VIDEO: Berlinale announces 19 films in competition

19 films will compete for the Golden and Silver Bears, among them one first feature as well as one documentary. Productions from 26 countries are represented. 17 films are world premieres. Eight films were directed or co-directed by women. Nine filmmakers have screened their films in the Berlinale previously.

“We’re fiercely proud of the films in this year’s Competition; they showcase the breadth of cinema and offer fascinating glimpses into different lives and places. There are intimate dramas that ask us to understand our human fragilities and strengths; there is gentle comedy but also the sharpest, blackest satire; there are films that pay homage to cinematic greats and ones that use the art form’s fullest canvas. Each of these singular works shows filmmakers at the top of their craft. From these deserving ranks, we look forward to discovering what Todd Haynes’ jury pick as the winners of Berlinale Golden and Silver Bears,” says Festival Director Tricia Tuttle.

Watch the video presentation:

Ari
Competition
by Léonor Serraille | with Andranic Manet, Pascal Rénéric, Théo Delezenne, Ryad Ferrad, Eva Lallier Juan
France / Belgium 2025
World premiere
Ari, a young teacher, quits his job and is thrown out of the house by his father. Lost and alone, he reconnects with old friends, triggering a journey of self-discovery.
 
Blue Moon
Competition
by Richard Linklater | with Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, Andrew Scott
USA / Ireland 2025
World premiere
On the evening of March 31, 1943, legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart confronts his shattered self-confidence in Sardi’s bar as his former collaborator Richard Rodgers celebrates the opening night of his ground-breaking hit musical “Oklahoma!”.

La cache The Safe House
Competition
by Lionel Baier | with Dominique Reymond, Michel Blanc, William Lebghil, Aurélien Gabrielli, Liliane Rovère
Switzerland / Luxembourg / France 2025
World premiere
An eccentric family portrait set during the May 1968 protests in Paris. A nine-year-old boy stays with his grandparents and uncles while his parents protest. When an illustrious guest seeks refuge in the apartment, the family’s dynamics change.

Dreams
Competition
by Michel Franco | with Jessica Chastain, Isaac Hernández, Rupert Friend, Marshall Bell
Mexico 2025
World premiere
Believing his lover will support him, a young Mexican ballet dancer crosses the border to pursue his dreams in San Francisco. But as ambition and love clash with harsh realities, he must face the true nature of their relationship.

Drømmer Dreams (Sex Love)

Competition
by Dag Johan Haugerud | with Ella Øverbye, Selome Emnetu, Ane Dahl Torp, Anne Marit Jacobsen
Norway 2024
International premiere
Johanne's intimate writings about her crush on her teacher ignite both tension and self-reflection within her family, as her mother and grandmother confront their own unfulfilled dreams and desires.

Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani What Does that Nature Say to You

Competition
by Hong Sangsoo | with Ha Seongguk, Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Kang Soyi, Park Miso
South Korea 2025
World premiere
A young poet drops his girlfriend off at her parents’ house and is amazed by its size. He bumps into her father, meets her mother and sister, and they all end up spending a long day together; fueled by conversation, food and libations.

Hot Milk
Competition
by Rebecca Lenkiewicz | with Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, Vicky Krieps, Vincent Perez
United Kingdom 2025
World premiere | Debut film
Rose and her daughter Sofia journey to a Spanish seaside town to meet an enigmatic healer. As Sofia embraces an affair with an alluring stranger, tensions with her overbearing mother threaten their fragile bond.

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Competition
by Mary Bronstein | with Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald, Ivy Wolk
USA 2024
International premiere
With her life crashing down around her, Linda attempts to navigate her child's mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist.

Kontinental '25
Competition
by Radu Jude | with Eszter Tompa, Gabriel Spahiu, Adonis Tanța, Oana Mardare, Șerban Pavlu
Romania 2025
World premiere
Orsolya is a bailiff in Cluj, the main city in Transylvania. One day she has to evict a homeless man from a cellar, an action with tragic consequences that triggers a moral crisis which Orsolya must weather as best she can

El mensaje The Message | Die Nachricht
Competition
by Iván Fund | with Mara Bestelli, Marcelo Subiotto, Anika Bootz, Betania Cappato
Argentina / Spain 2025
World premiere
In the Argentinian countryside, a child’s special gift gives her opportunistic guardians the idea of offering consultations with an animal medium in order to earn a living.

