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Ahead of touching down at the Berlin Film Festival, Black Bear manager and producer Philip Westgren shared with THR about why the shutdown Templehof airport is a must-see stop and where you can escape the festival frenzy for a nice steam.
What’s your state of mind heading into the European Film Market?
I like this year’s lineup which, next to more established names, contains a number of younger global filmmakers with interesting looking films. Strong voices will always find a way to break through and Berlin is still one of the places where that magic happens.
What’s your favorite, only-in-Berlin moment from festivals/markets past?
Running into Michael Barker at the Berlin airport the day after I began working with [The Teacher’s Lounge director] Ilker Çatak. When I brought up Ilker and his film The Teachers’ Lounge, Michael’s eyes knowingly lit up and he said, “Now there’s a director to get into business with.” Sony Classics does an outstanding job launching international filmmakers like Ilker, so it was a nice omen of things to come.
What’s something every visitor to Berlin should see?
One of the things I love about Berlin is that history remains tangible and at the same time there is always reinvention. The old shut-down Templehof airport is one of those places, which locals have come to embrace as a park. So take a stroll down the runway.
Strategy for staying warm in chilly Berlin?
I see little point in fighting the cold. Just wear a coat and enjoy it. And then warm up in the movie theaters.
Strategy for avoiding the dreaded “festival flu”?
Any strategy usually gets left behind by the time I board the plane, for the simple reason that it undermines making the trip productive. I find it inspiring and rejuvenating to meet nice interesting people and spend time together. If that’s not ideal from a risk standpoint, so be it.
Favorite Berlin restaurant or bar?
Kreuzberg’s Würgeengel, named after Luis Buñuel’s “The Exterminating Angel.” It’s dark, candlelit, and with cozy leather booths. The waiters have their ties tucked into shirts and serve outstanding cocktails. Everything I’d want from a Berlin bar.
Place to avoid during the festival/market?
The cabs. Walking the city feels a lot better, and it gives me time to think about the films I’ve watched.
The one thing you’d change about the Berlin film fest?
If a spring or summertime Berlin were to become an option, sign me up.
Best place to get away from the fest frenzy?
If you have time to get out of town, go for a sauna at Plötzensee.
Best celebrity encounter in Berlin?
I grabbed a drink at the Ritz with Rutger Hauer once. Growing up in Holland I idolized him due to Paul Verhoeven’s The Soldier of Orange and Turkish Delight, and of course then Blade Runner. We had a great time talking about movies and he still had that rebellious twinkle in his blue eyes. It was everything I hoped it would be until he started riling me up with increasingly wild conspiracy theories that went from amusing to fully unhinged. Maybe he was just testing if I still had a Dutch sense of humor, but I think he was pretty serious.
One thing you won’t travel without, besides your phone?
A guilty conscience for missing my kids’ basketball games and leaving my wife to tend to the home chaos when she already has a full plate.