The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the main competition line-up for its 76th edition, set to run from 12-22 February (see the news). Among the selected titles is Rosebush Pruning, the latest feature by Brazilian-Algerian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, a Berlinale regular, and a Cannes and Venice alumnus. His previous works include Futuro Beach [+lire aussi :
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interview : Karim Aïnouz
fiche film], which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes. The film will have its world premiere in Berlin, where it will compete for the Golden Bear.

Set in an opulent villa bathed in the Catalonian sun, Rosebush Pruning centres on US siblings Jack, Ed, Anna and Robert, who live in self-imposed isolation, insulated by inherited wealth and emotional dependency. As they avoid the demands of their blind father and seek affection and validation through one another, their fragile equilibrium is shattered when Jack, the eldest brother and emotional linchpin of the family, announces his intention to move in with his girlfriend, Martha. His decision triggers a chain reaction that leads Ed to uncover the truth behind their mother’s death, causing long-buried lies to surface and the family structure to slowly unravel.

The film boasts a high-profile international cast, led by English actor Callum Turner (Atropia, Rose of Nevada [+lire aussi :
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interview : Mark Jenkin
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interview : Dexter Fletcher
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interview : Pedro Almodóvar
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interview : Joachim Trier
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Written by Greek scriptwriter Efthimis Filippou (Kinds of Kindness [+lire aussi :
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interview : Yorgos Lanthimos
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Q&A : Yorgos Lanthimos
fiche film]), Rosebush Pruning is described as an outrageous contemporary satire that takes aim at the absurdities and moral bankruptcy of the traditional patriarchal family. It marks Aïnouz’s return to Berlinale’s Competition, after Futuro Beach in 2014, while his documentaries Central Airport THF [+lire aussi :
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Behind the camera, Aïnouz reunites with long-time collaborators and an award-winning creative team. The director of photography is French cinematographer Hélène Louvart (The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão, Firebrand, Motel Destino [+lire aussi :
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interview : Louis Hofmann
interview : Martin Zandvliet
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interview : Maria Schrader
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The film is being produced by Viola Fügen and Michael Weber for Germany’s The Match Factory, which is also handling worldwide sales. Simone Gattoni produces for Italy’s Kavac Film, which also holds the adaptation rights, alongside Annamaria Morelli for The Apartment (a Fremantle company) and Vladimir Zemtsov for London-based Gold Rush Pictures. Spanish co-producers include Andreas Wentz and Juan Cano “Nono” for SUR FILM, while Rachel Dargavel serves as co-producer for the UK’s Crybaby.

Rosebush Pruning was financed by MUBI alongside The Apartment and Gold Rush Pictures, together with executive producer Lota Dascioraite, Mitch Oliver and Catherine Boily (Metafilms), Kateryna Merkt, Matthew E Chausse and Pietro Caracciolo for SCoT(T), Lorenza Veronica for In Bloom, Alessandro del Vigna, Guilherme Cezar Coelho and Fernando Loureiro for Inflamável, Gabriel Amaral and Morwin Schmookler. The film also received additional backing from the Spanish tax incentive, the German Federal Film Board, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard and the UK Global Screen Fund, financed by the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport and managed by the BFI.