berlin-film-festival

Mark Graham · 02/18/08 08:23PM

Jose Padilha's Tropa de Elite (Elite Squad) took home the Golden Bear prize for Best Film at the 58th Annual Berlin Film Festival this weekend. The film is described by Beyond Hollywood as "a kind of the anti-City of God that follows the Rio de Jainero police rather than the criminals" and is already a huge hit in its native Brazil, where THR reports that it "more than 11.5 million people [have seen] it on pirated DVDs." Pirated DVDs, eh? You can bet that a whole gaggle full of studio execs read that, promptly tossed their cookies and then subsequently thanked their lucky stars that BitTorrent still hasn't broken through into the mainstream here Stateside. [THR, Hollywood Elsewhere]

Madonna's New Film Helps Viewers 'Get In Touch With Their Inner Slut'

Molly Friedman · 02/14/08 04:57PM

That's according to The Hollywood Reporter's review of Madonna's directorial debut, Filth and Wisdom. And they're not the only reviewers struggling to find a silver lining for the Berlin Film Fest flop. The story revolves around three bohemians living together in London: one's a pervy musician, one's a ballet dancer/pole dancer, and the other wants to go to Africa and save dying babies or something. Clunky plot line aside, Variety managed to drum up a positive aspect as well; the soundtrack features "cracky little numbers"!