The Match Factory unveils an ambitious slate of films at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (12-22 February) and the accompanying European Film Market (EFM) (12-18 February), combining high-profile Competition entries with major market premieres and auteur-driven projects.

In the Berlinale Competition, four films stand out for their thematic range and strong directorial voices. Rosebush Pruning by Brazilian-Algerian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz (Cannes competition entries Motel Destino [+lire aussi :
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bande-annonce
fiche film] and Firebrand [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Cannes Un Certain Regard winner The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão [+lire aussi :
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interview : Karim Aïnouz
fiche film]) is a contemporary satire dissecting the absurdities of the patriarchal family. Set in an opulent villa in Catalonia, it boasts a strong international cast including Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, Elena Anaya, Tracy Letts, Elle Fanning and Pamela Anderson (see the news).

Also competing is Rose by Austrian filmmaker Markus Schleinzer (Cannes competition entry Michael [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Angelo [+lire aussi :
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interview : Markus Schleinzer
fiche film]). Set during the Thirty Years’ War, the film stars Sandra Hüller as a mysterious soldier, inspired by a true historical figure, seeking acceptance in a Protestant village while concealing a radical secret (see the news).

US director Lance Hammer (Berlinale competition entry Ballast) returns to Berlin with Queen at Sea, a morally complex family drama starring Juliette Binoche and Tom Courtenay. The film centres on a painful ethical conflict surrounding end-of-life decisions and dementia, as a daughter and stepfather grapple with responsibility, autonomy and irreversible choices. The story unfolds as an intimate chamber piece whose emotional repercussions spiral beyond control.

Completing the Competition line-up is Home Stories by Eva Trobisch, following her acclaimed All Good [+lire aussi :
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interview : Eva Trobisch et Adrian Cam…
fiche film] (selected in Berlinale Encounters). The film portrays a sixteen-year-old girl in provincial East Germany who struggles to define herself as her fragmented family and community project their expectations onto her. As a TV talent show audition approaches, the question of identity becomes inseparable from the stories others tell about “home”.

Beyond the Competition, The Match Factory is presenting several high-profile titles at the EFM. A market premiere, Berlin Hero by the late Wolfgang Becker marks the final work of the director who was behind Good Bye, Lenin! [+lire aussi :
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interview : Wolfgang Becker
fiche film]. Set around the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the film follows a struggling video-store owner who is mistakenly celebrated as a key figure in a historic mass escape from the GDR. The accidental hero, played by Charly Hübner, is swept into a web of media myths, romance and lies. The cast also includes Christiane Paul, Leonie Benesch and Daniel Brühl.

Another major market title, Projecto Global [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ivo M. Ferreira
fiche film] by Portuguese filmmaker Ivo M. Ferreira (April Showers, Letters from War [+lire aussi :
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Q&A : Ivo M. Ferreira
fiche film]), enjoyed its premiere in IFFR Big Screen Competition. Set in Lisbon in the 1980s, against the backdrop of political unrest and the rise of the far-left armed group FP25, the film examines radicalisation, underground lives and moral compromise.

Rounding off the slate is The Frog and the Water [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Thomas Stuber (In the Aisles [+lire aussi :
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interview : Franz Rogowski
interview : Thomas Stuber
fiche film]), a gentle and unconventional road movie following a man from an assisted living facility who joins a group of Japanese tourists travelling through Germany. The film had its world premiere last year in Tallinn Black Nights Competition and the starring duo Aladdin Detlefsen and Kanji Tsuda shared the Best Actor accolade.