Berlinale 2024

The jury has decided: a Golden Bear for Mati Diop, and a Silver Bear went to Germany too. The last festival under the direction of Chatrian and Rissenbeek gave the impression of being especially political and diverse. So what happens next?
 

The film industry is on the move, with many films being produced internationally. A look at new English-language films by German directors - and not just at the Berlinale.

The Indian feature films – The Fable, Kottukali and In the Belly of a Tiger – screened at Berlinale will hit the home turf sometime this year after finishing their visit to international festivals. We bring you short reviews of these films for enthusiasts curious to know what is in store with these movies.

A seventy-year-old widow seeks happiness once again: Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha's “My favourite cake” is a touching film about freedom and hope. The regime in Iran banned them from travelling to the Berlinale.

From remote communities in the Peruvian Andes or the Colombian Pacific coast to urban spaces in Santiago and Medellín: South American films at the Berlinale are focusing on the region’s urgent issues.
 

At the Berlin International Film Festival – A reflection on “Dormir de olhos abertos” (Sleep with your eyes open) by Nele Wohlatz.

Egyptian director Morad Mostafa is visiting Berlin for the first time, to participate in Berlinale Talents, the talent development programme of the German capital’s international film festival. We met him at a café in the city to ask how he felt about being there. 

The film La Cocina shows the dynamics and relationships among illegal immigrant workers in a New York restaurant called The Grill.

Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo’s macabre series celebrates its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. A thriller that explores the themes of pain and the human psyche.

If the Berlin International Film Festival gave out an award for best ensemble, it should go to Matthias Glasner’s competition film “Dying”.

A celebration of life in dark times: Andreas Dresen’s “In Liebe, Eure Hilde” is a tender portrait of resistance fighter Hilde Coppi, a member of the “Rote Kapelle”.
 

“The Outrun” is Nora Fingscheidt’s second international production following the Berlinale hit “System Crasher”. With US-born Saoirse Ronan in the leading role, the German film-maker delivers a gripping drama about a recovering alcoholic.

The 74th Berlin International Film Festival showcases the diversity of Brazil’s regions. New beginnings and the search for a better life are recurring motifs in the films that were made after the pandemic. They reflect social conditions and the political situation in the country.

Truly outstanding: Winners and Elbow, two very different films from Berlin’s “difficult district” of Wedding, featuring strong female leads.
 

Forgotten gems: the Retrospective section is presenting gritty genre films and migrant perspectives – under the motto “An alternate cinema”.

The festival has slimmed down: two sections have been dropped, fewer films are showing overall. Meanwhile the international competition is represented by a promising selection of entries. Maybe the management team is heralding the future of the Berlinale with this last hurrah?