The Berlin film festival, long a champion of Iran's embattled independent directors, is spotlighting its citizens' fight for basic rights with a series of screenings, events and a red-carpet protest.

French-Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani, who is serving on the jury for the top prizes with president Kristen Stewart, said as the festival kicked off Thursday that cinema was a crucial fuel for the freedom movement.

"In a country like Iran that is a dictatorship, art is not only an intellectual or philosophical thing, it's essential, it's like oxygen," she said.

Farahani made her name in Iranian movies and became an international star in productions such as Jim Jarmusch's "Paterson" opposite Adam Driver.

She and Stewart joined the red-carpet demonstration for women's rights in Iran on Saturday with festival chief Mariette Rissenbeek, who told AFP the Berlinale stood with Iranian directors who "weren't allowed to travel to the festival".

- 'Change something with cinema' -

The Berlinale, Europe's first major cinema showcase of the year, has awarded its Golden Bear top prize to many of the leading lights of Iranian cinema including Asghar Farhadi ("A Separation"), Jafar Panahi ("Taxi") and Mohammad Rasoulof ("There Is No Evil").

Iran, rocked by months of anti-government rallies, this month released Panahi and Rasoulof from prison along with several dozen other well-known detainees in an apparent attempt to appease critics.

This year, the festival is showing several documentaries, including Steffi Niederzoll's "Seven Winters in Tehran" and "My Worst Enemy" by Mehran Tamadon, which expose the brutal conditions in Iran's jails as well as rampant executions.

Niederzoll's harrowing film, which includes material smuggled out of Iran, tells the story of Reyhaneh Jabbari, who was hanged in 2014 at the age of 26 for killing a former intelligence officer she maintained had tried to rape her.

Featuring wrenching interviews with her family, who agitated for her freedom and appealed for mercy to the murdered man's son, the film recounts how an international campaign for Jabbari's life arose.

Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the best actress award at Cannes last year, narrates the film with letters, journals and text messages Jabbari wrote from jail, where she became a role model for many fellow prisoners.&nbsp;

"We hope that, hand in hand, we can change something with cinema," Amir Ebrahimi told AFP.

"My Worst Enemy" also examines state interrogations, as director Tamadon invites members of Paris's large Iranian exile community to question him using pressure techniques they themselves experienced in custody.

Half expose, half group therapy session, the film asks whether anyone can become an instrument of state oppression, given the chance.

Amir Ebrahimi appears as one of the interrogators and reveals that she was sexually assaulted while in custody by a female doctor during a purported medical exam.

"I couldn't walk for three days," she says.

&nbsp;'Shine a light' - 
 
Tamadon told AFP it was "time to forget that the Islamic republic will reform itself".&nbsp;

He hailed the role of Western platforms such as the Berlinale to "shine a light on the violence perpetrated against the Iranian people".

"Iranians in Iran are exhausted -- this gives the energy and motivation to continue to hit the streets."

Milad Alami's drama "Opponent" stars Payman Maadi from "A Separation", as a closeted gay man seeking asylum with his wife and two daughters in northern Sweden.

Alami, who himself moved from Iran to Sweden as a child, said he aimed with his second feature to explore how official repression penetrates even the most intimate relationships, including a marriage.

"There are walls between them (the couple) that created this feeling of not being able to talk to each other," he said in notes for the film.

The wife Maryam senses her husband's inner conflict even as he keeps it under wraps for fear of reprisal. "That's a big thing in Iran," Alami said.

For those who have left Iran, the struggle to find out who they really are begins anew, he said.&nbsp;

"When you come to another country, when freedom is there, how difficult is it to take it?" &nbsp;

The Berlin film festival, long a champion of Iran's embattled independent directors, is spotlighting its citizens' fight for basic rights with a series of screenings, events and a red-carpet protest.

