Berlinale Talents is set to host 202 selected filmmakers in Berlin from February 17-22, 2024, providing them a platform to engage with the film industry and Berlinale audience through talks, workshops, and discussions. This year's theme, "Common Tongues – Speaking Out in the Language of Cinema", aptly captures the essence of the event. Participants from 68 countries, boasting about ten years of professional experience and recognized work in international festivals or prominent projects, will be introduced to a vibrant film community.
The selection of participants reflects Berlinale Talents' commitment to diversity and gender balance, chosen from a record 3,832 applications from 131 countries. The talent pool is diverse, including Estonian director Anna Hints, known for her award-winning documentary "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood", and German director-screenwriter Sophie Linnenbaum, celebrated for her feature film debut "The Ordinaries".
Berlinale Talents stands out for its variety across disciplines and nationalities, with representation from less-represented countries like Brunei Darussalam, Guatemala, and Nepal. The event emphasizes artistic contributions to peaceful change and cross-border understanding, showcased in the Talents Labs' project selections.
The 202 Talents (116 female, 76 male, 10 diverse) span various disciplines, including acting, cinematography, directing, and more. Details about the 2024 Talents and the 40 Talents Labs projects, along with the public program schedule and networking events, will be announced in early February.
Footprints - Mastercard Enablement Programme," is set to continue for another three years. This initiative focuses on supporting projects within the Berlinale Talents community that are dedicated to creating cinema-related venues, industry networks, or training programs around the world, with a particular emphasis on promoting gender equality, sustainability, and inclusion.
This year, the program's jury comprises German actor and activist Thelma Buabeng, Marene Arnold (Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Mastercard for the DACH Region), and Iranian director and Berlinale Talents alumna Sadaf Foroughi. They will be selecting participants from the Berlinale Talents community who are actively working on impactful projects in these areas.
Two fellowship recipients will be granted both mentoring and financial support for a year. Moreover, the Mastercard Enablement Programme will now annually support two distinguished alumni, providing them with further networking opportunities during the Berlinale. This approach aims to foster greater knowledge exchange among socially engaged leaders and their initiatives.
The announcement of the fellowship recipients will take place at the Dine&Shine Dinner on February 18, 2024, in the presence of the jury.