Watching Movies in Berlin

     After spending time in Berlin, I can really see why it is considered to be the sister city to Los Angeles. I knew film was a prominent part of the city's history, but I never realized how overwhelming its presence was until I saw it in person.
     On our first day here, we were able to tour Babelsberg Studios, one of the oldest film studios in the world. They are famous for producing films like Metropolis and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. They are still very much alive today, some of their recent projects being The Book Thief, Thr Monuments Men, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. The studio tour was incredible. We got to see one of the stages, set pictures, and the amazing costume shop. We also got a tour of the art department, which was especially interesting to me because that is my area of study. We got to see people at  work in the wood shop, the paint shop, and the sculpture studio and walked through the set dressing and props rooms. It was unbelievable to be in a place with such an impressive past (and present).
     After a short walk, we arrived at the Hochschule für Film und Fersehen (HFF) Potsdam. We were met by a few of the professors, who offered to show us around and talk to some of the students. It was such a strange experience because even though I had never been there before and it is in a foreign country, I felt so at home. There were so many similarities between this school and the film school at UNCSA. The professors and students were so friendly and eager to answer any and all questions. They seemed very interested in keeping in contact with us and learning more about our school, and I hope to be able to do so.
    Of course, right now is a very special time in Berlin because the annual Berlinale Filmfestspiele is going on. I couldn't believe we were lucky enough to be here during the 10-day period of the festival. I wanted to explore Berlin as well, but I still had the pleasure of seeing 4 films in the 2 days we had time for festival screenings. One was Norwegian (Blind), one French (La Belle et la Bête), one Chinese (The Midnight After), and one Ethiopian (Difret). All of the theaters and the screens we watched the films on were enormous. I had never seen so many movie theaters that big in one city. All of the films were all so unique and I probably never would have heard of most of them had it not been for this opportunity. I didn't know much about any of them before seeing them, but that was part of the fun. It was the luck of the draw, either you  found a film that you loved or it wasn't your cup of tea. I was fond of all of the films I saw. A couple of them were pretty strange, but still worth seeing. Difret was my favorite because there was a Q&A with the director after the screening. He spoke about his process of making the film and the reasons behind it. I loved getting to hear his perspective right after having seen the film. If I ever have another chance to go to the Berlinale, I'll be there in a heartbeat!