Lone Scherfig will have the honor of kicking off the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. The award-winning Danish writer-director will open the 69th edition of the fest with the premiere of her latest pic, “The Kindness of Strangers.” Variety confirmed the news. Zoe Kazan (“The Big Sick”), Andrea Riseborough (“Bloodline”), and Bill Nighy (“The Bookshop”) lead the ensemble drama.
Set in a Russian restaurant in New York City, “The Kindness of Strangers” tells the story of a mother married to an abusive cop (Kazan), an ER nurse who runs a therapy group (Riseborough), a restaurant owner (Nighy), and a restaurant manager (Tahar Rahim, “The Looming Tower”), among others. The characters “flow in and out of each other’s lives, discovering that their liberation and hopes ultimately lie in each other’s hands,” according to a synopsis. “In a time of growing insecurity and little mercy, the smallest coincidences and kindness can turn into the most surprising of outcomes.” Scherfig penned the script.
Formerly titled “Secrets from the Russian Tea Room,” the film will debut on February 7. No stranger to the Berlinale, Scherfig screened “The Birthday Trip” there in 1990, “On Our Own” in 1998, “Italian For Beginners” in 2001, and Carey Mulligan-starrer “An Education” in 2009. “Italian for Beginners” won her the Silver Bear.
“How lovely that Lone Scherfig is back and that her most recent work will open the 2019 Berlinale,” said Dieter Kosslick, director of the fest. “Her feel for characters, strong emotions, and subtle humor promises a wonderful start to the festival.”
Scherfig told Women and Hollywood, “We’ve taken big risks with this film, not just mixing humor and drama, but addressing sincere worries about people living from paycheck to paycheck. There’s a lot of love in the film, not just between the characters, but my love and admiration for New Yorkers at their best,” she explained. “I’m so thrilled the film gets such a glamorous start.”
“Their Finest,” Scherfig’s most recent credit, bowed at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. The period dramedy is set against the backdrop of the London Blitz and sees Gemma Arterton playing a secretary who becomes a screenwriter.
When we asked Scherfig the best advice she’s received, she said, “It’s good to choose your battles and find your voice as a filmmaker early if you can. Find someone you trust to collaborate with. Read books. Learn how to appreciate the individual crafts and artistry on the film crew, especially writers and actors.”
Women-directed films accounted for just 21 percent of the films eligible for the Berlinale’s highest honors in 2018. Despite overwhelming odds, the fest’s most prestigious prizes, the Golden Bear and the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, went to films helmed by women. Adina Pintilie’s “Touch Me Not” took home the former and Malgorzata Szumowska’s “Mug” the latter.
