Acclaimed US director Wes Anderson’s new animated feature “Isle of Dogs” will on Thursday kick off the Berlin film festival, which is set to be rocked by aftershocks of the #MeToo movement.
With the global cinema industry in turmoil over allegations of rampant sexual misconduct, the 11-day event will be seeking a delicate balance between Hollywood glamour and frank debate in the wake of powerful producer Harvey Weinstein’s downfall.
Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Oscar-nominee Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum and Liev Schreiber, who voice the pack of pooches in Anderson’s movie, are expected on the Berlinale red carpet for the world premiere, with stars including Robert Pattinson, Rosamund Pike, Joaquin Phoenix and Isabelle Huppert also set to present new movies.
But even before the opening, controversy erupted over the inclusion of award-winning South Korean director Kim Ki-duk, who was fined in December for assaulting an actress on set.
The actress, who has refused to be publicly identified, has accused the festival — traditionally a strong champion of Asian cinema — of “hypocrisy” for inviting Kim to present his latest picture, “Human, Space, Time and Human”.
