Berlinale 2003 Special

Sam Rockwells wins SILVER BEAR AWARD for best actor in "Confessions"

"This award belongs to both of us" said Sam Rockwell during the award ceremony of the Berlin Film Festival on Feb 15 2003. When Rockwell asked Clooney to come on stage, George didn't want to pose for a photo with him, because "It's his night" he said. Furthermore, Clooney seemed to have recovered from his cold. He attended the SOLARIS UK premiere in Lonon last Wednesday.

Photo coverage: click here to see all images

02/08/03: Julie's encounter
Hundreds of fans welcome the stars of SOLARIS in Berlin

Hiya, Julie here! What a day! What an excitement! Today was the official screening of SOLARIS at the Berlin Film Festival. The movie directed by Steven Soderbergh is part of the competition of this years 53. Berlinale which is currently happening in Berlin, Germany from Feb. 6 until 16 2003.. If the jury likes the movie...it might gets one of the 'hard-to-get' Golden Bear Awards. We will see!

The photocall

I was lucky today and had my slightly official George meeting around 7 pm when the stars of SOLARIS, George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, German actor Ulrich Tukur and of course director Steven Soderbergh took their time for the official photocall. What was it like? Call it 'life thru a lens': Just put the camera on and shoot the hell out of it within 3 mins!

The press conference

Right afterwards they went to the official press conference where journalists from all over the world had their chance to ask them questions. Journalists from USA, Spain, France, Turkey, Germany etc. - and I attended the conference as well. :)

The moderator of the press conference made a little mistake when introducing Mr. Steven Soderbergh, he called him "Steven Spielberg"... And when Mr. Soderbergh was being asked the first question, he joked around saying "I thought we would talk about Minority Report". The crowd was quite amused. And, oh dear, this mistake happened later on again! ;)

George Clooney was asked from a US people mag journalist about being the sexiest man alive and when he plans to get married. George joked around that he was dethroned being "the Sexiest man alive" by Brad Pitt and wondered where all the retired sexiest man alive would go. What to do about it? How do you cope with a title when it's gone? :) He then continued joking that he could not say when he'd get married, he grabbed Natascha McElhone and asked her to marry him at once and then said he would marry one girl right tonight! "Yeah, let's get married tonight!" George was very relaxed during the whole conference and made his usual "faces" and gave us a dose of his sense of humor.

The German actor Ulrich Tukur was asked how it was like to act in a Hollywood movie and how he developed the character he performed. A well chosen question, very well considered and I bet it took the journalist at least 3 hours to write his question down perfectly...Tukur answered in German that it was quite difficult for him to develop his character in the movie, because his appearance starts with being a dead corpse. (Translators were behind the scenes, so ..did you get it? We had a ball!-> big laughs from the crowd) He then said that he really enjoyed the 7 days on the set and that it was a really nice and interesting experience for him to see how "Hollywood works". How it is to act in a US movie. He admires the work of Steven and was really happy to be part of the movie.

The 53. Berlinale opened with the Musical Movie "CHICAGO" (starring Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones who attended the Berlin Film Festival as well). One journalist asked Mr. Clooney when he'd gonna do a related musical like 'Chicago', because his genes would provide a musical talent according to his aunt Rosemary. Clooney replied with an ironic undertone that the next project would be a musical adaption of Andrei Tarkovsky's version of SOLARIS . He said that he had been dubbed in "O Brother, Where Art Thou" and due to that it would be clear that he had no singing talent. Ulrich should do that job, (And by the way, our German actor Ulrich Tukur does sing as well!)

Then a french journalist asked something like that SOLARIS is a quite intellectual movie and if there is a line between acting in intellectual movies and and being intellectual yourself because the movie is based on the book of Stanislaw Lem if they all read book and if they all believed in god. George answered again with a joke. He said that he read a book about seven years ago. He can't remember the title, but it was something about an island and kids and flies (~ he meant "Lord of the flies" ), he said that he would like to pass the question to Steven and they all joked around, but interesting: no one said the he or she would belive in god in himself. George said that he was raised very catholic and maybe because of that he rejected it - he believes in the individual. Steven said that he believes in art. He further said that he is one of the persons who act more brain-orientated than emotionally.

Talking about SOLARIS and the US box office, Steven suggested that the movie might be too European for the US market and might be too American for the European market. A paradox somehow...

Talking about George's attendance at the Berlinale in 1999 with the movie "Three Kings" and a light try to ask about the Iraq crisis, George said something like the movie would might not be released nowadays because of its plot and because of the crisis, but the names (in the movie and in reality) are still the same...a hint that Hussein is still ruling Iraq.

