The BMW Group at the 2008 Berlinale. Films supported by the BMW Group featured in the programme of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival.

Munich/Berlin. One of the world's largest, most important film festivals
will be attracting film fans, film makers and young talents to Berlin.
The 58th Berlin International Film Festival will be presenting around
380 films from 59 countries from 7 to 17 February. Once again, the
programmes selected by the festival management will often overlap with
film projects that have been supported by the BMW Group. Competing:
Caos Calmo. The Italian entry "Caos Calmo" (Quiet Chaos) will
be making its début in the official competition on 13 February
at 7.30 p.m. in the Berlinale Palast. The film crew who worked on
"Caos Calmo" includes not only the director, Antonello
Grimaldi, and leading actor Nanni Moretti, but also a BMW 535d Touring.
Panorama Special: Love And Other Crimes. In addition to new films by
famous directors and début films, the Berlinale Panorama
programme will be presenting some exciting new discoveries. This year,
Serbian director Stefan Arsenijevic has been invited to attend the
Panorama Special with his film "Love And Other Crimes".
Arsenijevic is well known at the Berlinale. He has already been awarded
a Berlinale Bear for his short film "(A)Torsion", which was
also Oscar nominated. The director submitted his script to the BMW
Group three years ago, and was supported as part of the BMW Group
support programme. A classic MINI and a historic BMW appear in the
German-Serbian-Slovenian-Austrian coproduction. Perspektive Deutsches
Kino. The "Perspektive Deutsches Kino" section shows last
year's new discoveries from the German film landscape. The BMW Group
also concentrates in particular on supporting young film makers: the
high-quality film projects "Die Besucherin" from Lola Randl,
"Die Helden aus der Nachbarschaft" from Jovan Arsenic and
"Lea" from Steffi Niederzoll have all made it into this year's
Berlinale programme. European Film Market: Hexe Lilli (Lilly the
witch) and The Cottage. The Berlinale is not only a showcase for
international film-making. It is also a central point of contact for
the international film industry. Many films will be presented once
again this year in the "European Film Market". These will
also include the children's adventure film "Hexe Lilli" (Lilly
the witch), an elaborate production from Blue Eyes Fiction and Trixter.
The MINI Cuckoo Clock will be making its first on-screen appearance in
this German-Austrian-Spanish co-production. The MINI Baby Racer, the
BMW Kidsbike and the BMW Cruise Bike Junior are also amongst the
fascinating props featured in "Hexe Lilli". Pathé Film
Distribution will be presenting "The Cottage" in the European
Film Market. This British comedy horror was produced by Ken Marshall
and will probably reach British cinemas on 14 March. The talented
director Paul Andrew Williams ("London to Brighton") decided
that not only Andy Serkis ("Lord of the Rings") but also a
BMW X5 and a MINI Cooper S would star in the film. First Berlinale
Reception for German film colleges Film students from Germany's seven
largest film colleges will be presenting their own event for the first
time. With the support of the BMW Group, the first Berlinale Reception
will be bringing together, on 15 February 2008, the highly trained
young film talents and leading lights from the world of German film and
television. Further information about the involvement of the BMW Group
in the area of film can be found in the BMW Group PressClub at www.press.bmwgroup.com.