Mother's Baby
Competition
by Johanna Moder | with Marie Leuenberger, Hans Löw, Claes Bang, Julia Franz Richter
Austria / Switzerland / Germany 2025
World premiere
The family dream becomes a nightmare as 40-year-old Julia struggles to bond with her newborn child.

Reflet dans un diamant mort Reflection in a Dead Diamond

Competition
by Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani | with Fabio Testi, Yannick Renier, Koen De Bouw, Maria de Medeiros, Thi Mai Nguyen
Belgium / Luxembourg / Italy / France 2025
World premiere
When the mysterious woman in the room next door disappears, a debonair 70-year-old ex-spy living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur is confronted by the demons and darlings of a lurid past in which moviemaking, memories and madness collide.

Sheng xi zhi di Living the Land
Competition
by Huo Meng | with Wang Shang, Zhang Chuwen, Zhang Yanrong, Zhang Caixia, Cao Lingzhi
People’s Republic of China 2025
World premiere
With both parents working far away, ten-year-old Chuang is being raised by extended family in his home village, where thousands of years of rural tradition collide with the socio-economic changes of China in the early 1990s.

Strichka chasu Timestamp
Competition
by Kateryna Gornostai | with Olha Bryhynets, Borys Khovriak, Mykola Kolomiiets, Valeriia Hukova, Mykola Shpak
Ukraine / Luxembourg / Netherlands / France 2025
World premiere | Documentary form
Despite the war, school life continues in Ukraine, with pupils and teachers striving to continue learning even under constant threat. The film is a mosaic of the everyday lives of teachers and students from different corners of Ukraine.

La Tour de Glace The Ice Tower

Competition
by Lucile Hadžihalilović | with Marion Cotillard, Clara Pacini, August Diehl, Gaspar Noé
France / Germany 2025
World premiere
Colder than ice, her kiss pierces the heart ... The 1970s. Jeanne, a young runaway, falls under the spell of Cristina, the enigmatic star of The Snow Queen, a film which is being shot in the studio where Jeanne has taken refuge.

O último azul The Blue Trail
Competition
by Gabriel Mascaro | with Denise Weinberg, Rodrigo Santoro, Miriam Socorrás, Adanilo
Brazil / Mexico / Chile / Netherlands 2025
World premiere
In the near future, the elderly must relocate to remote retirement colonies so that the younger generations can go about their work undisturbed. The 77-year-old Tereza refuses and instead embarks on a life-changing journey through the Amazon.

Was Marielle weiß What Marielle Knows
Competition
by Frédéric Hambalek | with Julia Jentsch, Felix Kramer, Laeni Geiseler, Mehmet Ateşçi, Moritz Treuenfels
Germany 2025
World premiere
Julia and Tobias discover that their daughter Marielle has suddenly developed telepathic abilities and can see and hear everything they do. This leads to situations ranging from the awkward to the absurd as uncomfortable truths are revealed.

Xiang fei de nv hai Girls on Wire
Competition
by Vivian Qu | with Liu Haocun, Wen Qi, Zhang Youhao, Zhou You, Peng Jing
People’s Republic of China 2025
World premiere
Tian Tian, the single mother of a five-year-old daughter, kills a drug dealer and is then pursued for vengeance. The only person she can turn to for help is her female cousin, Fang Di.

Yunan
Competition
by Ameer Fakher Eldin | with Georges Khabbaz, Hanna Schygulla, Ali Suliman, Sibel Kekilli, Tom Wlaschiha
Germany / Canada / Italy / Palestine / Qatar / Jordan / Saudi Arabia 2025
World premiere
On a remote island, Munir seeks solitude to contemplate a final act, only to find unexpected solace in the quiet presence of Valeska (Hanna Schygulla), whose compassion reignites his fading will to live.