Taking place February 12 through 22, Berlinale 2026 has now unveiled its Berlinale Special, Panorama, and Generation lineups. The major highlight includes the world premiere of Hong Sangsoo’s new film The Day She Returns aka Geunyeoga doraon nal. Starring Song Sunmi, Cho Yunhee, and Park Miso, here’s the sysnopsis: “She has just finished the shoot of an independent film and now has to give three interviews about it. Afterwards, in her acting class, her teacher asks her to reenact the interviews. But for some reason, she is unable to remember them.”
Additional highlights include Radu Jude and Adrian Cioflâncă’s new short Plan contraplan (Shot Reverse Shot), Ulrike Ottinger’s Isabelle Huppert-led The Blood Countess, Gabe Klinger’s Isabel, Ghostlight directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Mouse, Maite Alberdi’s A Child of My Own, and more.
Explore the lineup below and learn more here.
575 Castro St.
by Jenni Olson | with Harvey Milk USA 2008
TEDDY 40 | Documentary form | Short film
The film focuses on the light and shadow playing on the walls of the Castro Camera Store, a location in Gus Van Sant’s Milk. The soundtrack features Harvey Milk himself, shortly after his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.
Abracadabra
by Amay Mehrishi | with Advay Pradhan, Arsh Victor Suri, Anvishaa Tyagi, Ira Chitalia, Supriya Sawant United Kingdom / India 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
On a school bus ride that feels both endless and fleeting, Agastya wrestles with identity, guilt and unspoken emotions when his best friend chooses to sit elsewhere.
A Fabulosa Máquina do Tempo (The Fabulous Time Machine | Diefabelhafte Zeitmaschine) by Eliza Capai | with Manuellinha, Manu, Sophia
Brazil 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Documentary form
In the arid Brazilian hinterland, girls play poised between their mothers’ difficult pasts and fantastic dreams for the future. In a place where men are still seen as giants compared to women, the girls cross the threshold from childhood into adolescence.
A Family
by Mees Peijnenburg | with Finn Vogels, Celeste Holsheimer, Carice van Houten, Pieter Embrechts Netherlands / Belgium 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere
Caught in the crossfire of their parents’ divorce, Nina and Eli are torn between loyalty, anger and a longing to be seen. Through their mirrored perspectives the same story unfolds, revealing how love can fracture and still find its way.
AI Realism – Qantar 2022 by Almagul Menlibayeva Kazakhstan 2025
Forum Special | Short film
Menlibayeva explores fake news, propaganda and the power and powerlessness of AI through a disturbing animated film on political violence in post-Soviet Kazakhstan that culminates in January 2022. From fragments towards a countermemory.
Allá en el cielo (Nobody Knows the World)
by Roddy Dextre | with Ransés Naranjo Franco, Gabriel Merino Dorival, Kenyi Farfán Baique, Santiago Solórzano Zevallos Peru 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
In the outskirts of Lima, eleven-year-old Chito cares for the carrier pigeons used in his brother’s drug trade. After violence shatters his childhood, grief and a fragile gesture of humanity open the possibility of another destiny.
Allegro Pastell
by Anna Roller | with Sylvaine Faligant, Jannis Niewöhner, Haley Louise Jones, Luna Wedler, Martina Gedeck Germany 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Novelist Tanja and web designer Jerome, both in their thirties, have perfected a balance of intimacy and separation in their long-distance relationship. When Tanja catches a glimpse of a settled future together, she wonders if it is really what she wants.
Allemagne année 90 neuf zéro (Germany Year 90 Nine Zero| Deutschland Neu(n) Null) by Jean-Luc Godard | with Eddie Constantine, Hanns Zischler, Claudia Michelsen
France / Germany 1991 Retrospective
Lemmy Caution, a western intelligence agent in East Germany, travels through the unravelling country, visited by the ghosts of Germany past. A multi-layered collage of sound and image that uses numerous classic German films.
Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros) by Kanakan-Balintagos | with Nathan Lopez
Philippines 2005 TEDDY 40 | Debut film
Twelve-year-old Maxi lives in the slums of Manila where he is the calm centre of his petty criminal family. They accept his homosexuality – but when Maxi befriends a young police officer, conflict at home is inevitable.
Árru
by Elle Sofe Sara | with Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, Simon Issát Marainen, Ayla Gáren Nutti, Mikkel Gaup Norway / Sweden / Finland 2026
Panorama | World premiere | Debut film
Sámi reindeer herder Maia fights to protect her ancestral lands from a looming mining project. Amid the growing protests, she is also confronted with deeply buried family traumas. Maia is forced to make a decision.
Assarab (Mirage)
by Ahmed Bouanani | with Mohamed el-Habachi, Mohamed Saïd Afifi, Fatima Regragui, Mostafa Mounir, Mohamed Razine Morocco 1979
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
After serendipitously finding a bundle of money, a poor villager tries his luck in the big city. There, he encounters a range of people also hoping for a better life – preachers, soothsayers, jugglers. A seminal work of post-colonial Moroccan cinema.
Atlasuluniversului (The Atlas of the Universe| DerAtlasdesUniversums)
by Paul Negoescu | with Matei Donciu, Marin Grigore, Andreea Gramosteanu, Carol Alupoaiei, Andrei Mateiu Romania / Bulgaria 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere
After mistakenly buying two right-footed shoes, a ten-year-old boy sets off across the countryside to find the missing left one. An unexpected journey of courage, friendship and self-discovery.
A Woman’s Place is Everywhere
by Fanny Texier USA 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
After the death of their mother, twin sisters face eviction from the loft that has been their home for more than three decades – a place like a living time capsule, filled with layers of memory, art, motherhood, sisterhood and New York history.
Bamboozled (It’s Showtime)
by Spike Lee | with Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith USA 2000
Retrospective
A Black television writer tries to get fired by creating the “New Millennium Minstrel Show” showcasing racist stereotypes – but it then becomes a huge hit. With his satire of the media, Spike Lee indicted the racism inherent in America’s popular culture.
Barbara Forever
by Brydie O’Connor | with Barbara Hammer USA 2026
Forum Special | International premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
Lesbian experimental filmmaker Barbara Hammer (1939–2019) was an icon and a pioneer. Infused with dyke poetry, this archive film shows how she lived, loved, worked, fought and inspired, also showing that the private is uncompromisingly political.
Bats & Bugs (Nachtschwärmer) by Lena von Döhren
Switzerland 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
When a streetlamp lights up on a country road in the jungle, a group of insects goes crazy – which proves to be handy for the hungry bats in a nearby cave.
Beaucoup parler (A Lot Talk)
by Pascale Bodet | with Amr Hanafy France 2026
Forum Special | World premiere | Documentary form
Pascale accompanies her Egyptian friend Amr on his rocky path to a residency permit. The system, authorities, lawyer, papers, paperwork, a language course. A refreshingly honest film full of solidarity about “the state of migration” and “se comprendre”.
Berlin, Bahnhof Friedrichstraße 1990
by Konstanze Binder, Lilly Grote, Ulrike Herdin, Julia Kunert | with Ula Stöckl, Jon Rose, Jörg Foth Germany 1991
Retrospective | Documentary form
A changing of track. Observations and interviews with border guards and commuters at Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse station in 1990, as the border between East and West Germany was becoming ever more porous and this crossing was already being dismantled.
Black Burns Fast
by Sanduela Asanda | with Esihle Ndleleni, Muadi Ilung South Africa 2025
Generation 14plus | International premiere | Debut film
Adorkable Luthando is on track for an ordinary year at the prestigious boarding school she attends on scholarship – until the arrival of a new girl in her class ignites Luthando’s suppressed desires and threatens her self-image and relationships.