The Berlin film festival, long a champion of Iran's embattled independent directors, is spotlighting its citizens' fight for basic rights with a series of screenings, events and a red-carpet protest. French-Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani, who is serving on the jury for the top prizes with president Kristen Stewart, said as the festival kicked off Thursday that cinema was a crucial fuel for the freedom movement. "In a country like Iran that is a dictatorship, art is not only an intellectual or philosophical thing, it's essential, it's like oxygen," she said. Farahani made her name in Iranian movies and became an international star in productions such as Jim Jarmusch's "Paterson" opposite Adam Driver. She and Stewart joined the red-carpet demonstration for women's rights in Iran on Saturday with festival chief Mariette Rissenbeek, who told AFP the Berlinale stood with Iranian directors who "weren't allowed to travel to the festival". - 'Change something with cinema' - The Berlinale, Europe's first major cinema showcase of the year, has awarded its Golden Bear top prize to many of the leading lights of Iranian cinema including Asghar Farhadi ("A Separation"), Jafar Panahi ("Taxi") and Mohammad Rasoulof ("There Is No Evil"). Iran, rocked by months of anti-government rallies, this month released Panahi and Rasoulof from prison along with several dozen other well-known detainees in an apparent attempt to appease critics. This year, the festival is showing several documentaries, including Steffi Niederzoll's "Seven Winters in Tehran" and "My Worst Enemy" by Mehran Tamadon, which expose the brutal conditions in Iran's jails as well as rampant executions. Niederzoll's harrowing film, which includes material smuggled out of Iran, tells the story of Reyhaneh Jabbari, who was hanged in 2014 at the age of 26 for killing a former intelligence officer she maintained had tried to rape her. Featuring wrenching interviews with her family, who agitated for her freedom and appealed for mercy to the murdered man's son, the film recounts how an international campaign for Jabbari's life arose. Zar Amir Ebrahimi, who won the best actress award at Cannes last year, narrates the film with letters, journals and text messages Jabbari wrote from jail, where she became a role model for many fellow prisoners. "We hope that, hand in hand, we can change something with cinema," Amir Ebrahimi told AFP. "My Worst Enemy" also examines state interrogations, as director Tamadon invites members of Paris's large Iranian exile community to question him using pressure techniques they themselves experienced in custody. Half expose, half group therapy session, the film asks whether anyone can become an instrument of state oppression, given the chance. Amir Ebrahimi appears as one of the interrogators and reveals that she was sexually assaulted while in custody by a female doctor during a purported medical exam. "I couldn't walk for three days," she says. 'Shine a light' - Tamadon told AFP it was "time to forget that the Islamic republic will reform itself". He hailed the role of Western platforms such as the Berlinale to "shine a light on the violence perpetrated against the Iranian people". "Iranians in Iran are exhausted -- this gives the energy and motivation to continue to hit the streets." Milad Alami's drama "Opponent" stars Payman Maadi from "A Separation", as a closeted gay man seeking asylum with his wife and two daughters in northern Sweden. Alami, who himself moved from Iran to Sweden as a child, said he aimed with his second feature to explore how official repression penetrates even the most intimate relationships, including a marriage. "There are walls between them (the couple) that created this feeling of not being able to talk to each other," he said in notes for the film. The wife Maryam senses her husband's inner conflict even as he keeps it under wraps for fear of reprisal. "That's a big thing in Iran," Alami said. For those who have left Iran, the struggle to find out who they really are begins anew, he said. "When you come to another country, when freedom is there, how difficult is it to take it?"

Iran freedom struggle stars at Berlin film fest

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Hollywood actor Sean Penn by video link on Thursday at the opening of the Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, calling for the entertainment world to maintain its "solidarity" with his besieged country.

The 73rd annual event, traditionally the most politically minded of the three big European cinema showcases, is marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion as well as anti-regime protests in Iran with new feature films and documentaries.

Penn appeared on stage at the festival's inaugural gala and introduced the Ukrainian leader, who spoke live via video stream and was greeted by a standing ovation from the audience.

"Cinema cannot change the world," said Zelensky, wearing his now trademark sweatshirt. "But it can influence and inspire people who can change the world." 
 
Penn, who was filming in Kyiv at the start of the Russian onslaught, will this weekend premiere "Superpower", tracking Zelensky's transformation from comedian to president to war hero.

The two-time Oscar winner said he had just returned from the Ukrainian capital.

"Nothing has changed in terms of the will of the Ukrainian people," Penn said. "That's for sure. If anything, it's just gotten stronger."

The festival's artistic director Carlo Chatrian paid tribute to "the suffering population, the millions who left Ukraine and the artists (who) have remained defending the country and continue filming the war".

US actor Kristen Stewart ("Spencer"), head of the jury for the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes, told reporters earlier that the event was "an enormous opportunity to have a hand in highlighting beautiful things" in the face of global turmoil. 
"It's the job of an artist to take a disgusting and ugly thing and sort of transmute it and put it through your body and pump out something more beautiful... in response to the world that's falling apart around us," she said.

