Berlinale Talent Press 2022

Berlinale, Goethe Institute and FIPRESCI inform:

Applications for Berlinale Talents 2022 are now open – and we would like to extend a warm welcome to critics of all backgrounds to apply.

Each year, Talent Press invites eight emerging film critics and journalists to Berlin to discover the festival’s filmic offerings, from big hitters to hidden gems. Guided by their mentors, the participants work on an in-depth essay, to be published in an outlet of their choice, and are encouraged to compose their reviews in a variety of formats, from podcasts to video essays and beyond. But Talent Press is also a place to explore the future of the guild itself, since the group meets and discusses their insights with cinephiles worldwide. Recent editions of Talent Press have featured internal rounds with distinguished guests such as director and critic Kleber Mendonça Filho, Berlinale Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, Time magazine’s Stephanie Zacharek and Justin Chang from the Los Angeles Times.

Apply by September 1, 2021, 12:00 noon (CEST)

Details on the Berlinale Talents website.

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Who Can Apply?

Talent Press is aimed at emerging film critics and journalists who professionally contribute reviews, essays or interviews to film-related print or online publications. If you decide to apply, you’ll be asked to submit three articles from the past year. Our workshops are held in English, so you should feel confident conversing and publishing in English.

Meet our former Talent Press participants.

What’s On Offer?

Berlinale Talents offers the chance to spend six days with 200 top emerging filmmakers and to experience the buzz of one of the world’s foremost A-list festivals. Seasoned mentors will guide you through the programme, hold lectures and provide feedback on your work.

Based on your choice of essay topic, you’ll be able to attend Berlinale Talents talks, conduct interviews and access film screenings. Your work will be featured on the Berlinale Talents website, as well as those of our Talent Press partners Goethe-Institut and FIPRESCI. Last but not least, you’ll be able to form lasting connections to fellow critics from all over the world.

Explore the latest work by the Talent Press participants from this year’s virtual edition, the 2020 cohort’s ‘Letters from Lockdown series’, as well as coverage from earlier Talent Press events in Rio, Sarajevo, Durban, Buenos Aires and Guadalajara – all on the Talent Press website.

Gain a New Perspective

Beyond the Talent Press workshops, Berlinale Talents features talks, films and discussions offering endless networking opportunities and insights into the industry’s brightest creative minds. Recent guests have included Céline Sciamma, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Cate Blanchett, Olafur Eliasson, Agnès Godard, Raoul Peck, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Jia Zhang-ke and many more. You’re bound to leave the festival feeling inspired, reconnected to the real world and ready to take it on with gusto!

Check out our talks from 2021 and previous years.