Well, there have been a lot more questions, but I cannot remember them all. Sorry. The press conference ended around 8 pm and I went to Berlinale Palast where SOLARIS would screen at 10:30. I didn't get tickets for this screening but I will go and see it this Sunday evening, so I can make my own conclusion finally. Some fans were already there and I met Kirstin from Berlin who contacted me via email because of my Berlinale info request. She was so nice to give some pics from George's attendance of the Berlinale in 1999. I will put them online as soon as I can, gotta scan them first! Kirstin was so sweet and talkative, I really enjoyed her company.

The red carpet encounter

2 hours to wait for George to appear at minues 5° C? No way! It was so fu*** cold that I decided to drive to my company which was closer as my flat. By the way, my lovely boyfriend was with me all the time and I have to thank him for being so patient, though he moaned a bit. But hey, I first met Clooney in 2000, so 3 years have passed until then and hey...HE IS IN TOWN! Now that's a reason for keeping my eyes open, isn't it?!? :))

At 10 pm we drove back to the Berlinale Palast cinema where the official screening would happen at 10:30. It was still cold outside. Brrrr! The Berlinale Palast cinema was illuminated and looked bright and so glamorously!

Hundreds of fans stood outside at the borderlines close to the red carpet. Freezing but excited to catch a glimpse of the SOLARIS stars who wood soon walk by. I was prepared with my warmest coat, gloves and a pashmina scarf! And ...I had my US SOLARIS press kit cover with me which I bought on ebay weeks ago......

So far - I had the chance to take pics during the photocall, I was lucky to attend the press conference seeing charming, joking, relaxed George and what would be the coronation of it all?

Getting an autograph. Stepping away from the camera look I had during the 3 minute photocall, trying to get his attention for 5 seconds in person. Press conferences are nice, but you are just one anonymous face in the journalist crowd. Well, let's be honest : you are the same in the fan crowd.

But even this 5 seconds in the fan crowd is what counts - at least to me. :) So I waited for him. I had my press kit cover prepared along with a thick pencil and I managed to get a place in the second row of the borderline and then the limousines arrived at the cinema. The fans cheered when HE stepped out of the car! And he was looking sooooo good! Well tanned, perfect hairdo *...Waldo? ;)* and dressed in a black suit.

George was really really nice to his fans. He directly went to the crowd and shook hands and smiled for pictures and shook hands again and everybody screamed and shouts of "George! George!" were heard from the crowd of the opposite site. And I was at the opposite site! Damn! But close to cam of Access Hollywood and close to the press.

And then he came over and signed lots of papers and pictures and smiled and signed...but I was too far away! (2 meters can be really a long distance in this case! LOL) One of the security guards saw my press kit cover and asked me if it was the US one and I agreed and he was so nice, he took it because he was standing right behind him and we both waited for George to turn arond to sign it! But George was already busy signing other fans' items. So the guy gave it back to me but when George turned around I hold my cover up high and smiled and said "George, please sign it!" and he did! And while he gave me his autograph, I asked him if he could write "To Julie" on it..and so he did. Yikes!

10 seconds. Ten wonderful seconds.. :))

Gosh, he's such a great guy! I stepped back to give other fans the chance to get an autograph and looked for my boyfriend Zac and found him. Pheew! And I bet I had one of my infamous biggest smiles on my face because I found my b/f and because George signed my piece of commercial art.

We drove back home. Zac drove my car because I had to phone my sister (38 y.o.) to tell her my joy. And she was like "Yeah, it's nice, but what's it all about?!" And she giggled and said "How long do you think will you be on that adrenaline level?" -"Well, just let me sleep one night and it's all getting normal again!" You know, she had this this kind of sound in her voice when you are completely excited, but she doesn't get the clue and is like - well - like the elder sister! (And oh..I knew she was right *smile*)

My boyfriend is also one of these persons who doesn't understand why I was so excited, but he was so cute when he said to me after my "10 Clooney seconds":

"I love it when you are happy, because it makes me happy."

And that's what it's all about: Thank you, George, for lighten up my evening - but Zac: you lighten up my life :)

Regards, Julie

Press news:

02/10/03: Director Clooney Admits to Sterotypes

BERLIN - George Clooney said Monday he toed the line between fact and fiction while filming the life of a self-proclaimed CIA (news - web sites) hitman, but admitted to a few liberties in his depiction of his setting — 1960's Berlin

"We decided to create this image of 1960's Germany as the American's see it, so we put in every stereotype we had," Clooney told a press conference. "Someone would say 'That's more Vienna' but we would use it anyway." *red. he showed waitresses in bavarian dirndls carrying large pints of beer...thank you, George!;-)*

When asked about the transition from actor to director, Clooney said the demands made on directors are a lot higher. "When you're acting in a film no one questions your intellect. When you're directing, everyone is asking 'what's he trying to say with that?'"