Boyz n the Hood
by John Singleton | with Laurence Fishburne, Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr. USA 1991
Retrospective
A classic of New Black Cinema. Growing up in disadvantaged circumstances in a neighbourhood riddled with drugs, robberies and shoot-outs, a young man develops a strong personality that saves him from sliding into a life of crime.
Bucks Harbor by Pete Muller USA 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
Boys in Downeast Maine are shaped by the brutal winters, their harvesting of the ocean’s bounty and the rigid codes of their fathers.
Bucks Harbor explores growing up in a community where a man’s worth is often defined by the strength of his back.
C’est ma soeur (That’s My Sister)
by Zoé Pelchat | with Florence Saint-Yves, Anne Florence, Stéphane Jacques, Pascale Desrochers, Alexandre Bergeron Canada 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
When Camille, a teenager with Down’s syndrome, auditions for a dance troupe, her sister Agathe discovers the quiet cruelty of prejudice – and the fierce love that fights back.
Chicas Tristes (Sad Girlz)
by Fernanda Tovar | with Rocio Guzmán, Darana Álvarez, Tatsumi Milori, Tomás García Agraz, Mónica del Carmen Mexico / Spain / France 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Debut film
La Maestra and Paula are inseparable friends and the strongest swimmers on their team, until an incident at a party forces them to choose between silence and speaking out, testing the limits of their friendship.
Chuuraa
by Evgenia Arbugaeva United Kingdom 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
In the remote Siberian Arctic, an Indigenous Sakha scientist descends into the depths of the melting permafrost. Searching for an ancient creature, he makes his way through the dangerous, claustrophobic caves to the mythical realm of the Underworld.
Cosmonauts
by Leo Černic | with Leo Černic Slovenia / Italy 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Animation | Short film
On an intergalactic cruise for singles, lonely souls chase a kiss, a caress or just a glimpse of love among the stars. A colourful collision of desire, longing, humour and absurdity.
Cuando llegue a casa (When I Get Home)
by Edgar Adrián | with Ricardo Martínez, María Rojo, Alise Cortéz, Zahid Estrada, Antonio Venegas Mexico 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Paco, a teenager from Guadalajara, explores his identity through his friendship with Andrea and his attraction to Mario. This tests his bond with his grandmother as he prepares for the feast of the patron saint.
Der Kontrolleur (The Border Guard)
by Stefan Trampe | with Hermann Beyer, Ulrike Krumbiegel, Eugen Krößner Germany 1995
Retrospective
A psychological study of a “borderline” regime fanatic. A former East German border guard is unable to come to terms with the fall of the Wall. The widowed loner continues to show up for “duty” at the abandoned border crossing where his behaviour ends in tragedy.
D’Est (From the East | Von Osten) by Chantal Akerman
Belgium / France / Portugal 1993 Retrospective | Documentary form
A documentary following a journey from West to East, from summery Germany to wintry, snowy Moscow. In this road movie of still lifes, which eschews voiceover narration, the camera explores the landscapes and the faces of the people who live in them.
Die Blutgräfin (The Blood Countess)
by Ulrike Ottinger | with Isabelle Huppert, Birgit Minichmayr, Thomas Schubert, Lars Eidinger, André Jung Austria / Luxembourg / Germany 2026
Berlinale Special Gala | World premiere
The Blood Countess and her maid embark on a quest for the red elixir of life and a book that threatens the vampire realm. Hot on their heels are a police inspector, two vampirologists, a vegetarian nephew and his therapist.
Di san xian (Kleptomania)
by Jingkai Qu | with Zhiye Wang People’s Republic of China 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
A rough wind is blowing between the dreary apartment blocks. In this world of adults, a rebellious boy struggles to find his way and encounters violence everywhere he turns. A portrait of a society in fragmented images.
Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordonby Finlay Pretsell | with Douglas Gordon United Kingdom / France 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Documentary form
An intimate portrait of the Turner Prize-winning artist. As the boundary between reality and performance blurs, the shifting relationship between filmmaker and subject calls into question who is actually making the film.
