'My Name Is Khan' @Berlin Film Festival 2010

The first seven titles for the Competition programme of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival have been confirmed. New films by Semih Kaplanoglu, Benjamin Heisenberg, Jasmila Zbanic, Rafi Pitts and Roman Polanski will be vying in the Competition for the Golden and Silver Bears. Furthermore, the latest works by Karan Johar and Martin Scorsese will be presented out of competition.

The first seven titles for the Competition of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival have been confirmed. The films selected so far are from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, Germany, India, Iran, Turkey, the UK and the USA.

This first group of films selected for the Competition is characterized by up-and-coming young directors, stars and masters of filmmaking like Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski.

"The Competition of the 60th anniversary Berlinale will be marked by a mix of styles and genres, by exciting newcomers and renowned directors," says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick.


The following films have been confirmed for the Competition programme so far:

Bal (Honey) Turkey / Germany
by Semih Kaplanoglu (St/Milk, Yumurta/Egg, Melegin Dss/Angel's Fall)
with Bora Altas, Erdal Besikcioglu, Tlin zen, Alev Ucarer, Ayse Altay
World premiere

Der Ruber (The Robber) Austria / Germany

by Benjamin Heisenberg (Sleeper, Max-Ophuels-Preis 2006)
with Andreas Lust, Franziska Weisz
World premiere

My Name Is Khan, India

by Karan Johar
with Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol
Out of competition

Na Putu (On the Path) Bosnia and Herzegovina / Austria / Germany / Croatia

by Jasmila Zbanic (Grbavica, Golden Bear 2006)
with Zrinka Cvitesic (Shooting Star 2010), Leon Lucev, Ermin Bravo, Mirjana Karanovic
World premiere

Shekarchi (The Hunter) Germany / Iran

by Rafi Pitts (Zemestan - It's Winter)
with Rafi Pitts, Mitra Hajjar, Ali Nicksaulat, Hassan Ghalenoi
World premiere

Shutter Island USA

by Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Aviator, Cape Fear)
with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Sir Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Max von Sydow
World premiere / Out of competition

The Ghost Writer France / Germany / UK

by Roman Polanski (The Pianist, Oscar 2002, China Town, Cul-de-sac, Golden Bear 1966)
with Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams
World premiere

A total of 26 films will be selected for the Competition section of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Further Competition title confirmations will be announced in January 2010.

Press Office
December 15, 2009

https://www.berlinale.de/en/presse/pressemitteilungen/alle/Alle-Detail_5444.html#5444


Edit:

Berlinale/Berlin International Film Festival - Website:
https://www.berlinale.de/en/HomePage.html

My Name is Khan selected for Berlin Film Festival

Mumbai: In a major coup, Karan Johar's My Name is Khan has been selected in the Berlin International Film Festival. What's more, the film has been picked for the Official Selection of the festival, which takes place from February 11-21, 2010. Karan Johar is jubilant. "It will be my first time in Berlin, and I'm so excited," he says. "Of course, I'll be going with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol! There's nothing as prestigious as presenting my film at the Berlin film festival's official selection. Even more than awards, it's getting eyeballs at such a festival that is important."

Not many Indian films have made it to the official selection in Berlin the last decade except for Farah Khan's blockbuster Om Shanti Om was - it was part of the Berlinale Special. My Name is Khan will play in the 'Out of Competition' section. Johar said that Fox (which is distributing the film), is comfortable with the 'Out of Competition' slot, as it fits into their international release dates.

My Name is Khan raises the bar for a Karan Johar film, with a love story layered with two key non-romantic issues: Shah Rukh Khan plays Rizvan Khan, a Muslim living in the US post-9/11, and he suffers from Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.

"Regardless of the issues, I hope the film will find wide acceptance on the humanitarian aspect," Johar says. "Rizvan Khan makes very large points in the garb of simplicity and innocence. Only emotions connect, and they are universal, and I hope Rizvan Khan touches hearts everywhere. I try to raise the bar for Indian cinema with every film I make. I am young, I've got the infrastructure. Weekend box office numbers are no longer enough, I want to be acknowledged. My first concern will always be my domestic base. But within the parameters, we should try to reach a global audience by using our content, keeping the storytelling plausible, and syntax sensible."

As Hollywood major Fox Searchlight is distributing the film in the US, and Fox Star Studios in India, Johar had told the press, "This is the first time such a deal has been inked, where the film will release beyond the mainstream diaspora, and that is exciting."

As for Berlin, he adds, "I can't wait to be in Berlin, walk the red carpet, watch the film with the audience and interact with it afterwards!"

The Berlin film festival has already selected two more Indian films, Umesh Kulkarni's Vihir (The Well), produced by Amitabh Bachchan's AB Corp, and Laxmikant Shetgaonkar's Paltadacho Munis (Man Beyond the Bridge). Their selection is not yet closed.

