Mr bacon, you have delivered the line of the panorama after 25 years in 2017. How were the last Berlinale, and the last year for you? Phantom limb pain?
four decades were under high tension, the center of my life. This is quite a change. But phantom, I don’t have pain, because I wanted to give it to Yes. I also looked at last year in advance of anything out of the Panorama program, but am really gone to the Festival in the films. Interesting experience, to experience all of a sudden from the guest perspective.
this year is the Panorama 40, together they have curated with Andreas Struck, the anniversary program. From 1800 movies they have selected nine feature films, three Essay documents, and eleven short works. How did you go there?
Because it should really be my last Berlinale, I had to me in the first row. I have asked myself, what has stayed with me and what was important to me. Many Wallflowers came to the fore, probably except for me and the creators hardly anyone remembers. For this purpose, the Input of Andreas Struck, since 1993, it came. Together, we have compiled a small, obscure program. In this case, each Film stands for something that defines the profile of the panorama.
Always back in the early works of the internationally successful Director in the panoramic indoor and Directors ran. About Hallströms Leave “My life as a dog” in 1986, runs in the anniversary series. Can you still remember his visit at that time?
Yes, of course! It was his first major international Film, I met him for the first Time. Later the poster still hung quite a long time in the office, because “My life as a dog” was a favorite film of Manfred Salzgeber, my predecessor as a panoramic head. Hallström is now coming to the Berlinale, as most of the other still-living Directors.
Gus Van Sant, Ang Lee, Derek Jarman, Kim Ki-Duk, Detlev Buck, Doris Dörrie or Pedro Almodóvar were early in the Panorama and came out later. There were people you knew already?
I’m not a speculative type. But if you look backwards, you can tell that much, what about a Kim Ki-should-Duk later, was already in his early works. That Ang Lee, for two years would win after he was with us, with “the wedding Banquet” the Golden bear, was, of course, to predict.
Wieland Speck 1982. His Short documentary “The sound of rapid redemption” runs in the anniversary series Panorama 40.Photo: Helmut Roettgen
A focus of queer films. As reflected in the anniversary program?
For example, with an Aids focus. Here, the cinema has done exactly what for me has always been crucial: It has used its creative force for social development processes. We show for example, “Buddies” by Arthur J. Bressan Jr. in a freshly restored version. In it you can see the shift in gay culture, the middle of the Eighties took place, from the hedonistic joy of life to the threat of death, from celebrations to take Care of.
The Film was shown in 1985 in the Panorama, 1987, the Director, died of the consequences of the disease. Seven years later, Manfred Salzgeber died. It was not hard, this is a terrible time to be doubled, quasi to see on the screen?
of Course, it was hard, because the facts were so hard, but not due to the duplication. Rather on the contrary. Film is a medium, to explain to work on something, to change. In addition, it was about people of a theme, they thought at first that it interested you. Therefore, this part of the Panorama Retro is also called “Film as a weapon”. In 1971 I saw the Pink of Praunheims “Not the homosexual is perverse, but the Situation in which he lives” and knew right then and there that cinema can things incredible: It can excite, the reflection force on the road. The aesthetics and politics come together.
In the year 1987, she had the idea to award a prize for the best gay-lesbian Berlinale-Film, the Teddy. You insisted that he will not only include works from the Panorama, but from the entire Festival. Why was that so important?
of Course, 95 percent of the movies that came for the Teddy in question were already in the Panorama, but I wanted the other section leaders have this on the screen. A Ghetto has not interested me. Therefore, we never had an Extra series for queer films. It was of interest to a wider Public. Since a price is a good tool. I had won my debut feature film “Westerners”, some of the prices and realized how much attention it gets.
the Plan Went on to also be interested in the other sections for queer films?
In any case. The Teddy has also led to other Festivals introduced similar prices. First Kiev, forgave his Sunny Bunny, later, about the Rainbow Lion in Venice and the Queer Palm in Cannes.
Wieland Speck 2013 at the presentation of the Teddy Awards, with one of the members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.Photo: Jens Kalaene / dpa / picture-alliance
At the Berlinale, it took a while until all of them had closed the Teddy to the heart. The then festival Director Moritz de Hadeln came only after ten years, for the first Time to an awards ceremony.
That’s right. He has always supported us, to the kidneys without Expo. The tenth Teddy I had him so that he will come too. The award ceremony took place in the overcrowded SO36. We had problems to come through the crowd. I pushed and our PR Agent pulled Hadeln the frightened Moritz de. Fortunately, we were eventually on our seats and it was a very nice evening. From then on he came more often, sometimes even with his wife Erika. And in the year after he had to go, we gave him the Special Teddy.
you have four decades of experience with the Berlinale audience. During the discussions, it was often violently. The impression is deceptive, or it has become a little quieter?
That Director or Directors have been insulted, not anymore actually. The movies are no longer so wild, the crowd is so wild. Last I’ve seen of 2015 in “I Am Michael” is a COP-out. James Franco plays a religious Gay-to-straight. Since gay men were from my Generation, and said: had it not been under Manfred Salzgeber! In the case of issues such as right-wing extremism or Israel was always something going on; if, for example, films of Israel were Israeli-American Director Udi Aloni, had you every Time Boo-callers in the room. So how the were distributed, acted as an organised Protest.
Is the audience today, a total of more used?
The comes. Previously, you had to go to Moritz de Hadeln and things approve, the goods may be explosive. He has interrupted even once for a demonstration. That was Fingered in 1988 at Richard’s core, “” in the Urania. Lydia Lunch plays a sex worker, it’s about humiliation, and the like. Manfred Salzgeber took the Film class, but de Hadeln let the projection stop and stormed with the managing Director on the stage, to distance themselves from it.
And then?
we Have turned off the light again and the rest of the movie is shown. I think de Hadeln want to protect, if it came to protests. Which was not the case, there never has itched. Manfred Salzgeber, however, was beside himself. He wanted to throw in the towel this evening the Job and leave. I held him then.
click here to read an Overview of the queer films of the Berlinale 2019.
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farewell to Wieland Speck good-bye, Daddy cool!
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