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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Karim Aïnouz
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Also competing is Rose by Austrian filmmaker Markus Schleinzer (Cannes competition entry Michael [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Markus Schleinzer
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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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Eva Trobisch, Adrian Campean
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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! [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Wolfgang Becker
scheda 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 [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ivo M. Ferreira
scheda film] by Portuguese filmmaker Ivo M. Ferreira (April Showers, Letters from War [+leggi anche:
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Q&A: Ivo M. Ferreira
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Rounding off the slate is The Frog and the Water [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Franz Rogowski
intervista: Thomas Stuber
scheda 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.