21/01/2025 - Titles vying for the Golden Bear include European (co-)productions helmed by the likes of Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Léonor Serraille, Dag Johan Haugerud, Radu Jude and Richard Linklater

Today, the 19 films vying for the Golden and Silver Bears at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival were unveiled, along with the full line-ups of the festival’s Perspectives and Berlinale Special sections.

On 13 February, the festival will kick off at the Berlinale Palast with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer’s The Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. During the opening gala, the international jury (chaired by Todd Haynes) will be introduced, and the Honorary Lifetime Achievement Golden Bear will be awarded to celebrated Scottish actor Tilda Swinton. The gala, hosted by renowned Luxembourg actor, presenter, director, and producer Désirée Nosbusch, will also be transmitted live to seven cities across Germany in co-operation with X Verleih, allowing audiences in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart to join in the celebration.

The main competition includes one debut feature as well as one documentary, and 17 world premieres. Eight films are directed or co-directed by women. Nine of the filmmakers have screened films at the Berlinale previously.

The lineup offers a rich tapestry of European stories, starting with two films by renowned French female filmmakers: the 1970s-set The Ice Tower [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lucile Hadžihalilović
film profile], by Lucile Hadžihalilović (Innocence, Evolution [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Earwig [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lucile Hadzihalilovic
film profile]), zooms in on Jeanne, a young runaway, who falls under the spell of Cristina, the enigmatic star of The Snow Queen; and Ari [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léonor Serraille
film profile], the new film by Léonor Serraille (Cannes Caméra d’Or winner with Montparnasse Bienvenüe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léonor Serraille
film profile]), which follows a young teacher on a journey of self-discovery after losing his job and home (read news).

After Sex [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dag Johan Haugerud
film profile] and Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dag Johan Haugerud
film profile], Norway’s Dag Johan Haugerud delivers his third instalment in the Dreams, Sex, Love trilogy. Already released in Norway, Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dag Johan Haugerud
film profile] explores how Johanne’s intimate writings about her crush on her teacher ignite both tension and self-reflection within her family, as her mother and grandmother confront their own unfulfilled dreams and desires.

Kontinental '25 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], the latest effort by Romania’s Radu Jude (winner of the 2021 Golden Bear with Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile]), grapples with the moral crisis of a bailiff in Transylvania following a tragic eviction, whilst The Safe House [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lionel Baier
film profile], the new title by Switzerland’s Lionel Baier (Stupid Boy [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Continental Drift (South) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lionel Baier
film profile]) paints a nostalgic portrait of a family during the May 1968 Paris protests, disrupted by an unexpected guest.

Next, the new film by Belgian duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Amer [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Reflection in a Dead Diamond [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
film profile], is a thrilling plunge into the past of a former spy living on the Côte d’Azur, and Crystal Bear winner Kateryna Gornostai (Stop-Zemlia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kateryna Gornostai
film profile]) returns with Timestamp [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kateryna Gornostai
film profile], which documents the resilience of Ukrainian teachers and students persevering through the war. Hot Milk [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Lenkiewicz
film profile], the debut feature by British screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile], Disobedience [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), explores the fragile bond between a mother and daughter visiting a mysterious Spanish healer.

Finally, Mother’s Baby [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johanna Moder
film profile] by Austria’s Johanna Moder (High Performance [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) delves into a mother’s emotional struggle to connect with her newborn, What Marielle Knows [+see also:
film review
interview: Frédéric Hambalek
film profile] by Germany’s Frédéric Hambalek (Model Olimpia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) reveals uncomfortable truths as a family confronts their daughter’s sudden telepathic abilities, and Yunan [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Germany-based, Ukrainian-born Ameer Fakher Eldin (The Stranger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ameer Fakher Eldin
film profile]) reflects on solitude and compassion through the bond formed between a despondent man and a caring stranger on a remote island.

Other productions with European involvement include Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon [+see also:
film review
film profile], which shifts to 1943 New York, where lyricist Lorenz Hart wrestles with insecurities as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the hit musical Oklahoma!, The Message [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iván Fund
film profile] by Argentina's Iván Fund and The Blue Trail [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Brazil's Gabriel Mascaro. The selection is rounded off by the new films by USA's Mary Bronstein, Mexico's Michel Franco and China's Huo Meng and Vivian Qu.

“We’re fiercely proud of the films in this year’s Competition; they showcase the breadth of cinema and offer fascinating glimpses into different lives and places. There are intimate dramas that ask us to understand our human fragilities and strengths; there is gentle comedy but also the sharpest, blackest satire; there are films that pay homage to cinematic greats and ones that use the art form’s fullest canvas,” said first-time Berlinale artistic director Tricia Tuttle.