Beyond movie screenings, the Berlinale plans panel discussions with embattled directors and red-carpet protests in a show of "solidarity" with the people of Iran and Ukraine.

- 'Desire for peace' - 
 
Hollywood actors Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei presented their romantic comedy "She Came to Me" by director Rebecca Miller, the first of nearly 300 new movies from around the world to screen during the 11-day event.

They told reporters they were honoured to premiere the film at a ceremony addressed by Zelensky, with Hathaway calling him "a hero of our times". 
 
She thanked the festival "for giving us all the opportunity to amplify the message of Ukraine, which is the almost universal desire for peace".

Miller, whose movie addresses fraught US race relations and tensions over religious beliefs, said she saw filmmaking as "a kind of patriotic act to show different aspects of our country".

"One of the ways in which we can perhaps have a more peaceful world is by having our art talk to each other across the nations," she said.&nbsp;

Nineteen films will vie for the main awards, including British-US co-production "Manodrome" featuring Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody in a thriller about an Uber driver who is lured into a cult while he is expecting his first child.

Two Asian animated pictures will also join the running, "Art College 1994" by China's Liu Jian and Makoto Shinkai's "Suzume", the first Japanese anime to compete at the Berlinale since Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" clinched the Golden Bear in 2002. 
 
- Gold for Spielberg - 
 
After lean years due to the pandemic, it is the starriest Berlinale edition in recent memory, with Helen Mirren, Vicky Krieps, folk legend Joan Baez and U2 frontman Bono also awaited on the red carpet.

Three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg is to collect an honorary Golden Bear for his life's work, honoured with a retrospective.

A third of the films in competition are by women, who make up 40 percent of all directors represented in the official selection.

The Berlinale ranks with Cannes and Venice among Europe's leading film festivals. It will hand out the top prizes on February 25 before wrapping up the next day with screenings of popular movies from this year's event.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Hollywood actor Sean Penn by video link on Thursday at the opening of the Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, calling for the entertainment world to maintain its "solidarity" with his besieged country.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky joined Hollywood actor Sean Penn by video link on Thursday at the opening of the Berlinale, Europe's first major film festival of the year, calling for the entertainment world to maintain its "solidarity" with his besieged country. The 73rd annual event, traditionally the most politically minded of the three big European cinema showcases, is marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion as well as anti-regime protests in Iran with new feature films and documentaries. Penn appeared on stage at the festival's inaugural gala and introduced the Ukrainian leader, who spoke live via video stream and was greeted by a standing ovation from the audience. "Cinema cannot change the world," said Zelensky, wearing his now trademark sweatshirt. "But it can influence and inspire people who can change the world." Penn, who was filming in Kyiv at the start of the Russian onslaught, will this weekend premiere "Superpower", tracking Zelensky's transformation from comedian to president to war hero. The two-time Oscar winner said he had just returned from the Ukrainian capital. "Nothing has changed in terms of the will of the Ukrainian people," Penn said. "That's for sure. If anything, it's just gotten stronger." The festival's artistic director Carlo Chatrian paid tribute to "the suffering population, the millions who left Ukraine and the artists (who) have remained defending the country and continue filming the war". US actor Kristen Stewart ("Spencer"), head of the jury for the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes, told reporters earlier that the event was "an enormous opportunity to have a hand in highlighting beautiful things" in the face of global turmoil. "It's the job of an artist to take a disgusting and ugly thing and sort of transmute it and put it through your body and pump out something more beautiful... in response to the world that's falling apart around us," she said. Beyond movie screenings, the Berlinale plans panel discussions with embattled directors and red-carpet protests in a show of "solidarity" with the people of Iran and Ukraine. - 'Desire for peace' - Hollywood actors Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei presented their romantic comedy "She Came to Me" by director Rebecca Miller, the first of nearly 300 new movies from around the world to screen during the 11-day event. They told reporters they were honoured to premiere the film at a ceremony addressed by Zelensky, with Hathaway calling him "a hero of our times". She thanked the festival "for giving us all the opportunity to amplify the message of Ukraine, which is the almost universal desire for peace". Miller, whose movie addresses fraught US race relations and tensions over religious beliefs, said she saw filmmaking as "a kind of patriotic act to show different aspects of our country". "One of the ways in which we can perhaps have a more peaceful world is by having our art talk to each other across the nations," she said. Nineteen films will vie for the main awards, including British-US co-production "Manodrome" featuring Jesse Eisenberg and Adrien Brody in a thriller about an Uber driver who is lured into a cult while he is expecting his first child. Two Asian animated pictures will also join the running, "Art College 1994" by China's Liu Jian and Makoto Shinkai's "Suzume", the first Japanese anime to compete at the Berlinale since Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" clinched the Golden Bear in 2002. - Gold for Spielberg - After lean years due to the pandemic, it is the starriest Berlinale edition in recent memory, with Helen Mirren, Vicky Krieps, folk legend Joan Baez and U2 frontman Bono also awaited on the red carpet. Three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg is to collect an honorary Golden Bear for his life's work, honoured with a retrospective. A third of the films in competition are by women, who make up 40 percent of all directors represented in the official selection. The Berlinale ranks with Cannes and Venice among Europe's leading film festivals. It will hand out the top prizes on February 25 before wrapping up the next day with screenings of popular movies from this year's event.

