Big hits at the Berlinale

The world’s biggest film festival is underway! More than 400 new films will be played in over 1,000 separate showings throughout the German capital. Not only a festival for cinephiles, Berlinale 2014 has something for everyone.

Opening the festival this year is indie sweetheart Wes Anderson’s "Grand Budapest Hotel." The American-British-German co-production centers on hotel concierge Gustave, played by Ralph Fiennes (right) and his eccentric guests as he presides over a grand old European hotel in the tumultous time between world wars.

"Moments Men," directed by and starring George Clooney alongside Matt Damon, follows the perilous work of a special WWII military unit. The so-called “moments men” specialize in tracking down and retrieving art stolen by the Nazis. The film was produced in the Babelsberger Studios and filmed in Germany's Harz mountains.

In contention for the Golden and Silver Bears this year are a number of German productions. Feo Aladags has high hopes for her film "Zwischen Welten,” or, “Between Worlds,” which follows a German ISAF soldier (Roland Zehrfeld) on the frontline in Afghanistan.

Playing alongside the official competition is “Perspective Deutsches Kino," a selection of current German films. Among them is the documentary “Amma and Appa." This love story by director-duo Franziska Schönenberger and Jayakrishnan Subramanian follows a Bavarian woman and Sudanese man as they navigate - and sometimes get lost in - the tangles of culture clash.

Not for the faint-hearted or the prudish, Denmark's Lars von Trier sets the screen alight with “Nymphomaniac," the account of a young sex-addict. The film’s world premiere was in Copenhagen a few weeks ago, but Berlin audiences will be treated to another version - the director’s cut. Brace yourself.

Just as he has in years past, festival director Dieter Kosslick continues to call the shots for the Berlinale 2014 program. In curating the event, Kosslich stressed the strong presence of films this year with a political or social commentary. This is a long tradition of the Berlinale. “The Berlinale is not a comedy festival,” Kosslick said.

In the "Forum" section of the program you’re unlikely to see many comedies; at least not in any conventional format. Forum is a specialty program for essayistic, experimental films, be they documentaries or features. Directors tend to cast their eye far afield. Belgium director Peter Krüger, for example, will be showcasing his multi-dimensional portrait of Africa, "N - The Madness of Reason."

The "Panarama" section also offers cinema from all over the world. The focus, however, is feature films that challenge the state of affairs in their home countries. Iranian filmmaker Reza Dormishian’s film "Asabani Nistam!" takes the pulse of current day Iran in the aftermath of the allegedly rigged 2009 election.

While the Berlinale likes to brand itself as a festival for hard-hitting social commentary, it also caters to the tastes of a growing young audience, telling the tales of children and youth - albeit without the spoonfuls of sugar that Disney likes to add to the recipe. In "3 Histoires d’Indiens," director Robert Morin offers a slice of life from a northern Native American reservation in Canada.

Berlinale has its vast selection of venues to thank for its reputation as world's largest festival. After years of renovations, the Zoopalast has returned to the ranks of festival cinema. Zoopalast was the heartbeat of the festival prior to Berlinale's relocation to Potsdamer Platz in 2000. Now, the landmarked building with seven theaters and more than 1,600 seats is back on the program.

This year's historical film respective centers on the importance of lighting in cinema. In "Aesthetics of Shadow. Lighting Styles 1915 - 1950" about 40 leading examples of natural lighting and artificial illumination will be shown to illustrate light's imporant role in film history. Jean Cocteau's classic "La Belle et la Bete," or "Beauty and the Beast," is one of them.

A highlight of the Berlinale is the revival of a particular German silent film from 1920. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," from Robert Wiene is considered an outstanding example of cinematic expressionism and as one of the most influential works in film history. It was painstakingly restored and will be shown in the philharmonic accompanied by newly composed music by US-jazz artist, John Zorn.

One participant can already rest on his laurels before the festival's conclusion February 16: British director, Ken Loach. On February 13 Loach will receive an honorary Golden Bear for his life-long dedication to socially criticial and engaging film work. According to the jury assessment, Loach expresses a depp interest for people and their fates.