17/12/2025 - Early selections include works by Danielle Arbid, Patric Chiha, Sebastian Brameshuber, Anna Roller, Faraz Shariat and Ian de la Rosa

The Berlinale is gearing up for its 76th edition (12-22 February 2026), and has unveiled the first wave of confirmed titles for the Panorama and Generation sections.

The Panorama slate highlights powerful independent filmmaking and documentary works that strike a fine balance between poetry and urgency, alongside bold new German-language cinema. Among the first announcements are ten world premieres and five feature debuts, with selections spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.

Among the early announcements is Only Rebels Win by Lebanese filmmaker Danielle Arbid (Simple Passion [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Danielle Arbid
film profile]), starring Hiam Abbass and Amine Benrachid, a story of rebellious lovers navigating life in Beirut. Patric Chiha (If It Were Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Patric Chiha
film profile]) returns with a new documentary, A Russian Winter, where after Ukraine’s invasion, a group of Russians are being exiled, while London by Sebastian Brameshuber (Movements of a Nearby Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sebastian Brameshuber
film profile]) presents a tender portrait of human encounters along an Austrian highway.

Furthermore, Faraz Shariat’s Prosecution confronts structural racism in Germany; Efraín Mojica and Rebecca Zweig explore queer subculture within Mexican rodeos in their debut feature-length documentary, Jaripeo; and Anna Roller re-examines a long-distance relationship in Allegro Pastell. Ian de la Rosa’s debut feature, Iván & Hadoum (see the news), and Viv Li’s debut documentary, Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest, are also among the highlights.

The Generation section has also revealed its first titles for the Kplus and 14plus competition line-ups, comprising five feature films and seven shorts from 12 countries. Seven of these will enjoy world premieres, while three are feature-length debuts. Among the initial selections are works by Sandulela Asanda, Eliza Capai, Seemab Gul, Priscilla Kellen and Frederike Migom.

Generation remains a central stage at the festival for young voices, both on screen and beyond the cinema. The section’s first wave of titles explores themes ranging from curiosity, anger and hope to grief and tender solidarity. Audiences are invited into the lived realities of young protagonists, hailing from places like Brazil and Taiwan, through collaborative documentaries as well as fantastical narratives.

Following a successful pilot edition in 2025, the Generation Badge — 14plus will again offer young audiences aged 14-25 full access to all Generation films, as well as selected events and additional screenings across the Berlinale. The badge also provides participation in interactive programmes co-created with initiatives promoting inclusivity and collaboration. It will be available online until 10 January.

Here is the full list of titles announced so far:

Panorama

Only Rebels Win – Danielle Arbid (France/Lebanon/Qatar)
London – Sebastian Brameshuber (Austria)
A Russian Winter – Patric Chiha (France, documentary)
Iván & Hadoum – Ian de la Rosa (Spain)
Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest – Viv Li (Germany/Netherlands, documentary)
Jaripeo – Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig (Mexico/USA/France, documentary)
Bucks Harbor – Pete Muller (USA, documentary)
Mouse – Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson (USA)
Allegro Pastell – Anna Roller (Germany)
Enough Is Enough – Elisé Sawasawa (France/Democratic Republic of the Congo, documentary)
Prosecution – Faraz Shariat (Germany)
Numb – Takuya Uchiyama (Japan)

Generation

Kplus

The Fabulous Time Machine – Eliza Capai (Brazil, documentary)
Bats & Bugs – Lena von Döhren (Switzerland, animated short film)
Riding Time – Roopa Gogineni, Farhaan Mumtaz (UK/France, documentary short film)
Ghost School – Seemab Guul (Pakistan/Germany/Saudi Arabia)
Papaya – Priscilla Kellen (Brazil)
Everyone's Sorry Nowadays - Frederike Migom (Belgium/Netherlands/Germany)
A Serious Thought – Jonas Taul (Estonia, animated short film)
Tutti – Zhuang Rong Zuo (Taiwan, short film)

14plus

Black Burns Fast – Sanduela Asanda (South Africa)
The Thread – Fenn O'Meally (UK, short film)
Memories of a Window – Mehraneh Salimian, Amin Pakparvar (USA, documentary short film)
The Girl – Yucheng Tan (China, short film)