Rewritten Article:
Directly lurking on the horizon of the festival, the Berlinale has spilled the beans on some initial film titles. This time around, the Forum section sees eight contenders concerning history, the present, women, and generations. One distinct focus lies on regions outside the usual Western film industry spheres. As section head Barbara Wurm put it, "We're not here for self-centered, bubble-living flicks; we're all about boldly intervening."
The roster includes intriguing productions like the Tamil feature film "Kottukkaali." The stirring tale revolves around a family displaying extreme exorcism frenzy, targeting a young woman. Another gem set to make waves is the Singapore and China collaboration, titled "Republic." It plunges viewers into the beat of the Beijing underground.
The 74th iteration of the Berlin International Film Festival kicks things into gear from February 15 to 25. This globetrotting cinematic event stands as one of the major film festivals, embracing Cannes and Venice in its grandeur. As traditional, the complete program and competition films will be dished out mid-January. The jamboree's lineup spans 15 sprawling cinemas.
Worth noting, the 2024 Berlinale Forum section shall feature captivating plays centered on unexplored corners of the globe.
- The Tamil movie "Kottukkaali," which sheds light on a family's obsessive exorcism journey, finds its place in the international film competition for 2024.
- The questionable past and modern-day complexities coexist in the selected eight films for the Berlinale 2024, parading in the Forum segment.
- The Singapore and China co-production "Republic" is heading to the Berlinale 2024, marking its presence in the competition, unveiling the dark corners of the Beijing underground.
- The eccentric and engaging approach to filmmaking is the guiding philosophy of the Berlinale 2024, with a deep-rooted dedication to daring storytelling.
- The competing films at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival will take viewers on a global journey, tapping into the richness of diverse cultures and filmmaking traditions.
Sources:
Enrichment Data:
For curious film enthusiasts, here are a few scoops from the Berlinale 2025 competition film lineup:
Main Competition
- Ari (Fr-Bel) - Directed by Léonor Serraille
- Blue Moon (US-Ire) - Directed by Richard Linklater
- The Blue Trail (Bra-Mex-Chile-Neth) - Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
- Dreams (Mex) - Directed by Michel Franco
- Dreams (Sex Love) (Nor) - Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud
- Girls on Wire (China) - Directed by Vivian Qu
- Hot Milk (UK) - Directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
- The Ice Tower (Fr-Ger) - Directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović
- If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (US) - Directed by Mary Bronstein
- Kontinental ’25 (Rom) - Directed by Radu Jude
- The Message (Arg-Sp) - Directed by Iván Fund
- Mother’s Baby (Austria-Switz-Ger) - Directed by Johanna Moder
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond (Bel-Lux-It-Fr) - Directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani
- The Safe House (Switz-Luxe-Fr) - Directed by Lionel Baier
- Timestamp (Ukr-Lux-Neth-Fr) - Directed by Kateryna Gornostai
- What Marielle Knows (Ger) - Directed by Frédéric Hambalek
- What Does That Nature Say to You (S Kor) - Directed by Hong Sangsoo
- Yunan (Ger-Can-It-Palestine-Qat-Saudi) - Directed by Ameer Fakher Eldin
Highlights
- Five films were helmed by women directors, with three female filmmakers returning to the competition section.
- Three films feature their first director and documentaries are included in the lineup.
Berlinale Special
The Berlinale Special section sees diverse films take the spotlight, such as: - After This Death (US) - Directed by Lucio Castro - A Complete Unknown (US) - Directed by James Mangold - Köln 75 (Ger-Pol-Bel) - Directed by Ido Fluk - The Light (Ger-Fra) - Directed by Tom Tykwer - Late Shift (Swi-Ger) - Directed by Petra Volpe - Lurker (US-It) - Directed by Alex Russell - Mickey 17 (US-S Kor) - Directed by Bong Joon-ho - The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Aus) - Directed by Justin Kurzel - The Thing with Feathers (UK) - Directed by Dylan Southern - All I Had Was Nothingness (Fra) - Directed by Guillaume Ribot - Ancestral Visions of the Future (Fra-Les-Ger-Saudi) - Directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese - The Best Mother in the World (Bra-Arg) - Directed by Anna Muylaert - Das Deutsche Volk (Ger) - Directed by Marcin Wierzchowski - Friendship's Death (UK) - Directed by Peter Wollen - Honey Bunch (Can) - Directed by Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli - A Letter to David (Isr-US) - Directed by Tom Shoval - Islands (Ger) - Directed by Jan-Ole Gerster - Leibniz – Chronicle of a Lost Painting (Ger) - Directed by Edgar Reitz and Anatol Schuster - My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow (US) - Directed by Julia Loktev - No Beast. So Fierce. (Ger-Pol-Fra) - Directed by Burhan Qurbani - The Old Woman with the Knife (S Kor) - Directed by Min Kyu-dong - Shoah (Fra) - Directed by Claude Lanzmann[5].
Perspectives
The Perspectives section is a competition for the Best First Feature Award, featuring 14 captivating films: - BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions (US) - Directed by Kahlil Joseph - The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) (Mex) - Directed by Ernesto Martínez Bucio - Eel (Taiwan) - Directed by Chu Chun-Teng - Growing Down (Hung) - Directed by Bálint Dániel Sós - How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World (Austria) - Directed by Florian Pochlatko - Little Trouble Girls (Slo-It-Cro-Ser) - Directed by Urška Djukić - Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) (US) - Directed by Joel Alfonso Vargas - Punching the World (Ger) - Directed by Constanze Klaue - The Settlement (Egypt-Fra-Ger-Qat-Saudi) - Directed by Mohamed Rashad - Shadowbox (India-Fra-US-Spain) - Directed by Tanushree Das and Saumyananda Sahi - That Summer in Paris (Fra) - Directed by Valentine Cadic - Two Times João Liberada (Portugal) - Directed by Paula Tomás Marques - We Believe You (Belgium) - Directed by Arnaud Dufeys and Charlotte Devillers - Where the Night Stands Still (Italy-Philippines) - Directed by Liryc Dela Cruz[5].
These enlightening and engaging sections shed light on the diverse and eclectic lineup of films set to compete at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival 2025.
