While there was a great deal of chatter that we might see Terrence Malick‘s Knight of Cups before the year’s end, it has proved not to be the case. However, we won’t have to wait too much longer, as the film has been announced to premiere at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival.
Headed by jury president Darren Aronofsky, they confirmed the world premiere, with at least Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman making the cut of Malick’s latest. Also announced in the program is Andrew Haigh‘s Weekend follow-up 45 Years, an out-of-competition premiere of Cinderella, and more. Check out the initial line-up below, after the festival’s introduction:
The first seven films for the 65th Berlin International Film Festival Competition programme have been selected. The productions and co-productions hail from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, the Russian Federation, United Kingdom, Ukraine and the US.
The programme selections include former Berlinale bear winners Andreas Dresen (Nightshapes 1999, Grill Point 2002) and Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line 1999) with their newest works. Frequent Berlinale Forum guest Peter Greenaway will participate in this year’s Competition. The directorial debut by Jayro Bustamante – simultaneously Guatemala’s debut in Competition –, a feature film by formerGeneration participant Andrew Haigh, and the newest work by Russian director Alexey German are also among the first selected Competition films.
The opulent live action film adaptation Cinderella by Kenneth Branagh will screen out of competition. Festival-goers were once captivated by the fairy tale in 1951, when Walt Disney’s animation Cinderellawon the audience award. Visitors to the Berlinale in 2015 can look forward to a new interpretation of the well-loved fable with a cast of international stars, and let themselves be swept away by the love story.
45 Years
United Kingdom
By Andrew Haigh (Weekend)
With Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay
World premiere
Als wir träumten (As We Were Dreaming)
Germany / France
By Andreas Dresen (Grill Point, Cloud 9, Stopped on Track)
With Merlin Rose, Julius Nitschkoff, Joel Basman, Marcel Heuperman, Frederic Haselon, Ruby O. Fee
World premiere
Cinderella
USA
By Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet)
With Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Sophie McShera, Derek Jacobi und Helena Bonham Carter
International premiere – Out of competition
Eisenstein in Guanajuato
The Netherlands / Mexico / Belgium / Finland
By Peter Greenaway (The Tulse Luper Suitcases)
With Elmer Bäck, Luis Alberti
World premiere
Ixcanul (Ixcanul Volcano)
Guatemala / France
By Jayro Bustamante
With María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Antún, Justo Lorenzo, Marvin Coroy
World premiere – Debut feature
Knight of Cups
USA
By Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line)
With Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman
World premiere
Pod electricheskimi oblakami (Under Electric Clouds)
Russian Federation / Ukraine / Poland
By Alexey German (Paper Soldier)
With Lui Frank, Merab Ninidze, Viktoriya Korotkova, Chulpan Khamatova, Anastasiya Melnikova, Piotr Gasowski
World premiere
Berlin Film Festival 2015 runs from February 5th to the 15th.
What do you make of the initial slate?