Clooney was in the German capital to present his director's debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", one of 22 films competing for the top Golden Bear award at the Berlin film festival. source: yahoo

02/10/03: Clooney slams "dumbing down" of U.S. television

BERLIN: TV actor-turned-film director George Clooney slammed what he called the dumbing down of U.S. television Monday, saying it was dangerous that misery had become a source of entertainment.

Clooney, who rose to fame with his leading role on the long-running TV hospital series "ER," was in Berlin to promote his directorial debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," a film in which 1970s U.S. game shows play a significant part. Clooney said he was concerned about current trends on U.S. television. "People's misery becoming entertainment, that's what's dangerous. And that seems to be the place we're going. I worry about television," he said in reference to talk shows, game shows and reality TV series that make fun of ordinary people.

Clooney, 41, who said he grew up on a TV set working on his father's game shows, said the dumbing down had also affected news coverage in the United States. "We have decided that news is entertainment. It's hard to find good news," he said.

Clooney's film tells the story of U.S. game show mogul Chuck Barris, who claimed he worked as an undercover CIA assassin while hosting programs such as "The Gong Show." The 1970s hit invited ordinary people to perform in front of a cheering or jeering audience. "Chuck Barris started with that: Making fun of people on TV. But that was still sweet. It's losing its edge now," Clooney told reporters in Berlin.

The actor said he had enjoyed his directorial debut. "Confessions" cast includes stars Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore. "It was good fun bossing Julia Roberts around," said a smiling Clooney, who also plays a main character. "I had great fun. But it wasn't because I was dissatisfied as an actor."
source: Reuters/Variety

Articles:

• George bleibt auf dem Teppich (German)
• Confessions of a dangrous mind (German)

02/08/03: Berlin mixes fact and fiction in films starring Clooney, Cage

BERLIN - George Clooney admits he was nervous about remaking the Russian science fiction movie "Solaris," a brooding film mixing fantasy and reality that was screened Friday at the Berlin Film Festival. Starring Clooney and directed by Steven Soderbergh, the new version of Andrei Tarkovsky's classic is among 22 films competing in Berlin, considered one of Europe's top film festivals along with Cannes and Venice. The Golden Bear top prize is being awarded Feb. 16.

"This was a film that made us all nervous because we didn't know how it would turn out," Clooney told a news conference Friday.

The film shows a psychologist, still recovering from his wife's suicide, who is sent to investigate mysterious happenings on a space station orbiting the distant star of Solaris.

The psychologist, played by Clooney, is baffled by the behavior of the space station crew until he receives a visit in his cabin from his deceased wife.

"Often, making a film is a way of working through some experience," Soderbergh said. "My father died in 1988 and that was my way of working through a very disorienting experience."

This is reflected in the nature of the film, a quiet meditation on the meaning of memory and emotion that shuns Hollywood commercial conventions for science fiction films.

Clooney has benefited from his working relationship with Soderbergh, having collaborated with him on "Ocean's 11" and "Out of Sight."

He was able to apply the lessons learned there to his own director's debut "Confessions of Dangerous Mind", which is also being screened in Berlin and is based on a script by Charlie Kaufmann.

Kaufmann also provided director Spike Jonze with the script for "Adaptation," their second joint production after "Being John Malkovich" in 1999.

Not only did Kaufmann write the script for the film, but he also wrote himself into it as one of the characters. And he created a fictional twin brother called Donald — a dual role that fell to Nicholas Cage.

"It was like playing the drums because I was doing several things at the same time," Cage said Friday.

The film tells of a serious bout of writing block Charlie suffers from when trying to adapt a novel about orchids for the big screen. This is the springboard for a whimsical plot that takes in musings on the theory of evolution, the integrity of art, and the longing for passion at the core of human nature. Given the nature of the film, Cage and Kaufmann found themselves performing mental acrobatics when trying to explain the plot, while director Jonze remained terse in his answers.

Still, Cage believes the film avoids being too conceited in its plot twists."What counts is a script that approaches the lives of peoples honestly," he said.
source: amm/tc, by ANDREW McKENZIE-McHARG, AP writer

EXTERNAL LINKS:

VIDEO: http://www.zdf.de/ZDFde/mediathek/0,1903,VI-2019082,00.html

Official SOLARIS website

Official Berlinale Site

Katie's By George - It's George Clooney : Solaris press conference coverage

Gudrun's clooneyworld.com site: Berlinale coverage