Jury President Kristen Stewart attends the opening ceremony of the 73rd Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin | photo credit: Fabrizio Bench
Kirsten Stewart looks confident as she attends her first press conference as Jury President for the 2023 Berlin International Festival.
However, the ‘Spencer’ star admitted she was nervous about the task ahead Hollywood Reporter.
She said, “Full transparency, I’m kind of shaking. I think, I’m not bowing down [the weight], but I can’t wait to see who we all are next at the end of this experience. I’m just ready to be changed by all the movies and all the people around us.”
Stewart said it was not his decision to come to Berlin. “I was surprised that he called me,” she said. ,[But] It’s a great opportunity to uncover beautiful things at a time when it’s hard to get hold of.”
Fellow Berlinale juror, actress Golshifteh Farahani, said with so much political turmoil in the world, including mass demonstrations in her home country of Iran, she felt particularly fortunate to be able to attend the festival this year. .
“Ukraine, with Iran, with the earthquake [in Turkey and Syria], it seems the whole world is falling apart,” she said. “We are all in a moment of transition, especially now with Iran. And in a country like Iran, which is a dictatorship, art is not just an intellectual or philosophical thing, it is essential. It’s like oxygen… whatever is happening again in Iran, I’m glad to be back in Berlin so we can gather together and celebrate cinema, celebrate freedom , even though the world seems to be crumbling from everywhere.
Stewart, Farahani and other Berlin jury members including Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude, Spanish director Carla Simon, Hong Kong director Johnny To, German director Valeska Griesbach and US casting director and producer Francine Maisler will judge 20 films in Berlin’s Official Competition section and , on February 25, hand over the coveted gold and silver bear trophies to the winners.
When asked what she was looking for in a potential award winner, Stewart said she was looking for something that was “confrontational and political in a positive way. I think it’s important for us to deprogram and go completely for newness.” It’s so important to be open,” she said. , “I think the diversity and breadth of perspectives [among this year’s competition films] is going to provide us with some new content which may be challenging and awkward to adapt [but] if we all if we can’t all agree [on a film] That’s probably because it’s so cool.”
There is no clear frontrunner in the race to enter the 73rd Berlinale. The 19 films selected by a team led by artistic director Carlo Chatriane draw heavily on art and international cinema, with an emphasis on films with a strong, political message.