Neon's Joey Monteiro Courtesy of Neon Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment What's your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past? In 2005 we had Hotel Rwanda in the festival we and brought in Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film. At the end of the film, when Paul and his family stepped on stage, the Berlinale Palast hit an emotional pitch that I have yet to see replicated. Favorite celebrity or industry encounter in Berlin? I had the honor of spending two days with Werner Herzog when we had QUEEN OF THE DESERT in the festival in 2015. To hear that voice speaking directly to you is about as surreal of a German experience as you can have. What's something every visitor to Berlin should see? Dead Chicken Alley. It's a fascinating microcosm of the street art explosion that occurred after the fall of the Berlin Wall, when abandoned spaces became canvases for oppressed artists. You won't find it in the tourism guides but it screams Berlin to me.
Strategy for staying warm in chilly Berlin? Thermals, perpetual movement and a Neon beanie. They are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up. Strategy for avoiding the dreaded "festival flu"? Say "no" to the kiss hello. Self-preservation trumps customs when germs are rampant and there's work to do. Fist bump = healthy. Favorite Berlin restaurant or bar? Monsieur Vuong. No question about it. The Vietnamese restaurant focused on dishes from Saigon is always my first meal when I arrive and my last meal before I depart. The Vietnamese diaspora in Berlin is an important layer in the rich food culture here. THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Heat Vision Sony Pictures Animation Bosses on 'KPop' Netflix Plans, 'Spider-Verse' Pressure and Betting on 'GOAT' international 'Only Rebels Win' Review: Hiam Abbass Brings Her Trademark Elegance to a Familiar May-December Romance Varsity Blues James Van Der Beek's "I Don't Want Your Life!" Scene in 'Varsity Blues' Was All of Us in 1999 united kingdom The Best Six Weeks of Bella Ramsey's Life: How 'Sunny Dancer' Gave Them the "Teenage Years I Never Got" jessica gunning Jessica Gunning to Play Cass Elliot in Movie From 'A Complete Unknown' Producers international Michelle Yeoh Tearfully Accepts Berlin's Golden Bear From Sean Baker as Fest Opens With 'No Good Men' Premiere Heat Vision Sony Pictures Animation Bosses on 'KPop' Netflix Plans, 'Spider-Verse' Pressure and Betting on 'GOAT' international 'Only Rebels Win' Review: Hiam Abbass Brings Her Trademark Elegance to a Familiar May-December Romance Varsity Blues James Van Der Beek's "I Don't Want Your Life!" Scene in 'Varsity Blues' Was All of Us in 1999 united kingdom The Best Six Weeks of Bella Ramsey's Life: How 'Sunny Dancer' Gave Them the "Teenage Years I Never Got" jessica gunning Jessica Gunning to Play Cass Elliot in Movie From 'A Complete Unknown' Producers international Michelle Yeoh Tearfully Accepts Berlin's Golden Bear From Sean Baker as Fest Opens With 'No Good Men' Premiere