In February 2003, Kirsten G and Mary W traveled to Berlin for the 2003 Berlin Film Festival, or Berlinale. They arrived on the first day of the festival (Thursday, February 6) and stayed until the next to the last day of the festival (Friday, February 14). Both had press credentials (due to having had reviews published in multiple publications), so were able to go to everything the festival had to offer.

Part of the responsibility for attending the festival was doing a write-up of their experiences. Thus, the Currents Special Film Supplement was created. The original supplement was printed in March 2003 and was made available to the American Women's Club membership in April 2003. Since putting the original printed version online as a PDF would take up too much space, we have posted the pages individually here. Below is the introduction from the first page of the supplement:

If you’ve ever wondered what really happens at a film festival, look no further than this Currents Special Film Supplement! We take you through it all, from the day-to-day details to the films that matter, from the crazy documentaries to the star-studded press conferences. If you’re interested in films, check out Towards Tolerance, an article about the many brilliant films that fit in with this year’s festival motto; Breaking Boundaries, a commentary on the Wettbewerb (competition) films; and Cultivating Culture, remarks on the variety of culturally-significant films at the Berlinale. If you want to find out what we “really” did in Berlin, check out What It’s Really Like to Go to a Film Fest and Film Fests 101. And if you’re interested in the stars, check out the Time Outs, where we share our experiences of interviewing directors Steven Soderbergh and Spike Lee and actors George Clooney and Nicole Kidman. We take you on a visual journey as well, from the cover photo of the CineStar theater and Berlinale bear to the back cover’s The Berlinale in Pictures – which includes a view of the crowds around the red carpet at the Berlinale-Palast for the opening gala for Chicago, the row of photos in the Berlinale-Palast of directors/actors/producers who attended the festival, the Berlinale banner in the press conference room, Mary with the Potsdamer Platz bear, Kirsten’s press pass, Kirsten on the red carpet in front of the Berlinale-Palast, the all-important Starbucks near the Berlinale-Palast, and the CinemaxX theater. So sit back, relax, and take a journey with us to the Berlinale film fest. Viel Spaß!

To see the rest of the articles from the supplement, click on the links below:
   - What It's Really Like to Go to a Film Fest (aka Kirsten's Berlinale Journal)
   - Towards Tolerance: The 53rd Berlinale
   - Film Fests 101: How to Navigate a Fest
   - Breaking Boundaries: The Wettbewerb Films
   - Time Outs with Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney, Nicole Kidman and Spike Lee
   - Cultivating Culture: A Sampling of the Culturally-Rich Films at the Berlinale
   - Hollywood in Berlin
   - German Films Coming to a Theater Near You
   - The Berlinale in Pictures

  Questions?

For more information about the AWCH Film Group, please contact us by filling out a feedback form.