Berlin Film Festival claims itself as an ‘International’ Film Fest

For those not keeping score, when The International changed dates (being pushed off the 2008 schedule, and into a mid-February slot) it was clear that Tom Tykwer‘s latest (which takes place in Berlin) wasn’t in some crisis or being post-poned due to factors X,Y and Z. I’m not sure why they didn’t announce this one a bit earlier, but the thriller starring Clive Owen (always looking cool wearing a gun) and Naomi Watts (always looking great with the terrified look) will be receiving a homely, world send-off from Deutschland’s top fest and Europe’s third premiere film fest after Cannes and Venice. The film will get the out-of-competition slot in the 59th edition of the fest which runs from February 5th until the 15th. 

Variety reports that the world preem comes “seven years after Tykwer’s poorly received Heaven”, a film that was badly dumped by Miramax and which I absolutely adored for its lyricism, beauty and clumsiness and which was part of a proposed trilogy of films written by the deceased Krzysztof Kieślowski. (Danis Tanovic continued the trilogy of themes with L’Enfer (Hell) in 2005.). 

Owen plays centers on an obsessive Interpol agent Louis Salinger and is paired with Watt’s Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman with both being determined to bring to justice one of the world’s most powerful banks. Uncovering myriad and reprehensible illegal activities, Salinger and Whitman follow the money from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as their targets will stop at nothing – even murder – to continue financing terror and war.