Film talks in the BMW Golden Bear Lounge: Oscar prize-winner Florian Gallenberger talks with Sibel Kekilli, Dennis Gansel and Michael Gwisdek

Munich / Berlin. The BMW Group is introducing a new talk format in the BMW Golden Bear Lounge at the Berlin International Film Festival. Florian Gallenberger will be talking with film scene experts about everything that's currently happening in the industry. His first guests are actress Sibel Kekilli, director and script writer Dennis Gansel and director and actor Michael Gwisdek.

The discussions will be recorded at the following times in the Golden Bear Lounge: 15.02. 8 p.m. Michael Gwisdek, 16.02. 8 p.m. Sibel Kekilli, 16.02. 9 p.m. Dennis Gansel.

The talks will be shown on www.bmw.de/berlinale at 8 p.m. on 16, 17 and 18 February respectively.

Media representatives are very welcome to attend the recordings. The guests will be available for interviews afterwards. The talks will also be transmitted on the screens in the Lounge.

Florian Gallenberger

Florian Gallenberger studied at the University of Television and Film in Munich. He made a number of films during his studies, including the documentary "Die Gebrüder Skladanowsky" (A Trick of Light) in collaboration with Wim Wenders, which won the prize for best documentary in Montreal. In 2001, Gallenberger received an Academy Award in the Best Short Film category for "Quiero ser", a film showing the fight for survival of street children in Mexico City. Gallenberger was also nominated in 2009 for the German Film Prize as best director for his international feature film "John Rabe", filmed in China. The film received the Gold Film Prize. Since 2011, Florian Gallenberger has been an honorary professor at the University of Television and Film in Munich.

Sibel Kekilli

Sibel Kekilli became famous overnight through Fatih Akin's "Gegen die Wand" (Head On) in 2004. "Gegen die Wand" had its world premiere in the Berlinale 2004 film competition and was awarded the Golden Bear as best film. She won the German Film Prize, the German Film Critics' Prize and the prize for Best Actress at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. After a minor role in the comedy "Kebab Connection" (2004), produced and written by Akin, Kekilli has continued to play demanding character roles, including acting in the Artur Brauner production of "Der letzte Zug" by Joseph Vilsmaier and Dana Vávrová. Since October 2011, Sibel Kekilli has starred as the detective Sarah Brandt alongside Axel Milberg in Kiel version of "Tatort".

Michael Gwisdek

The actor and film director Michael Gwisdek graduated from the "Ernst Busch" School of Acting in Berlin. He started his career by working in a number of theatres, including the Deutsche Theater and the Volksbühne Berlin. Gwisdek has been in over 100 films and television productions, including "Tatort" and "Good Bye, Lenin!". At the 1999 Berlin Film Festival, he was presented with a Silver Bear as best leading actor in the film "Nachtgestalten" (Nightshapes).

Dennis Gansel

From 1994 to 2000, Dennis Gansel studied at the University of Television and Film in Munich with his producer colleague of many years, Christian Becker. His first film was the short film "The Wrong Trip", made in 1995. Gansel directed his first full-length feature film in 1999 with "Das Phantom", a Red Army Faction political thriller starring Jürgen Vogel as the investigator. The film was awarded three Adolf Grimme Prizes in 2000. Dennis Gansel made his cinema debut in 2001 with "Mädchen, Mädchen" (Girls on Top). In 2008, his film "Die Welle" (The Wave) ran in German cinemas, winning the Bronze German Film Prize in the category Best German Feature Film. 1 March 2012 sees the release of his new film, "Die vierte Macht", in which BMW Group vehicles are also featured.

For accreditation for the Golden Bear Lounge and registration for the film talks, go to goldenbear@bmw-lounge.com.

Services: TV footage and press information

Copyright-free TV footage for journalists' reports is available to download free of charge from:

http://kunden.bylauterbach.com ( user name: Berlinale2012 / password: BMW)

The latest press releases and photo material are available from the BMW Pressclub at

https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/pressclub/p/de/startpage.html

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles  and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 25 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

 In 2011, the BMW Group sold about1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2010 was euro 4.8 billion on revenues amounting to euro 60.5 billion. At 31 December 2010, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 95,500 employees.

 The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last seven years.

For more than four decades, the BMW Group has been consistently committed to cinema and TV within the creative and cultural landscape. Product placement is an important element here that has played an essential role in our long-term image and product communication from the very beginning. However, this commitment is not limited just to television and film productions; the BMW Group also supports the industry's teaching facilities and countless industry events – from major, top-class film festivals through to small but ambitious cinema days.

www.bmwgroup.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWGroup

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWGroupview

If you have any queries, please contact:

Corporate Communications

Almut Stollberg, Business Communications

Telephone: +49 89 382-38770, Fax: +49 89 382-24418,

almut.stollberg@bmw.de

Birgit Hiller, Business Communications, Sales Germany

Telefon: +49 89 382-39169, Fax: +49 89 382-24418, birgit.hiller@bmw.de

Internet: www.press.bmwgroup.com

e-mail: presse@bmw.de