Ein Unfall (An Accident)
by Angelika Spangel | with Franz Spangel, Daniel Haidegger, Markus Rechberger, Tobias Schuh, Fabian Schuh Austria 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
In the microcosm of a small village, paths and fates cross. A car is burning at the roadside, pigs are dying in their sties and a man is lying on a park bench. Is he dead? Who is to blame, who is responsible and when did the playful mood turn sour?
El jardín que soñamos (The Garden We Dreamed)
by Joaquín del Paso | with Nehemie Bastien, Faustin Pierre, Kimaëlle Holly Preville, Ruth Aicha Pierre Nelson, Carlos Esquivel Mexico 2026
Panorama | World premiere
In a land not their own, amid a dwindling forest, a family carves out a fragile bubble of tenderness – a fleeting garden of hope where love can still take root.
Enjoy Your Stay
by Dominik Locher, Honeylyn Joy Alipio | with Mercedes Cabral, Alexis Manenti, Anna Luna, Hasmine Killip Switzerland / France / Philippines 2026
Panorama | World premiere
To avoid losing custody of her six-year-old daughter in Manila, Luz, an undocumented Filipina cleaner working in a luxury Swiss ski resort, must earn money at any cost – even if it means transgressing her own moral limits.
En Route To
by Yoo Jae-in | with Sim Su-bin, Lee Ji-won, Jang Sun South Korea 2025
Generation 14plus | International premiere | Debut film
Following the disappearance of her teacher, the pregnant pupil Yun-ji is left all alone. To pay for an abortion, she steals the savings of her roommate, Kyung-sun. A film about the rights over one’s own body, about society and community.
En, ten, týky! (Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe! | Ene, mene, muh!) by Andrea Szelesová
Czechia 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
Yios, a lonely mythical boy whose head shines like the sun, struggles to make friends in the clouds. After an unfortunate prank sends him down to Earth, an unexpected encounter challenges the way he sees himself.
Entotsumachi no Poupelle – Yakusoku no Tokeidai (Chimney Town: Frozen in Time) by Hirota Yusuke | with Nagase Yuzuna, Megumi, Kubota Masataka
Japan 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation
After losing his friend Poupelle, young Lubicchi wanders into a mysterious realm where a clock in a tower is frozen at 11:59. To return home, he must restart it – and find the courage to believe again.
Entropia
by Flóra Anna Buda Hungary 2018
TEDDY 40 | Animation | Short film
Three women, three lives in parallel worlds, until the moment a fly causes a bug in the system. The universe collapses, sex is in the air, bras are overrated and the stars twinkle.
Erogotoshi-tachi yori: Jinruigaku nyûmon (The Pornographers)
by Shōhei Imamura | with Shōichi Ozawa, Sumiko Sakamoto, Ganjirō Nakamura, Chocho Miyako, Keiko Sagawa Japan 1966
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
A pornographic film director surrenders to his perversions, satisfies those of his customers, and calls it a democratic act. Greed and base instincts dictate this grim grotesquerie by directing maestro Shōhei Imamura (1926–2006).
Feito Pipa (Gugu’s World | Gugus Welt)
by Allan Deberton | with Yuri Gomes, Teca Pereira, Lázaro Ramos, Carlos Francisco, Georgina Castro Brazil 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere
Gugu, an almost-twelve-year-old boy with football dreams, is raised in the accepting care of his grandmother, Dilma. As she becomes increasingly frail and their world shifts, he struggles to protect the place where he is free to be who he is.
Flim Flam
by Siegfried A. Fruhauf Austria 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Animation | Short film
A visual and acoustic reflection about perception, deception, truth and the medium of film itself. Between visibility, irritation, structure and dissolution, a space arises for one’s own vision. An experimental film that wants to be experienced.
