Volkswagen Supports Film Talent From All Over World

WOLFSBURG/BERLIN, Germany, February 9 --

- Berlinale Talent Campus Starts on 12 February 2005

As a main partner of the 55th Berlin International Film Festival, Volkswagen is again focusing on emerging talent with its support of the Berlinale Talent Campus. "Following a successful start to cooperation, Volkswagen is now partnering the Berlinale Talent Campus for the second time. Our work to support up-and-coming talent, where we have been active in the music scene with the Volkswagen Sound Foundation since 1997, is now being intensified further through our participation in the film sector," said Dirk Grosse-Leege, Head of Volkswagen Group Communications.

The Berlinale Talent Campus has invited 530 talented filmmakers from 90 nations to the Berlin "House of World Cultures" from 12 - 17 February 2005. The spotlight is on an exchange of experience and networking with international film personalities. Professional filmmakers such as directors Ridley Scott ("Gladiator"), Roland Emmerich ("The Day After Tomorrow"), Catherine Breillat ("Romance") or Stephen Frears ("High Fidelity") will share their knowledge during interviews and discussions, as will actor Kai Wiesinger ("Comedian Harmonists") and production designer Dante Ferretti ("Gangs Of New York").

The Volkswagen Score Competition is once again being held at the 2005 Berlinale Talent Campus. 34 candidates have already set to music a scene from the hit film "Good Bye Lenin", a scene from Thomas Struck's film "Hearts" and a Volkswagen Concept-C commercial. The three finalists Ognjan Milosevic (YU), Marc Teitler (GB) and Bernd Wuertz (GER) will now be working with the Film Orchestra Babelsberg, setting the clips to music at a professional sound studio. The winner will be announced at the Berlinale Talent Campus farewell event on 17 February. "The competition represented an enormous opportunity for me as well as the other participants," said Canadian Tom Third, who won the Volkswagen Score Competition in 2004 and will soon be taking up his prize, namely a place at the "School of Sound" Symposium in London: "We received support from some of the best composers and musicians in the world," he added.

This year, the motto of the Berlinale Talent Campus is "Designing Your Future!". In addition to the Volkswagen Score Competition Volkswagen supports two other events at the Berlinale Talent Campus. From 2.00 p.m. on 13 February 2005, Sir Christopher Frayling (Director of the Royal College of Art, London) will chair a discussion panel on design trends composed of prominent personalities such as Peter Schreyer (Head of Advanced Design, Volkswagen AG), Ridley Scott and Dante Feretti. At 10.00 a.m. on the same day, the Volkswagen Coaching GmbH will be cooperating with producers Jonathan Olsberg ("Head In The Clouds") and Sanford Lieberson ("Jabberwocky") at an event entitled "Successful Teams And How To Overcome Conflicts", sharing useful knowledge with young talent in the film industry.

Volkswagen is providing the Berlinale Talent Campus with four Touareg for the VIP shuttle service and seven Multivans for film teams, some of whom will be taking part in the "Talent Movie Of The Week" digital short film competition. Under its Berlinale commitment, Volkswagen is also supporting "Shooting Stars 2005", an event at which European Film Promotion will be presenting 21 emerging European actors to the public. The 20 year-old actor Max Riemelt from Berlin ("Napola") has been nominated for Germany.

    
    Volkswagen Group Communications
    Public Relations
    Contact:  Christiane Krebs-Hartmann
    Phone : +49-53-61-9-2-54-91
    Fax:+49-53-61-9-2-20-90
    E-mail: christiane.krebs-hartmann@volkswagen.de
    www.volkswagen-media-services.com

Volkswagen Group Communications, Public Relations, Contact: Christiane Krebs-Hartmann, Phone : +49-53-61-9-2-54-91, Fax:+49-53-61-9-2-20-90, E-mail: christiane.krebs-hartmann@volkswagen.de, www.volkswagen-media-services.com