Berlin Film Festival Announces New Selection Committee Led by Tricia Tuttle

Under the new leadership of Tricia Tuttle, the Berlin Film Festival has announced the members of its selection committee for various Berlinale sections, including the competition, Berlinale Special, and Perspectives.

The four members of the new selection board are Mathilde Henrot, a programmer, producer, and co-founder of Festival Scope. She was part of the selection committee of the Locarno Film Festival from 2018 to 2024 and has been a programmer for the Sarajevo Film Festival since 2012.

Jessica Kiang, a Berlin-based film critic, essayist, and programmer, regularly writes reviews for Variety. Kiang has been covering films for nearly 15 years. Since 2022, she has served as the international programmer for the Belfast Film Festival.

Jacqueline Nsiah is a film festival, art, and culture consultant based in Accra, Ghana. She has worked as a project manager at the Goethe-Institut and joined the Berlinale selection committee in 2023.

Elad Samorzik is a film programmer who served as the artistic director of the Jerusalem Film Festival for a decade from 2014 to 2024.

“Berlinale welcomes nearly 20,000 international professionals each year, while also attracting over 324,000 public admissions,” said Tuttle. “We introduce films locally which we hope will go on to reach audiences around the globe; it is always a privilege to be part of this journey, as we know that cinema is an art form that is as dazzlingly vibrant as it is vital,” she continued.

She emphasized the importance of assembling a team with extensive knowledge, networks, diverse perspectives, and tastes.

“This group brings a generous love of diverse forms of cinema and an excitement about sharing that passion,” Tuttle added.

The committee, co-chaired by Jacqueline Lyanga and Michael Stütz, and overseen by Tuttle, will be responsible for selecting films competing for the Golden and Silver Bears as well as those featured as Berlinale Special Presentations. Existing heads of sections will also contribute to these selections. They will select films for the new Perspectives section, which awards the Best First Feature Award and nominates films for the Best Documentary Award.

The committee will be complemented by a group of delegates and advisors. Among them are film critic and programmer Jin Park, who will advise on genre films, and programmer Rowan Woods. Additionally, Berlin-based curator and programmer Ana David, Glasgow-based film programmer and festival organizer Kate Taylor, Berlin-based curator Rabih El-Khoury, and journalist and curator Toby Ashraf will be involved as advisors in the general preselection process.

Source: Particle News