Berlin film fest beams in Volodymyr Zelensky for opener with Sean Penn

Sean Penn's documentary on Ukraine, called 'Superpower', will premiere at this year's Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival), reported Associated Press. The documentary, made in association with VICE Studios, was being filmed in the country even as Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022. Penn was forced to flee the country and went on to join&nbsp;Ukrainians on the exodus across the Polish border. Penn has been a passionate supporter of Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian&nbsp;conflict and has spoken several times against Vladimir Putin's aggression. He has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky his friend and even gifted him with one of his Oscar trophies. Penn is a two-time Academy Award winner.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sean Penn has given his Oscar to Ukraine - <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a> 
Thank you, sir! 
It is an honor for us. <a href="https://t.co/vx2UfEVTds">pic.twitter.com/vx2UfEVTds</a>
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) <a href="https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1590089376138416128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As Penn <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-sean-penn-presents-ukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelenskyy-with-his-oscar-when-you-win-bring-it-back-to-532423">presented the Oscar</a> to Zelenskyy, he said, "This is for you. It's just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I'll feel better and stronger for the fight. When you win, bring it back to Malibu. I'll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-time-names-ukraines-volodymyr-zelensky-person-of-the-year-541418/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Earlier this year, in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Penn had praised Zelensky. He contrasted Zelensky's outlook before the Russian invasion and on the day of the invasion saying he felt he was in “the presence of something that was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity…. and love that comes out of the man.”

“This is an extraordinary moment. The way he has unified that country. And I think Mr Putin certainly paved the way for that. I was endlessly impressed and moved by him and terrified for him and for Ukraine,” Penn had added, on the verge of tears.

The Russo-Ukrainian War has claimed thousands of lives of combatants and civilians on both sides. 
&nbsp;

Sean Penn's documentary on Ukraine, called 'Superpower', will premiere at this year's Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival), reported Associated Press. The documentary, made in association with VICE Studios, was being filmed in the country even as Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022.

Sean Penn's documentary on Ukraine, called 'Superpower', will premiere at this year's Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival), reported Associated Press. The documentary, made in association with VICE Studios, was being filmed in the country even as Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022. Penn was forced to flee the country and went on to join Ukrainians on the exodus across the Polish border. Penn has been a passionate supporter of Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict and has spoken several times against Vladimir Putin's aggression. He has called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky his friend and even gifted him with one of his Oscar trophies. Penn is a two-time Academy Award winner. Sean Penn has given his Oscar to Ukraine - @ZelenskyyUa Thank you, sir! It is an honor for us. pic.twitter.com/vx2UfEVTds — Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 8, 2022 As Penn presented the Oscar to Zelenskyy, he said, "This is for you. It's just a symbolic silly thing, but if I know this is here with you then I'll feel better and stronger for the fight. When you win, bring it back to Malibu. I'll feel much better knowing a piece of me is here." Earlier this year, in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Penn had praised Zelensky. He contrasted Zelensky's outlook before the Russian invasion and on the day of the invasion saying he felt he was in “the presence of something that was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity…. and love that comes out of the man.” “This is an extraordinary moment. The way he has unified that country. And I think Mr Putin certainly paved the way for that. I was endlessly impressed and moved by him and terrified for him and for Ukraine,” Penn had added, on the verge of tears. The Russo-Ukrainian War has claimed thousands of lives of combatants and civilians on both sides.

Sean Penn’s documentary on Russia-Ukraine conflict 'Superpower' to premiere at Berlinale 2023