Robert Pattinson & Michael Fassbender: Berlin Film Festival Movies + Foreign Language Oscar Semifinalists

Robert Pattinson in Bel Ami: Berlin Film Festival.

A week or so ago, we wondered if the Robert Pattinson period drama Bel Ami would be screened at the 2012 Berlin Film Festival. If so, would it be listed as a Word Premiere? The issue revolved around the fact that earlier this month Bel Ami had a few “special” screenings in various Belgian cities. Anyhow, the answer was given today, as Berlinale organizers have released a list of seven more movies to be screened as part of the festival’s Official Competition line-up. (Watch Bel Ami trailer.)

In Bel Ami, the latest film adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s novel, Pattinson plays the ambitious ex-soldier Georges Duroy, who uses his various skills to climb his way up the Parisian social ladder. Directed by stage veterans Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, Bel Ami co-stars Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Christina Ricci.

Now, first of all bear in mind that some films in the “Official Competition” line-up are actually out of competition. That’s the case with Bel Ami. In other words, there’s no chance for Pattinson or anyone involved in Bel Ami to take home a Golden or Silver Bear. Also out of the running for any awards are the following Official Competition selections: Hark Sui’s Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, starring Jet Li; James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer, with Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough (one of the stars in Madonna’s E.W.), and Gillian Anderson; and Steven Soderbergh’s action thriller Haywire, starring Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, and Michael Fassbender.

The other Berlinale World Premieres announced today were Frédéric Videau’s À moi seule / Coming Home; Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair, with Mads Mikkelsen; and Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle.

Robert Pattinson, I should add, may find himself – or rather, one of his films – included in another major film festival later this year. After all, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis is supposed to be ready for release in 2012. And in November, Pattinson will be seen for the last time as the vampire Edward Cullen in Bill Condon’s The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the final installment in the Twilight movie franchise. Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner co-star.

Below is the list of the latest movie additions to the Berlin Film Festival’s Official Competition line-up:

À moi seule (Coming Home). France. By Frédéric Videau (Le fils de Jean-Claude Videau, Varieté Française). With Agathe Bonitzer, Reda Kateb. World premiere.

Bel Ami, Great Britain. By Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod (feature debut). With Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1, Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Eclipse, New Moon, Twilight, Remember Me, Water for Elephants, Cosmopolis), Uma Thurman (Henry & June, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Gattaca, Playing the Field), Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient, Dans la maison, Sarah’s Key, Love Crime, Nowhere Boy, Tell No One, Gosford Park, The Horse Whisperer, Mission: Impossible), Christina Ricci (Speed Racer, Fear and the Loathing in Las Vegas, The Opposite of Sex, Black Snake Moan, Monster, The Man Who Cried). World premiere / out of competition.

En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair). Denmark / Czech Republic / Germany / Sweden. By Nikolaj Arcel (Islands of Lost Souls, Sandheden om mænd, Königspatience – Intrige im Parlament). With Mads Mikkelsen (The Three Musketeers, Clash of the Titans, Valhalla Rising, Casino Royale, After the Wedding, Adam’s Apples), Alicia Vikander, Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard. World premiere.

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate. Hong Kong, China. By Hark Tsui (Once Upon A Time In China, Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame, Time And Tide). With Jet Li (The Expendables, The Expendables 2, Kiss of the Dragon, Fearless, Hero), Zhou Xun, Chen Kun, Kwai Lun Mei. European premiere / out of competition – 3D.

Rebelle. Canada. By Kim Nguyen (La Cité, Truffe, Le Marais). With Rachel Mwanza, Alain Bastien, Serge Kanyinda. World premiere.

Shadow Dancer. Great Britain / Ireland. By James Marsh (Project Nim, The King, Man on Wire). With Clive Owen (Closer, Children of Men, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Killer Elite, The Boys Are Back, Inside Man, Sin City), Andrea Riseborough (Never Let Me Go, Made in Dagenham, Brighton Rock, E.W., Happy-Go-Lucky), Gillian Anderson (Boogie Woogie, Johnny English Reborn, The X Files: I Want to Believe, The Last King of Scotland, The House of Mirth). European premiere / out of competition.

Special screening in the Berlinale Palast: Haywire. USA. By Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies and Videotape, Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, Kafka). With Gina Carano (Blood and Bone), Ewan McGregor (Beginners, Moulin Rouge!, The Ghost Writer, Angels & Demons, Trainspotting, Revenge of the Sith), Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Shame, X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre, Prometheus, Inglourious Basterds, Hunger), Channing Tatum (Public Enemies, Dear John, The Eagle, Magic Mikes, The Dilemma, 21 Jump Street). German premiere.

Below is the list of previously announced titles screening at the Berlinale 2012. Note the following abbreviations: WP = World Premiere, IP = International Premiere, EP = European Premiere:

Aujourd’hui by Alain Gomis, France / Senegal – WP

Barbara by Christian Petzold, Germany – WP

Captive by Brillante Mendoza, France / Philippines / Germany / Great Britain – WP

Cesare deve morire (Caesar Must Die) by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Italy – WP

Csak a szél (Just The Wind) by Bence Fliegauf, Hungary / Germany / France – WP

Dictado (Childish Games) by Antonio Chavarrías, Spain – WP

Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close by Stephen Daldry, USA – IP (out of competition)

Gnade (Mercy) by Matthias Glasner, Germany / Norway – WP

Jayne Mansfield’s Car by Billy Bob Thornton, Russian Federation / USA – WP

Jin líng Shí San Chai (The Flowers Of War) by Zhang Yimou, People’s Republic of China – EP (out of competition)

Kebun binatang (Postcards From The Zoo) by Edwin, Indonesia / Germany / Hong Kong, China – WP

L´enfant d’en haut (Sister) by Ursula Meier, Switzerland / France – WP

Les Adieux à la reine by Benoît Jacquot, France / Spain – WP

Metéora (Meteora) by Spiros Stathoulopoulos, Germany / Greece – WP

Tabu by Miguel Gomes, Portugal / Germany / Brazil / France – WP

Was bleibt (Home For The Weekend) by Hans-Christian Schmid, Germany – WP

Andrea Riseborough / Shadow Dancer photo: BBC Films

Robert Pattinson/Bel Ami photo: RAI Cinema / 19 Entertainment / Redwave Films

‘A Separation,’ ‘Pina’: Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Semi-Finalists

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the list of nine films still in contention for the 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category. The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

• Belgium, Bullhead, Michael R. Roskam, director;
• Canada, Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau, director;
• Denmark, Superclásico, Ole Christian Madsen, director;
• Germany, Pina, Wim Wenders, director;
• Iran, A Separation, Asghar Farhadi, director;
• Israel, Footnote, Joseph Cedar, director;
• Morocco, Omar Killed Me, Roschdy Zem, director;
• Poland, In Darkness, Agnieszka Holland, director;
• Taiwan, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Wei Te-sheng, director.

As in the past five years, the Best Foreign Language Film nominations are being determined in two phases. The information below is from the Academy’s press release:

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films between mid-October and January 13. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 20, through Sunday, January 22, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the United States, the telecast will be broadcast live on ABC. The Oscarcast will also be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

Anders W. Berthelsen, Paprika Steen, Sebastián Estevanez/SuperClásico photo: Nimbus Film Productions