Frauen in Berlin
by Chetna Vora
German Democratic Republic 1981
Forum Special | World premiere of the digitally restored version | Documentary form
A projection on a sheet, secretly filmed, now restored from VHS: for her second film, Indian Chetna Vora, who studied in the GDR, spoke with women from the ages of 11 to 83 in East Berlin. “It turned out longer than permitted.” What luck! Praise the privacy!
Geheimnisse einer Seele (Secrets of a Soul)
by Georg Wilhelm Pabst | with Werner Krauss, Ruth Weyher, Ilka Grüning, Jack Trevor Germany 1926
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
A man develops a phobia of knives and turns to psychoanalysis for help. A psychological thriller in the strict sense of the term. Accompanied by music by Yongbom Lee, with the neural activity of one musician translated live into light and sound.
Geunyeoga doraon nal (The Day She Returns)
by Hong Sangsoo | with Song Sunmi, Cho Yunhee, Park Miso South Korea 2026
Panorama | World premiere
She has just finished the shoot of an independent film and now has to give three interviews about it. Afterwards, in her acting class, her teacher asks her to reenact the interviews. But for some reason, she is unable to remember them.
Ghost School (Geisterschule)
by Seemab Gul | with Nazualiya Arsalan, Samina Seher, Adnan Shah Tipu, Vajdaan Shah, Muhammad Zaman Pakistan / Germany / Saudi Arabia 2025
Generation Kplus | European premiere | Debut film
Ten-year-old Rabia wants to know why her school has suddenly closed. Rumours are rife in the village and the authorities are no help. Courageously setting out to find the truth, Rabia navigates rural superstitions, local corruption and a wall of silence.
Glocken aus der Tiefe. Glaube und Aberglaube in Rußland (Bells from the Deep. Faith and Superstition in Russia) by Werner Herzog
Germany / USA 1993 Retrospective | Documentary form
A visual study of believers and religious charlatans in Siberia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A fascinated Werner Herzog encounters true spirituality and genuine ecstatics, but also dubious faith healers and shamans.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
by Gore Verbinski | with Sam Rockwell, Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Zazie Beetz, Michael Peña Germany 2025
Berlinale Special Gala | European premiere
A man from the future enters a diner in Los Angeles. He has to recruit exactly the right combination of people from the customers present for a nighttime mission to save the world.
Gorilla Bathes at Noon
by Dušan Makavejev | with Svetozar Cvetković, Anita Manćić, Alexandra Rohmig Yugoslavia (until 1992) / Germany 1993
Retrospective
After the Red Army withdraws from the former East Germany, a Russian major is left wandering aimlessly around Berlin, which he experiences as a theatre of the absurd. A post-socialist satire incorporating documentary fragments and archival footage.
Graft Versus Host
by Giorgi Gago Gagoshidze Germany / Georgia 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
In this speculative video essay, the filmmaker connects his medical history with the shifts in post-Cold War geopolitics and their impact on contemporary politics.
Henry is a Girl Who Likes to Sleep
by Marthe Peters Belgium 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
The filmmaker writes a letter to her cat, Henry. She is looking for a soft and tender place to inhabit – a quiet refuge of warmth to retreat into when the world becomes too loud. An ode to our captive pets and the intimate worlds we build together.
Heysel 85
by Teodora Ana Mihai | with Violet Braeckman, Matteo Simoni, Josse De Pauw, Fabrizio Rongione, Paolo Calabresi Belgium / Netherlands / Germany 2026
Berlinale Special Gala | World premiere
When violence erupts before the 1985 European Cup Final at Brussels’ Heysel Stadium, killing 39 people, the mayor’s daughter and a journalist are drawn into the heart of the tragedy, caught between professional duty, family loyalty and moral responsibility.
Hotel Oblique by Merlin Flügel Germany 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
A budgie finds itself in a luxurious wellness hotel that promises stressed birds peace and relaxation. But between the lulling sound of the fountains and soothing massages, it longs only to return to the safety of its cage.
