I have mentioned before that any film festival in the world showcases a myriad of films; the numbers can rack up to 500 to 600 films. This year's Berlinale was no exception. As it is impossible to see all of them in one festival, I tend to focus on a particular segment to understand the current trends in filmmaking. While at Berlin, our schedule was to start with a screening at 10 am in the morning, and that show was only for the press. In addition to the accreditation card, you need to book yourself for the shows in order to actually see them. In spite of the rush that I had to go through, I was lucky enough to see some amazing films which I cannot help but talk about.

"Ana, mon amour", directed by Calin Peter Netzer was hyped up a lot. It showed new dimensions to love and how it changes. The acting was brilliant and it really was worth a watch. "Beuys", which was directed by Andres Veiel was a documentary about Joseph Beuys, who is a highly acclaimed German artist and visionary. I really appreciated the effort by the director to make this documentary as I feel that courageous and bold people like Joseph Beuys can keep taking us forward. Terresa Villaverde's "Colo" tackled the problems of a new European society at the times of great economic crisis. With strained relationships and broken families, the film will definitely make you think deep.

"Final Portrait" is basically a biography of the great French painter, Alberto Guacometti. The film was directed by Stanley Tucci and although I felt that the film was very insightful, it could have had better pacing as at one point the audience's interests can divert to other places. Other than that, it was a great film. "Helle Nachte", or "Bright Nights", was an astounding story about the journey of a father and son. It tackled the concept of an estranged father regaining the love and respect of his son through the events of an accident. Thomas Arslan earned my respect with this film, and it has really emoted character and personality. I was really excited to watch "Sage Femme", which featured one of my all-time favorite actresses Catherine Deneuve. The film showed the story of a single mother, who happens to be a dedicated midwife at a clinic. I fell more in love with Catherine than I already was after watching the film! 

Being exposed to this world of films is always an amazing experience, whether it is the Berlinale or Cannes. The disappointment of not being able to watch all the segments was overshadowed by my opportunity to see some potential classics this year. 

By Rafi Hossain