The Berlin International Film Festival kicks off next Thursday, and Meryl Streep will headline this year’s Jury. It’s the first time she has taken over a jury job at a festival, but by far not the first time she has attended the Berlinale. It’ll be interesting to see if there are many public appearances (a masterclass has already been announced) or if Meryl will be hiding in the theaters to watch all films in competition. The good thing however, since I live in Germany, is that we can get all the coverage on what’s happening, so prepare yourself for a busy week. As a look back, the first Streep film to premiere at the Berlinale was “The Deer Hunter” in 1979, causing a stir after it was removed from the festival after withdrawal of several countries from the festival in protest of its inclusion. Both “Out of Africa” and “Marvin’s Room” screened in the 1980s and 1990s as well. Her first appearance came in 1999 with the premiere of “One True Thing” and an honorary Berlinale Kamera (an award for people that the Berlinale feels connected to through their artistry). In 2003, Meryl, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman won the Best Actress award for “The Hours”, although Meryl wasn’t present. She returned three years later with the cast of “A Prairie Home Companion” and again in 2012 for the premiere of “The Iron Lady” and for receiving the Honorary Golden Bear, with which the Berlinale pays tribute to important figures in the world of film. Have a look at the photo gallery below for all appearances and look forward to more additions this next week.

March 11th, 2017

Spielberg’s “The Post” to start filming in May for a late 2017 release

October 23rd, 2018

“Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” Blu-Ray screencaptures

June 24th, 2022

Meryl Streep remembers Public Theater founder “Joe Papp in Five Acts”, currently streaming on PBS