And the winner is… Mike Leigh! British film director, best known for titles like Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year will be the Jury President of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.
As you probably know, the festival runs from February 9-12, 2012 and I guess now is the perfect time to have a little chat about the well-known Berlinale.
In the official press release they say that over the course of his nearly 40-year film career, Mike Leigh has distinguished himself as one of the most outstanding filmmakers of auteur cinema and protagonists of New British Cinema.
His approach includes giving actors much leeway to improvise in order to develop their characters. Leigh portrays British society in a bluntly realistic but humorous style. His films have received countless international awards and several Oscar nominations.
Leigh has directed more than 20 films, as well as having made a name for himself as theatre director, dramatist and screenwriter. He first studied dramatic arts and then set design. Afterwards he attended the London Film School, of which he is now Chairman.
Over the years Mike Leigh has been invited to the Berlin International Film Festival to present “Meantime”, the short film “The Short and Curlies” and “Life is Sweet”. His latest contribution was to the Competition in 2008: his social comedy Happy-Go-Lucky featured Sally Hawkins, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress. Another Year is Leigh's most recent movie. It screened in competition at Cannes in 2010 and went on to be nominated for an Oscar.
