10/06/2025 - In total, 76 films from 35 countries will dazzle in the 36th edition of the French city’s festival, unspooling 8 to 13 July

A jam-packed programme is on the agenda for the 36th edition of FIDMarseille (running 8 to 13 July), which is due to be opened by Berlin prize-winner Kontinental ’25 [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Romania’s Radu Jude, to whom the Marseille-based festival is dedicating a retrospective (of 17 films) and who’s scheduled to deliver a masterclass on 11 July. Tribute will also be paid to Chilean filmmakers Carolina Adriazola and José Luis Sepúlveda, while the closing slot of the event is entrusted to Drifting Laurent by French directors Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture and Mattéo Eustachon (which world premiered in Cannes’ ACID line-up).

The five competitions gracing this 36th edition consist of 51 films overall, 43 of which will be presented in world premieres and three in international premieres. 14 feature films (including 12 in world premieres and two in international premieres) steal focus in the international competition, set to be assessed by a jury including Lebanese director Ghassan Salhab, American Sophie Cavoulacos (MoMA) and Chile’s Raúl Camargo (FICValdivia). Standing tall almong the eight European (co)productions vying for victory are Action Item (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Germany) by Slovakia’s Paula Ďurinová, Bulakna (Portugal/France) by Portugal’s Leonor Noivo, Fuck The Polis (Portugal) by fellow Portugese Rita Azevedo Gomes, Alarm Notes (UK/Germany) by the English duo Anthea Kennedy and Ian Wiblin, End Pull (France/Netherlands/Armenia/Ukraine) by Lithuanian-Armenian director Andrius Arutiunian, and the German productions Conference of The Birds by Amin Motallebzadeh and Miraculous Accident by Assaf Gruber. Rounding off the selection are Copper (Mexico/Canada) by Nicolás Pereda, Death and Life Madalena (Brazil/Portugal) by Guto Parente, The Many Deaths of Antônio Parreiras (Brazil) by Lucas Parente, That Other White Jungle (Chile) by Teresa Arredondo, Cold Metal (Mexico) by Clemente Castor, Coltan (Democratic Republic of the Congo/USA) by Petna Ndaliko Katondolo and Revelations of Divine Love (USA) by Caroline Golum.

The French competition consists of eight titles, notably spearheaded by Marie Dumora’s La ligne bleue and Louise Chevillotte’s Si nous habitons un éclair, alongside Philippe Rouy’s Des millénaires d’absence, Isabel Pagliai’s Fantaisie, the duo Gustavo de Mattos Jahn and Anna Dubosc’s Hors-champ, les ombres, Laurent Krief’s Préhistoires, and two medium-length movies. Last but not least, 11 feature films will be fighting for first place in the First Films Competition, 10 in the Ciné+ Competition (notably including Under the Flags, the Sun [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Juanjo Pereira, presented in the Berlinale’s Panorama section, Wind, Talk To Me [+see also:
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film profile] by Stefan Djordjevic, presented in the IFFR’s Tiger Competition, and Morlaix [+see also:
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interview: Jaime Rosales
film profile] by Jaime Rosales, presented in the IFFR’s Harbour section) and 16 short films in the Flash Competition.

Equally interesting are three feature films screening in world premieres in the Other Gems line-up: Complô by Portugal’s João Miller Guerra, One Power For All The Land by Ireland’s Declan Clarke and the Belgian-Croatian co-production Don’t Take It Personally by Jelena Jureša, not to mention The Incredible Snow Woman [+see also:
film review
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interview: Sébastien Betbeder
film profile] by Sébastien Betbeder (discovered in the Berlinale’s Panorama section) and The Shards [+see also:
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interview: Masha Chernaya
film profile] by Masha Chernaya (the winner of DocLisboa), which will both be treated to Special Screenings.

(Translated from French)