The Berlinale, the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, which runs from February 13th to 23rd, begins today with the world premiere of The Light Take TikveraThe German director, known for Run, Lola, Run (1998) and the TV series Babylon Berlin, returns with a drama starring Lars Ajdinger i Nikolete KrebicThe film depicts a middle-class family whose routine is completely turned upside down when a housewife from Syria enters their lives.
At the Berlinale opening ceremony Tilda Swinton will receive an honorary Golden Bear, as a lifetime achievement award for her contribution to the art of cinema. The Scottish actress has been present at the Berlinale for years, either as president of the jury in 2009 or with her own films – 26 of them have been screened at the festival so far.
A speech in her honor will be given by Edward BergerHe is the director of the Oscar-nominated films All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, and is currently working with Tilda Swinton on a Netflix film called The Ballad of a Small Player.
The members of the international jury will also be introduced at the opening. The president of the jury is the American director Todd Haynes (Carol, I'm Not Here), and the members are Chinese actress Fan bingbing, German director and actress Maria Schrader, Moroccan-French director Nabil Ajouh, German costume designer Building Dajgeler, Argentine director Rodrigo Moreno and American critic and podcast host Amy NicholsonThe seven-member jury will award this year's Golden and Silver Bears on February 22nd.
Films in competition
The complete program includes almost 250 films, and the main, competitive selection features 19 films from 26 countries.
Several former Berlinale winners are returning to the festival. Romanian director Radu Zuda, who is this time presenting the film Kontinental '25, won the 2021 Golden Bear for the film Bad Luck or Crazy Pornography. There is also a Korean director She San Su, which has won multiple Silver Bears in recent years, and is now returning with What Does That Nature Say to You .
Two films from China will also have their world premieres in the main competition: Girls on Wire directed by Vivian Ku i Living the Land režisera Product.
The film Yunan will also be shown. Amera Faher Eldina. It is a co-production of Germany, Canada, Italy, Palestine, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The film stars Lebanese comedian Georges Cabaz and German acting legend Hana Šigula, known for its collaboration with Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
There will be another Golden Bear winner in Berlin: the film will be screened in the "Forum" selection Želimir Žilnik Restitution, or, The Dream and the Wake of the Old Guard. Back in 1969, Žilnik won the main prize at the Berlinale for the film Early Works.
The only documentary film in the main competition is Timestamp Katerine Gornostaj, which provides an insight into school life in Ukraine after the start of the Russian invasion.
Stars coming to the festival
Among the films bringing stars to the Berlinale and competing for the award is Blue Moon. Richard Linklater, with a cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Margaret Kvoli i Andrew ScottThis American director has already won the Silver Bear for Best Director with the films Before Sunset (1995) and Growing Up (2014).
There is also the film If I Had Legs I'd Kick You by the director Meri Bronstein, in which they star Rouz Bern i A$AP Rock, ali i The Ice Tower Lusil Hadzihalilovic s Marion Cotillard in main role.
Jessica Chastain comes to Berlin with the film Dreams Michel Frank.
Numerous stars and gala screenings are also expected in the "Berlinale Special" competition selection. Bong Jun-ho, the Oscar winner for Parasite, is coming to Berlin for the German premiere of his new sci-fi film Mickey 17, a darkly humorous comedy with Robert Pattinson in main role.
Timothy Chalamet is coming to the premiere of the film A Complete Unknown, in which he stars Bob Dylan.
Jacob, star of the series Euphoria, is coming with the series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, directed by Justin Kurzel.
Benedict Cumberbatch is arriving at the European premiere of The Thing with Feathers.
Politically engaged film festival
Besides the glitz and red carpet, the Berlinale continues to focus on important political and historical themes.
Given that the festival is taking place 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the special program includes:
• screening of the monumental documentary Shoah (1985) Claude Lanzmann,
• a new documentary about Lanzmann's groundbreaking cinematic portrayal of the Holocaust called All I Had was Nothingness The Riboa River,
• a documentary about intellectuals in exile under the regime Vladimir Putin: My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow,
• the documentary film The German People (Das Deutsche Volk), which deals with the racist attacks in Hanau in 2020, and
• a film letter to an Israeli hostage Davidu Kuniu, who is still trapped in Gaza, entitled A Letter to David.
A challenge for the new festival director
Unlike Cannes and Venice, the Berlinale has always been considered the "most political" festival among the major European film festivals.
"We are often asked if we are a political festival. Yes, I would say we are a festival that deals with society, but politics is in our DNA. [...] Berlin is a city filled with history. We are not afraid of that," she says. Trisha Tatl, the new festival director.
Last year, criticism of Israeli policies during the awards ceremony – particularly from the Palestinian but also Israeli director of the film No Other Land – led to accusations of anti-Semitism from some German politicians.
Given that the festival is largely funded by public funds, Tatl now has to find a balance between the demands of the German authorities and freedom of artistic expression.
As part of its mission to modernize the Berlinale, Tetl has introduced a new competition category called “Perspectives,” which will exclusively screen debut films. The winner will receive a prize for best first film of 50.000 euros.
The goal of the festival and film enthusiasts is to use these changes to discover new trends and new participants in the art of film, those whose time is yet to come.
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