17/12/2024 - New works by Jan-Ole Gerster, Ira Sachs, Frelle Petersen, Andreas Prochaska, Denis Côté and Michel Gondry are among the films revealed so far

The Berlinale is gearing up for its 75th edition (13-23 February 2025) and has unveiled the first wave of confirmed titles for the Berlinale Special, Panorama and Generation sections.

Spanning everything from pulse-pounding genre films to thought-provoking documentaries and red-carpet galas, the Berlinale Special section has added three highly anticipated titles to the already-announced opening film, Tom Tykwer's The Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (read news). German filmmaker Jan-Ole Gerster (helmer of the 2012 sensation Oh Boy [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jan Ole Gerster
film profile] and Karlovy Vary Special Jury Prize and Best Actress winner Lara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Jan-Ol…
interview: Jan Ole Gerster
film profile]) unveils Islands [+see also:
film review
film profile], a sleek neo-noir thriller featuring Sam Riley and Stacy Martin. Canadian duo Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli return with Honey Bunch, a bold and inventive blend of genres. Both films will screen as part of the Latenight Specials line-up. Rounding off this first wave of announcements is the Berlinale Special Gala selection Köln 75 [+see also:
film review
interview: Ido Fluk
film profile]. Directed by Ido Fluk, the German production revisits the story behind Keith Jarrett’s iconic Cologne concert, told through the eyes of its teenage producer. The film stars Mala Emde, John Magaro and Alexander Scheer.

The Panorama slate features 12 films, eight of which will enjoy their world premieres. This year's line-up is marked by its diversity, offering a rich mixture of genres and stories from 18 countries, with a strong focus on "homeland horror" and social fractures. Panorama regular Ira Sachs (his previous film Passages [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] is one of the many that screened in the section) brings along Peter Hujar’s Day [+see also:
film review
film profile], which will world-premiere at the upcoming Sundance and captures a 1974 conversation between photographer Peter Hujar and Linda Rosenkrantz, offering a glimpse into the New York art scene and an artist’s personal challenges. Home Sweet Home [+see also:
film review
interview: Frelle Petersen
film profile] by Danish director Frelle Petersen (whose previous film Forever [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Frelle Petersen and Jette S…
film profile] screened in competition at San Sebastián) tells the story of Sofie, a carer for the elderly, confronting the emotional and physical demands of her work. Welcome Home Baby [+see also:
film review
film profile], the new film by Andreas Prochaska’s (The Dark Valley [+see also:
trailer
film profile], selected in Berlinale Special), follows Judith, an emergency doctor who inherits a house from the family that abandoned her. Her quest to uncover her origins becomes a haunting journey into the past. Among the debut films, the Spanish title Deaf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Libertad
film profile] by Eva Libertad explores the struggles of a deaf woman expecting a child with her hearing partner, as they face the challenges of raising a daughter in a world that isn’t designed for her (see the news); and The Ugly Stepsister [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Emilie Blichfeldt offers a twisted Cinderella story about Elvira’s desperate attempts to compete with her beautiful stepsister. Denis Côté presents Paul, a documentary about a man who combats depression and social anxiety by cleaning women’s homes and sharing his quirky routines online.

The Generation section has unveiled its first wave of titles for the Kplus and 14plus competition line-ups, comprising eight features and seven shorts from 16 countries. Among these, ten films will enjoy world premieres at the festival. Michel Gondry, known for his whimsical storytelling, presents Maya, Give Me a Title [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Gondry
film profile] (released in France in September), a stop-motion animation that serves as a poetic love letter to his daughter, Maya. In Generation 14plus, Sandbag Dam [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Čejen Černić Čanak
film profile] by Čejen Černić Čanak tells the story of Marko, whose life is turned upside down when he rekindles a forbidden romance with Slaven, returning for his father’s funeral in a village on the brink of flooding. Among the debut films, Our Wildest Days [+see also:
interview: Vasilis Kekatos
film profile] by Vasilis Kekatos follows Chloe, a teenager who leaves her family behind to join a group of young wanderers across Greece, helping the poor and questioning whether tenderness is the ultimate act of rebellion. Meanwhile, Maja Ajmia Yde Zellama's Têtes Brûlées [+see also:
film review
interview: Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
film profile] explores the emotional journey of 12-year-old Eya as she copes with the sudden death of her brother.

Here is the full list of titles announced so far:

Berlinale Special

The Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Tom Tykwer (Germany/France) (opening film)
Köln 75 [+see also:
film review
interview: Ido Fluk
film profile] – Ido Fluk (Germany/Poland/Belgium)
Islands [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Jan-Ole Gerster (Germany)
Honey Bunch – Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (Canada)

Panorama

The Ugly Stepsister [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Emilie Blichfeldt (Norway/Poland/Sweden/Denmark)
Paul – Denis Côté (Canada)
Dreams in Nightmares – Shatara Michelle Ford (USA/Taiwan/UK)
Lesbian Space Princess – Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese (Australia)
Deaf [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eva Libertad
film profile] – Eva Libertad (Spain)
Under the Flags, the Sun [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] – Juanjo Pereira (Paraguay/Argentina/USA/France/Germany)
Home Sweet Home [+see also:
film review
interview: Frelle Petersen
film profile] – Frelle Petersen (Denmark)
The Moelln Letters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martina Priessner
film profile] – Martina Priessner (Germany)
Welcome Home Baby [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Andreas Prochaska (Austria/Germany)
Night Stage – Marcio Reolon, Filipe Matzembacher (Brazil)
Peter Hujar's Day [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Ira Sachs (USA/Germany)
Khartoum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmad, Tim…
film profile] – Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea M Ahmed, Phil Cox (Sudan/UK/Germany/Qatar)

Generation

Têtes Brûlées [+see also:
film review
interview: Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
film profile] – Maja Ajmia Yde Zellama (Belgium)
Don't Wake the Sleeping Child – Kevin Aubert (Senegal/France) (short film)
The Nature of Invisible Things – Rafaela Camelo (Brazil/Chile)
Sandbag Dam [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Čejen Černić Čanak
film profile] – Čejen Černić Čanak (Croatia/Lithuania/Slovenia)
Village Rockstars 2 – Rima Das (India/Singapore)
The Tale of Daye’s Family – Karim El Shenawy (Egypt)
Fantas – Halima Elkhatabi (Canada) (short film)
Maya, Give Me a Title [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michel Gondry
film profile] – Michel Gondry (France)
On a Sunday at Eleven – Alicia K Harris (Canada) (short film)
Our Wildest Days [+see also:
interview: Vasilis Kekatos
film profile] – Vasilis Kekatos (Greece/France)
White Ochre – Marlikka Perdrisat (Australia) (short film)
The Thief – Christoffer Rizvanovic Stenbakken (Denmark) (short film)
Space Cadet – Eric (aka Kid Koala) San (Canada)
Autokar – Sylwia Szkiłądź (Belgium/France) (short film)
Beneath Which Rivers Flow – Ali Yahya (Iraq)