The 70th edition of the Berlinale will open with Philippe Falardeau’s My Salinger Year, headlined by Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley.
Set in New York’s literary world in the 1990s, the coming-of-age-story is based on Joanna Rakoff’s international bestseller.
The tale follows Joanna (Qualley), who leaves graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and gets hired as an assistant to Margaret (Weaver), the stoic and old-fashioned literary agent of J. D. Salinger.
“We are delighted to open the 70th edition of the festival with a coming-of-age story that takes the viewpoint of the protagonist who has a fresh perspective, which is in no way naïve,” said Chatrian. “Philippe Falardeau depicts the NYC literary world of the 1990s with humor and a sweet note, but he never forgets the 21st century we are living in or the unifying role that art plays in all of our lives,” added the artistic director.