The 74th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival has revealed a plethora of new titles slated to be screened from 15-25 February 2024. Specifically, the gathering has disclosed a selection of films, series and shorts that will be presented within its Berlinale Special and Generation segments.

At present, seven productions, including one series, have received invitations to participate in the 2024 Berlinale Special. The full line-up, comprising roughly 20 titles, is anticipated to be confirmed by mid-January. According to the Berlinale’s artistic director, Carlo Chatrian, “Berlinale Special will be home to new films by Julia von Heinz (Treasure) and Tilman Singer (Cuckoo [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]), both with projects involving US stars, to the irreverent comedy by the Zellner brothers (Sasquatch Sunset), to the dark universe of the first series by the D'Innocenzo brothers (Dostoevsky [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Fabio e Damiano D'Innocenzo
scheda series]), and to the latest from masters Atom Egoyan (Seven Veils) and Tsai Ming-liang (Abiding Nowhere). We are happy to celebrate these films along with the great performances of Amanda Seyfried, Lena Dunham, Stephen Fry, Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens. And we are especially looking forward to welcoming back Carey Mulligan to Berlin and, for the first time, Adam Sandler, representing Johan Renck’s Spaceman.”

Thirteen films afford us an initial preview of the Generation competition programmes. Among them are six feature-length fiction movies and seven short films, representing a total of 19 production countries. Generation head Sebastian Markt explains: “Between gentle insistence and furious rebellion, we encounter protagonists who follow very different paths but share an unwillingness to make peace with things the way they are. In a world that is falling apart, these films reveal fresh perspectives on what is and what could be.”

Luck Razanajaona's debut film, Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film], follows a young miner's return to his hometown, as he delves into familial history and confronts more than mere memories. Funded by the World Cinema Fund, the movie explores the contemporary imagery of Madagascar, intertwined with its colonial past, resistance and independence. It also marks Madagascar's inaugural feature in the Berlinale programme. Aslı Özarslan's adaptation of Fatma Aydemir's novel Elbow [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Aslı Özarslan
scheda film] portrays Hazal's quest for life amidst closed doors and dead ends, culminating in a pivotal outburst. Soleen Yusef's Winners [+leggi anche:
intervista: Soleen Yusef
scheda film] depicts Mona, a Syrian refugee in Berlin, discovering her footballing talent as part of a determined group of girls. Philippe Lesage's Who by Fire [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Philippe Lesage
scheda film] navigates the intense drama of three teenagers on a director's remote Quebec estate and in the vast wilderness surrounding it. Ingrid Pokropek's The Major Tones [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] embarks on an emotional journey as a young girl uncovers mysterious messages through an implanted device, aiding her in her ongoing pursuit of understanding. Last but not least, returning after Oink! [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Mascha Halberstad
scheda film], Mascha Halberstad presents Fox and Hare Save the Forest [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Mascha Halberstad
scheda film], an animated film filled with her trademark humour (see the report from Cartoon Movie 2023).

Here is the full list of recently announced titles:

Berlinale Special

Abiding Nowhere - Tsai Ming-liang (Taiwan/USA – documentary)
Cuckoo [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film] - Tilman Singer (Germany)
Dostoevsky [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Fabio e Damiano D'Innocenzo
scheda series] - Damiano D’Innocenzo, Fabio D’Innocenzo (Italy – series)
Sasquatch Sunset - David Zellner, Nathan Zellner (USA)
Seven Veils - Atom Egoyan (Canada)
Spaceman - Johan Renck (USA)
Treasure - Julia von Heinz (Germany/France)

Generation

Generation 14plus

Cura sana - Lucía G Romero (Spain – short film)
Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story [+leggi anche:
recensione
scheda film] - Luck Razanajaona (France/Madagascar/Germany/Mauritius/South Africa/Qatar)
Elbow [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Aslı Özarslan
scheda film] - Aslı Özarslan (Germany/Turkey/France)
Lapse - Caroline Cavalcanti (Brazil – short film)
Muna - Warda Mohamed (UK – short film)
Ressentiment - Gleb Osatinski (USA/Lithuania – short film)
Who by Fire [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Philippe Lesage
scheda film] - Philippe Lesage (Canada/France)

Generation Kplus

Amplified - Dina Naser (Jordan/Egypt - short film)
Fox and Hare Save the Forest [+leggi anche:
recensione
intervista: Mascha Halberstad
scheda film] - Mascha Halberstad (Netherlands/Belgium/Luxembourg)
The Major Tones [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] - Ingrid Pokropek (Argentina/Spain)
Porcelain - Annika Birgel (Germany – short film)
Winners [+leggi anche:
intervista: Soleen Yusef
scheda film] - Soleen Yusef (Germany)
Yuck! - Loïc Espuche (France – short film)