House of Yang
by Stefanie Ren (Showrunner, Creator), Mia Spengler (Director) | with Elisa Hofmann, Purnima Grätz, Andrea Guo, Emma Bading, Vladimir Burlakov
Germany 2026
Berlinale Special Series | World premiere | Series
In 1949, a girl disappears from an isolated house in the Black Forest. Fifty years later, another girl disappears. Now, in the present, the ghosts of the past step out of the shadows once more in this six-part mystery series.
Hukkunud Alpinisti hotell (Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel)
by Grigori Kromanov | with Uldis Pūcītis, Jüri Järvet, Lembit Peterson, Mikk Mikiver, Irena Kriauzaite Estonian SSR 1979
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
There is a murder at a snowed-in mountain hotel. Could supernatural forces be at work here? This genre-busting film noir with elements of fantasy is based on the eponymous book by legendary Soviet writing duo Arkady and Boris Strugatsky.
Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut (I Understand Your Displeasure)
by Kilian Armando Friedrich | with Sabine Thalau, Nada Kosturin, Werner Posselt, Sadibou Diabang, Nigyar Velagich Germany 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Heike, a customer service manager at an understaffed cleaning company, must secure more working hours and revenue for a subcontractor after she is caught trying to poach an employee from his company.
Imaginarni brojevi (Imaginary Numbers | Imaginäre Zahlen)
by Jelica Jerinić | with Goran Bogdan, Maša Radušin, Milica Janevski, Milica Trifunović, Aleksandar Milojević Serbia / Croatia 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
Mirna and her father take the bus from their village to the city of Niš for her to participate in the national mathematics competition. It is a big day: winning an award could gain her a place at a prestigious school and pave the way to a better future.
Im Glanze dieses Glückes (In the Splendour of Happiness)
by Johann Feindt, Jeanine Meerapfel, Helga Reidemeister, Dieter Schumann, Tamara Trampe Germany 1990
Retrospective | Documentary form
Citizens of East Germany talk about their experiences and feelings in the face of upcoming elections that will lead to reunification with the West. The past is tinged with regret, frustration and anger, while the future is uncertain.
Im Umkreis des Paradieses(Around Paradise) by Yulia Lokshina
Germany 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Documentary form
In Caazapá, the “city of magic and legends”, two Paraguayan students are searching for happiness, gold and a magic bird. Their European dropout neighbours are hoping for freedom, healing and salvation from Armageddon. Everything has its price.
In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones
by Pradip Krishen | with Roshan Seth, Arjun Raina, Arundhati Roy, Rituraj Singh, Raghuvir Yadav India 1989
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
At architecture college in 1974 New Delhi, student Annie fails his final exams four times because the dean has it in for him. Now he is facing his fifth attempt. This whimsical campus comedy with a screenplay by Arundhati Roy became a cult hit.
Isabel
by Gabe Klinger | with Marina Person, Caio Horowicz, John Ortiz Brazil / France 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Isabel, a sommelière in São Paulo, dreams of escaping her boss and opening her own bar. When plans do not go as expected, she must decide whether to halt everything or take bold steps to uncork her fate on her own terms.
Istenmezején 1972–73-ban(A Hungarian Village) by Judit Elek
Hungary 1974
Forum Special | Documentary form
Young women in the country, a village disco – idyllic? Far from it. Life in 1970s Hungary already forces 14-year-olds to choose: marriage (for which everything is ready) or profession (for which a woman must fight). Judit Elek: “My most important film.”
Iván & Hadoum
by Ian de la Rosa | with Silver Chicón, Herminia Loh Spain / Germany / Belgium 2026
Panorama | World premiere | Debut film
In a greenhouse in southern Spain, Iván falls in love with his newly hired co-worker, Hadoum. But his long-awaited promotion interferes with their relationship, forcing Iván to decide what kind of person he wants to be.
Jaripeo
by Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig Mexico / USA / France 2026
Panorama Dokumente | International premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
A journey to the hypermasculine rodeos of Michoacán state in Mexico delves into the subconscious of memory, queer desire and longing, leading to a reckoning with the wounds and beauty of a home left behind.
Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia
by Ulrike Ottinger | with Delphine Seyrig, Irm Hermann, Gillian Scalici Federal Republic of Germany 1989
Retrospective
Beguilingly staged, yet with a documentary feel, the film follows four women travelling alone from western Europe and the USA who are taken hostage by a Mongolian princess and establish close contact with the culture of “the most hospitable people on Earth”.
Jubei Ninpucho (Ninja Scroll)
by Yoshiaki Kawajiri | with Kôichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Osamu Saka, Daisuke Gôri Japan 1993
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version | Animation
During his wanderings through Edo-era Japan, a young ninja warrior meets eight opponents who present him with demonic challenges. An anime film full of action, splatter and fantasy elements, that was quickly recognised as a masterpiece of the genre.
Juice
by Ernest R. Dickerson | with Omar Epps, Jermaine Hopkins, Khalil Kain USA 1992
Retrospective
Spike Lee’s cinematographer Ernest R. Dickerson’s directorial debut. A story of four young Black men in Harlem featuring hip-hop stars Tupac Shakur and Queen Latifah. Quincy dreams of becoming a star DJ, while his pal Bishop wants to be a rich gangster.
Jülapüin Yonna (The Dream of Dancing)
by Luzbeidy Monterrosa Atencio | with Luznery Epieyu, Margarita Barrios, Jose Vicente Colombia 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
In the heart of the Alta Guajira, 15-year-old Weinshi, a girl from the Wayuu people whose name means “Time”, begins to hear an ancestral calling in her dreams: the earth must be healed through her people’s sacred dance, the Yonna.
Kokomo City
by D. Smith | with Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, Dominique Silver USA 2023
TEDDY 40 | Documentary form
A series of moving interviews and encounters with four Black trans sex workers from New York and Georgia in which they talk frankly about their experiences. Questions of belonging and identity within the Black community are candidly addressed.
Kontrewers
by Zuza Banasińska
Netherlands / Poland / France 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
The ghost of a possessed girl, trapped for centuries within a stone, encounters the director’s 102-year-old grandmother. What begins as a haunting becomes a tender dialogue, as archival, staged and documentary footage blur.
Kryshtalevyi Palats (Crystal Palace)
by Hryhori Hrycher | with Iryna Volodko, Stepan Shahaida, Havrylo Terekhov, Pavlo Kyiansky, Terenti Yura Ukrainian SSR 1934
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
After a pacifist artwork incurs the displeasure of totalitarian state authorities, its creator is accused of the murder of a state official. A Ukrainian political drama, influenced by German expressionist films and the Ukrainian avant-garde movement.
La casa de los espíritus (The House of the Spirits)
by Francisca Alegría (Showrunner, Director), Fernanda Urrejola (Showrunner), Andrés Wood (Showrunner, Director) | with Alfonso Herrera, Dolores Fonzi, Nicole Wallace, Fernanda Castillo, Antonia Zegers
Chile 2026
Berlinale Special Series | World premiere | Series
Based on Isabel Allende’s book, “The House of the Spirits”, the series follows three generations of the revolutionary and resilient Trueba women through a remote and conservative South American nation of upheaval, disaster and magic.
La double vie de Véronique (The Double Life of Veronique | Die zwei Leben der Veronika) by Krzysztof Kieślowski | with Irène Jacob, Philippe Volter, Sandrine Dumas
France / Poland / Norway 1991 Retrospective
A drama as sensual as it is transcendent. Weronika, a young singer in Poland, feels a close connection to her doppelganger in France. After Weronika dies, the Frenchwoman Véronique also develops an inexplicable sense of their mystical relationship.
Lady
by Olive Nwosu | with Jessica Gabriel’s Ujah, Amanda Oruh, Tinuade Jemisey, Seun Kuti, Bucci Franklin United Kingdom 2026
Panorama | European premiere | Debut film
In the sprawling African metropolis of Lagos, a fiercely independent young female taxi driver meets a band of flamboyant sex workers whose sisterhood pulls her into both danger and joy, setting her on a journey toward her own transformation.
