In February 2004, Kirsten and fellow AWC film reviewers Becky Tan and Mary Wienke traveled to Berlin for the 2004 Berlin Film Festival, or Berlinale. Between the three of them (plus fellow reviewer Vicki Filer-Mensing, who also came for a few days over the weekend), there was coverage of the festival from the day before the first day of the festival (Wednesday, February 4) through the next to the last day of the festival (Saturday, February 14). All three had press credentials (due to having had reviews published in multiple publications), so were able to go to everything the festival had to offer. In the 10 days she was there, Kirsten saw 40 films and attended 9 press conferences.

Part of the responsibility for attending the festival was doing a write-up of their experiences. Thus, the Currents 54th Berlinale Special Issue was created. The original issue was printed in March 2004 and was sent to the American Women's Club membership in April 2004. Since putting the original printed version online as a PDF would take up too much space, we have posted the pages individually here. Below is the introduction from the first page of the supplement:

This special issue on the 54th Berlinale takes you behind the scenes of one of the largest film festivals in the world, from the Talent Campus to the films that matter, from the crazy documentaries to the star-studded press conferences. For more on films, check out 54th Berlinale: The Award-Winning Films for the scoop on what won this year’s big awards; Documentary or Drama: Politics and Propaganda, an article that explores how unbiased documentaries really are; Music Makes Movies, a tribute to three Berlinale films that celebrate music; In a Strange Land, an article which highlights the many films featuring displaced persons; A Queer Eye Is Watching You, an exploration of gay-themed films; Made in the USA, a look at films featuring American filmmakers and actors; and German Films, remarks on a couple of films coming to a Kino near you. Plus, for a quick summary of our ratings of all 56 films we screened, see Critics’ Corner: Berlinale Films at a Glance. Special features include 2nd Talent Campus, a report about one of the newest sections of the Berlinale; 2003: The Year of the Woman in Film, a commentary on what females are doing in front of and behind the camera; The Film Production Battle, a look at whether off-shore film production is really hurting the U.S.; and You Heard It at the Berlinale, some of the best quotes from this year’s films. So sit back, relax, and take a journey with us to the Berlinale film festival. Viel Spaß!