Warsaw-based outfit New Europe Film Sales is heading to the 76th Berlin International Film Festival (12–22 February) and the accompanying European Film Market (EFM) (12–18 February) with a varied line-up, including survival thrillers, politically charged dramas, festival-acclaimed auteurs and animated storytelling.

Leading the Berlinale line-up is A Prayer for the Dying, directed by the debutant American filmmaker based in Oslo, Dara Van Dusen, and set to world-premiere in the Berlinale’s Perspectives section. Set in a small Wisconsin town in 1870, which is still reeling from the aftermath of the American Civil War, this survival thriller follows a man forced to make an impossible choice between protecting his young family and defending the immigrant community which gave him a second chance at life. The film stars Johnny Flynn, John C. Reilly, Kristine Kujath Thorp and Gustav Lindh, and New Europe Film Sales are co-handling sales with Anton Studios.

In the Panorama section, Prosecution by German director Faraz Shariat (Teddy Award winner No Hard Feelings [+lire aussi :
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interview : Faraz Shariat
fiche film]) will bow as a hard-hitting contemporary drama. The film centres on a state prosecutor who survives a racist attack and who decides to take her own case to court, confronting both her attackers and a justice system unwilling to address right-wing extremism.

The EFM will also see New Europe Film Sales showcasing How to Divorce During the War [+lire aussi :
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interview : Andrius Blaževičius
fiche film], the latest feature by Lithuanian filmmaker Andrius Blaževičius (The Saint [+lire aussi :
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interview : Andrius Blazevicius
fiche film], Runner [+lire aussi :
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interview : Andrius Blaževičius
fiche film]), which has only just received the Best Director award in Sundance’s World Dramatic Competition. Set in Vilnius in 2022, the film follows a couple whose decision to separate collides with the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Another of the sales agent’s upcoming highlights is The Painted Bride, which is the latest feature by US filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals, Hustle). Starring Jeremy Allen White, Mandy Patinkin and Isabella Rossellini, the film follows a man whose carefully balanced family life begins to unravel as he confronts grief, creativity and personal collapse. New Europe Film Sales are co-representing international rights alongside Charades, while WME Independent are handling North America.

Still available to buyers, the animated feature Tales from the Magic Garden [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] world-premiered in the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus section in 2025. Directed by David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar and Jean-Claude Rozec, this stop-motion film tells the story of three children rediscovering the power of imagination after the loss of their grandmother, celebrating storytelling as a healing force. The slate is further strengthened by Orphan [+lire aussi :
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interview : László Nemes
fiche film], the latest film by Oscar-winning director László Nemes (Son of Saul [+lire aussi :
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Q&A : László Nemes
interview : László Rajk
fiche film], Sunset [+lire aussi :
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interview : László Nemes
fiche film]), which premiered in competition in the Venice Film Festival. Set in Budapest in 1957, this historical drama follows a young Jewish boy whose world is shaken when a man comes into his life claiming to be his real father.

Also in the line-up is Joan of Arc by Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason (The Love That Remains [+lire aussi :
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interview : Hlynur Pálmason
fiche film], Godland [+lire aussi :
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interview : Elliott Crosset Hove
interview : Hlynur Pálmason
fiche film]), which premiered in San Sebastian’s Zabaltegi-Tabakalera section. This mid-length feature observes three siblings across the seasons as they build and destroy a knight-like figure, blending play, ritual and myth-making. Finally, God Will Not Help [+lire aussi :
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interview : Hana Jušić
fiche film] by Hana Jušić - which won the Best Performance Award in Locarno’s Competition - adds further auteur weight to the slate as an uncompromising drama set across Southern Europe.