Power, founder and head of Hollywood-based Kahn Power Pictures, gave to the talents participating in the casting workshop Don’t call us – we’ll call you. Together with Derek Power and casting director Nancy Bishop, she provided an interesting insight into the shark basin known as "auditions".

The workshop's goal was to shed light on the obscure procedure of castings, self-representation, finding an agent, finding autions and landing a role in the international market. Nancy Bishop got down to business and made it clear what casting directors do and do not want. This included advice on CVs: "In English if you want to work in the U.S.”; how the head shots should look: “Choose a photo that portrays what you really look like and not one that overly flatters you”; and, above all, how to act at a shooting: “Keep your shots simple. Don’t annoucne your age!”

The Power couple then came up with some examples to turn theory into practice, starting with the amazing story of how they casted the then 'unknown to the US market' Irish actor Jonathan-Rhys Myers as Elvis in a CBS-miniseries. “Johnny”, as Ilene affectionately calls him, ardently followed their instructions, because his tape had all the ingredients for success: a simple background with just the actor and real entertainment that leaves you wanting more. It was the first step in his path to a Golden Globe for best actor in a miniseries.

Together you are stronger

The overall reaction to the workshop among Talent participants was positive. Senad Alihodzic from Bosnia-Herzegovina was interested in the actor-agent-relationship: “We do not know about that in my country. I was interested in the concrete information, like how to make show reels. And I learned a lot from that”.

Young actress Erifili Stefanidou from Greece chose this workshop because it was one of the few events that was actor-oriented. She absolutely wants to work abroad and maybe has a job prospective in Sarajevo soon: “In Greece we do not have this system, it is still a long way. I wanted to know how I could promote myself as an actress and how to apply for international jobs."

Consodyne Buzabe from Uganda was enthusiastic: “Film is just beginning in Uganda and we need as much information as possible about film and actors. We don’t even know the basic process of this. We need to gain insight in what to do to get ourselves out there or what we can do to become actors that eventually will be hired for international movies.” For countries like Uganda, where neither agents, film schools nor casting agencies exist, Nancy Bishop’s advice is to create actors unions: “Together you can represent yourselves as a group. Together you are stronger”.

For a Croatian actress, the workshop was successful in a very concrete way. After complaining about not having received answers from casting agencies several times after having sent in her demo reel, Nancy Bishops nose for talents must have smelled something: “I would like to see your demo reel, if you want to give it to me”. From theory to practice, the best lesson of this workshop.

Saturday Recap

Karsten — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 15:26:00 +01:00

These days, it's film frenzy in Berlin again. Berlinale, the city's famous film festival is under way. This is the first part of a special series on cafebabel.com's Berlin blog, in which three Babel reporters will cover a not so well-known aspect of the festival. It's called "Berlinale Talent Campus", a forum for 350 young filmmakers from all over the world to present their works, meet each other and improve their skills during various workshops.

by Lena Meier and Paula Martinez

It’s all pink, it’s amazing and it’s all about meeting: the 6th edition of the Berlinale Talent Campus. 350 young people have come from all over the world and are eager to meet each other: script writers want to meet screenwriting experts and filmmakers. Filmmakers want to meet producers. Actresses want to meet filmmakers with new ideas and a fresh way of realizing them.

My Life in Campus-Pink: Talent Campus participant enjoying a sunny moment in the magenta-hued lounge of HAU2.

And we want to meet the talents: For example Breeze from South Africa who attracts attention with his rasta hair-do. He is a documentary filmmaker who, in the past, has examined themes like black consciousness in Johannesburg. By using hip-hop as a film language he wants to break the rules of documentary filmmaking and make it more interesting for his generation: “People love to see movies but they don’t want to see anything didactic.” At lunch we get to talk to Alberto who came to do his first film because he was commissioned by a NGO to tell a story of post-war Bosnia. The topic of his latest project is also a socio-political: women’s rights in Morocco. The culmination of all meetings is the first round of the Speed Matching: about two hundred talents sit in two lines facing each other on cardboard stools on the main stage of HAU2.

The setting is pink. The air is vibrating with one hundred conversations. After three minutes one line moves one seat to the left – new partners, new topics. Janine Marmot from Skillset. introduced the game with the assumption that many participants are shy – it seems that she is wrong. Everyone is talking and gesturing, greeting, taking pictures and exchanging email addresses. In the lobby outside, three guys hang out on the pink bathroom-carpet-like platforms. The sun sends rays through the big windows. Although Gabriel, Carlos and Rezwan missed the speed matching for today, they were still able to meet each other and meet us as well. They come from Mexico, Ecuador and Bangladesh and all of them are directors.

Registration Day: Fresh off the plane, train and bus. Campus participants register in HAU2.

“It’s easy to make films in Bangladesh because there’s always a lot of stories to tell in a third world country”, Rezwan says. His latest short shows the huge gap between rich and poor, high tech and rural living. Berlin impressed him with its mix of modern and old. Carlos is interested in socio-political issues. His documentary Taromenani tells the story of a disconnected tribe in the Amazon and was already shown in Berlin at the human rights festival One World Berlin. In the end the first day of the Talent Campus was proof that it's the best place in town to meet the coolest people. And as Alberto said: “The Talent Campus is important because the most risky thing in filmmaking is to become lonely”.

Babel-Academy for Journalists

Jeko — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:09:00 +01:00

Cafebabel.com Berlin invites all European journalists to its Second Babel-Academy for journalists.

After the last successful Babel Academy in Barcelona 2006, cafebabel.com Berlin holds its second academy for journalists from 17 - 20 January 2008.

Cafebabel.com Berlin is looking for journalists between the age of 18 and 30 who are currently writing for cafebabel.com or who are interested to do so in the future and who want to improve their journalistic capabilities.

To be invited to the academy, please take part in our journalism competition on 'Something new in the East – Impulses for Europe?'.

For further details please have a look at the attachment.