Meenakshi Shedde is India Consultant to the Berlin Film Festival and curator for international film festivals worldwide.

https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_my-name-is-khan-selected-for-berlin-film-festival_1324120

A noncompetitive streak

Although My Name Is Khan will premiere at the 60th Berlin Film Festival, distributor Fox Star Studios, has prevented it from competing with other films in the Competition section

With the good news comes the bad news as well. The good news is that Fox Star Studios, international partners on My Name Is Khan, has decided to premiere the film at the 60th Berlin Film Festival in February 2010, in the most prestigious Competition section. However, the bad news is that they have not allowed the film to compete with other films in the section. The reason for the same is unknown.

Karan doesn't deny the news but pooh-poohs the belief that the global corporates are trying to bully him into submission. He says, "Yes, the decision to place our film in the Competition section without competing was taken entirely by Fox Star. Shah Rukh and I are completely one with it. We are just happy to be in the same section as the new films by Martin Scorsese and Roman Polanski. Fox Star has been on the same page as me from the start. Shah Rukh, Kajol and I are getting ready for Berlin. It will be the first full-fledged screening of our film. We are anxious to see how the global audience at Berlin reacts to it."

According to sources, Fox Star has grown progressively wary of the 9/11 angle in cinema and has asked Karan to tone it down as far as possible. Apparently, the filmmaker was asked to change the trailer for the premiere of My Name Is Khan (unveiled last week) so that overt references to terrorism are done away with. Karan was also asked to stress on the fact that the film is not about 9/11 and terrorism. Karan dismisses the news. He says, "Fox Star knew exactly what My Name Is Khan is about. It's a fact that the film is not about terrorism. Yes, 9/11 does form a background to the tale, but the film is a love story and a story of humanism under pressure."

Apparently, there is also a fear that Shah Rukh Khan's smaller-than-life role as an autistic Muslim, fighting injustice in the US may not go down well with his fans. Karan laughs at the rumours. He says, "That is such an erroneous interpretation of Shah Rukh's character. He plays a man with a disability who can see the world around him far more clearly than the so-called normal people. He is a superman with a soul pure enough to fly. No, I don't think his fans would be disappointed just because he isn't larger-than-life in Khan. Shah Rukh's fans all over the world want to see him in roles that connect the reality of cinema with the reality of the world outside the theatre."

Vijay Singh, CEO, Star Fox Studios, also insists that the film is not about terrorism. He says, "My Name Is Khan is a love story and Shah Rukh Khan's character's journey to win back his love. It has nothing to do with terrorism."

https://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/30/200912252009122502410342849f7ab2e/A-noncompetitive-streak.html

yay.......i m so happy....way to go guys!!!!!!

aweswome can't wait to watch it

Thanks for sharing dear !!

thats great news!

🤣 @MNIK out of competition. Well duh! Also seems like Scorcese's obsession with Dicaprio is going to drag him down. 😕

Actually, Fox is glad that MNIK is out of Competition because it matches their worldwide marketing strategies...Anyway they have all the benefits and no failures expected...

Originally posted by: lalixlili

Actually, Fox is glad that MNIK is out of Competition because it matches their worldwide marketing strategies...Anyway they have all the benefits and no failures expected...

OSO was out of competition also and had a huge promotion in the Berlinale.

And it was the same when Devdas was screened at the Cannes Festival - it was out of Competion -- And it had a HUGE promotion and that's the least I can say as a french ---to the point of irritate me --- Morning - noon - afternoon and nigh it was all about Devdas and SLB -- So I'm happy for them...

Karan has an obssession with SRK

Scorsese has one with Di Caprio

Tim Burton has an obssession for Johnny Depp

Repetitive associations in cinema is something really normal because in general they have the choice to work with bankable people and people they want for the movie to do well at the BO...So it's something that occurs in every cinema industry in the world (Italy, France, USA, Canada, India..)

Yes I know about Depp-Burton, Scorcese-Dicaprio, Woody Allen-Johanssen association, its common knowledge not exclusive. You like repetitive associations, I don't have to. So, how do you know fox is glad its out of competition? Are you their speaker? I find it funny when people speak for stars and production houses like they know everything. Anyway, obviously MNIK is going to be out of competition, from the promo TO ME it looks like a lame movie trying to be smart. A duck remains a duck, can't be a swan, can it. So they should stick to impressing their melodramatic audiences and leave the festival for movies that actually deserve to stay in there. Its kind of like sending Eklavya and Paheli to the oscars.

P:S OSO was a piece of pathetic crap, it boggles the mind how it even managed to think it deserved to be at the Berlin festival. Maybe the selection people were playing the token card. 😕