Replacing the previous Encounters section, the Perspectives competition comprises 14 feature film debuts, of which five films were directed or co-directed by women, and two were directed by non-binary filmmakers. Several European productions or co-productions stand out, such as Liryc Dela Cruz’s Where the Night Stands Still [+see also:
film review
film profile], which explores the tensions between three Filipino siblings navigating inherited family dynamics in Italy; Paula Tomás Marques’ Two Times João Liberada [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a compelling biopic about gender-nonconformity against the backdrop of the Inquisition; Arnaud Dufeys and Charlotte Devillers' We Believe You [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud Dufeys and Charlotte…
film profile], which follows a mother trying to protect her children from their father; Florian Pochlatko’s How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Pochlatko
film profile] and Urška Djukić’s Little Trouble Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which delve into deeply personal journeys of self-discovery and transformation; as well as Valentine Cadic's That Summer in Paris [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valentine Cadic
film profile], Bálint Dániel Sós' Growing Down [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bálint Dániel Sós
film profile] and Constanze Klaue's Punching the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Lastly, late additions to the Berlinale Special sidebar (read news) include Edgar Reitz’s Leibniz - Chronicle of a Lost Painting [+see also:
film review
film profile], which delves into German thinker Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz; Burhan Qurbani’s No Beast. So Fierce. [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Burhan Qurbani
film profile], which reimagines Richard III as a gripping tale of a Berlin underworld matriarch; Marcin Wierzchowski’s Das Deutsche Volk [+see also:
film review
interview: Marcin Wierzchowski
film profile], a deeply moving documentary on the aftermath of the 2020 Hanau attacks; and Petra Volpe’s Late Shift [+see also:
film review
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile], a portrait of the emotional strain suffered by a hospital nurse during a chaotic shift.

The films selected:

Competition

The Safe House [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lionel Baier
film profile] - Lionel Baier (Switzerland/Luxembourg/France)
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You - Mary Bronstein (USA)
Reflection in a Dead Diamond [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani
film profile] - Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Belgium/Luxembourg/Italy/France)
Yunan [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Ameer Fakher Eldin (Germany/Canada/Italy/Palestine/Qatar/Jordan/Saudi Arabia)
Dreams - Michel Franco (Mexico)
The Message [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iván Fund
film profile] - Iván Fund (Argentina/Spain)
Timestamp [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kateryna Gornostai
film profile] - Kateryna Gornostai (Ukraine/Luxembourg/Netherlands/France)
The Ice Tower [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lucile Hadžihalilović
film profile] - Lucile Hadžihalilović (France/Germany)
What Marielle Knows [+see also:
film review
interview: Frédéric Hambalek
film profile] - Frédéric Hambalek (Germany)
Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dag Johan Haugerud
film profile] - Dag Johan Haugerud (Norway)
What Does that Nature Say to You - Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)
Kontinental '25 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Radu Jude (Romania)
Hot Milk [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Lenkiewicz
film profile] - Rebecca Lenkiewicz (UK)
Blue Moon [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Richard Linklater (USA/Ireland)
The Blue Trail [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil/Mexico/Chile/Netherlands)
Living the Land - Huo Meng (China)
Mother's Baby [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johanna Moder
film profile] - Johanna Moder (Austria/Switzerland/Germany)
Girls on Wire - Vivian Qu (China)
Ari [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léonor Serraille
film profile] - Léonor Serraille (France/Belgium)

Perspectives

That Summer in Paris [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valentine Cadic
film profile] - Valentine Cadic (France)
Where the Night Stands Still [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Liryc Dela Cruz (Italy/Philippines)
Eel - Chu Chun-Teng (Taiwan)
Shadowbox [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi (India/France/USA/Spain)
We Believe You [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud Dufeys and Charlotte…
film profile] - Arnaud Dufeys and Charlotte Devillers (Belgium)
Little Trouble Girls [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Urška Djukić (Slovenia/Italy/Croatia/Serbia)
BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions - Kahlil Joseph (USA)
Punching the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Constanze Klaue (Germany)
Two Times João Liberada [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Paula Tomás Marques (Portugal)
The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) - Ernesto Martínez Bucio (Mexico)
How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Florian Pochlatko
film profile] - Florian Pochlatko (Austria)
The Settlement [+see also:
film review
interview: Mohamed Rashad
film profile] - Mohamed Rashad (Egypt/France/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia)
Growing Down [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bálint Dániel Sós
film profile] - Bálint Dániel Sós (Hungary)
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) - Joel Alfonso Vargas (USA)

Berlinale Special

The Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Tom Tykwer (Germany) (opening film)
After this Death - Lucio Castro (USA)
Köln 75 [+see also:
film review
interview: Ido Fluk
film profile] - Ido Fluk (Germany/Poland/Belgium)
Islands [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Jan-Ole Gerster (Germany)
Mickey 17 - Bong Joon-ho (USA/South Korea)
The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Justin Kurzel (Australia) (series)
My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow - Julia Loktev (USA)
A Complete Unknown - James Mangold (USA)
The Old Woman With the Knife - Min Kyu-dong (South Korea)
Shoah - Claude Lanzmann (France) (1986)
Ancestral Visions of the Future [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (France/Lesotho/Germany/Saudi Arabia)
The Best Mother in the World - Anna Muylaert (Brazil/Argentina)
No Beast. So Fierce. [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Burhan Qurbani
film profile] - Burhan Qurbani (Germany/France/Poland)
Leibniz - Chronicle of a Lost Painting [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Edgar Reitz (Germany)
All I Had Was Nothingness [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Guillaume Ribot (France)
Lurker - Alex Russell (USA/Italy)
A Letter to David - Tom Shoval (Israel/USA)
Honey Bunch - Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (Canada)
The Thing with Feathers [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Dylan Southern (UK)
Late Shift [+see also:
film review
interview: Petra Volpe
film profile] - Petra Volpe (Switzerland/Germany)
Das Deutsche Volk [+see also:
film review
interview: Marcin Wierzchowski
film profile] - Marcin Wierzchowski (Germany)