La Face cachée de la Terre (The Hidden Face of the Earth) by Arnaud Alain | with Dimitri Jean, Pierre Marragou
France 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
Dimitri loves photographing friends, strangers, lovers. Over the years, images have slipped away from his sight. Behind his camera, he gathers light and bodies, inviting us to gaze toward the hidden face of the Earth.
La hora de irse (Time to Go)
by Renzo Cozza | with Martín Shanly, Jerónimo Bosia, Paula Grinszpan, Pilar Viñes, Julián Larquier Tellarini Argentina 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
Patricio works for his sisters and feels trapped in a life that no longer fits him. Searching for change, he agrees to go on a date with a mysterious man.
La kermesse héroïque (Carnival in Flanders)
by Jacques Feyder | with Françoise Rosay, André Alerme, Jean Murat, Louis Jouvet, Lyne Clevers France / Germany 1935
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
In 1616 Flanders, a city is facing the influx of Spanish troops. The clever townswomen use courage and charm to make sure the occupation is peaceful. A nimble costume drama with visual references to Flemish painting.
Lali
by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat | with Mamya Shajaffar, Channan Hanif, Rasti Farooq, Farazeh Syed, Mehr Bano Pakistan 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Bound by love and haunted by fate, Zeba and Sajawal spiral through feelings of desire, superstition and fear in Lali, a darkly comic tale where the living share a restless world with the ghosts.
Lángbogár a zsebemben (Fire in My Pocket | Feuer in der Hosentasche) by Janka Feiner
Hungary 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
A little boy, bored with building a bed, seeks something more exciting. A mischievous fire creature lures him into a magical mushroom world, where anything is possible and adventure awaits – beyond his father’s reach.
Leaving Las Vegas
by Mike Figgis | with Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis, Steven Weber USA 1995
Berlinale Classics | International premiere of the digitally restored version
LeavingLasVegasis a heady cocktail of unsentimental boozer film and touching love story. His portrayal of an alcoholic who sets out to drink himself to death in the neon-lit Sin City of the title garnered Nicolas Cage an Oscar.
Les âmes du Fouta (Souls of Fouta)
by Alpha Diallo | with Hawa Sow, Mamadou Ly, Kalidou Ndiath France / Senegal 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
Dembe died of an overdose in the distant metropolis of Dakar. His father refuses to bury him in the family graveyard in the village, believing that his soul has become “impure”. Dembe’s mother decides to take matters into her own hands.
Les juifs riches
by Yolande Zauberman France 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
In English, we say “rich, richer, the richest”. In Yiddish, we say “Rach (which means rich), Miè Guizoukt (which means: may it happen to me), A Ganèf (what a thief!)”. According to the director, this film will almost make you Jewish.
Liebe, Eifersucht und Rache (Love, Jealousy and Revenge)
by Michael Brynntrup | with BeV StroganoV, Jürgen Baldiga, Michael Brynntrup Germany 1991
TEDDY 40 | Short film
This provocative, ironic and playful film from the early 1990s focuses on subtitles and other marginal phenomena, making an entertaining attempt to intertwine the various layers of film, visual language, speech and mood.
Lola rennt (Run Lola Run)
by Tom Tykwer | with Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup Germany 1998
Retrospective
Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 marks or a gangster will kill her boyfriend. The film is split into three segments, each depicting a possible way to get the money. A flash-forward photo story – a post-modern bricolage as cinematic loop.
Lola und Bilidikid
by Kutluğ Ataman | with Baki Davrak, Gandi Mukli, Erdal Yıldız Germany 1999
Retrospective
Lola is part of “The Migrant Workers”, a Turkish drag queen troupe who perform to great acclaim. Lola’s gay little brother Murat, on the other hand, is just beginning his search for an identity. An intense family drama set in “Anatolian” Berlin-Kreuzberg.
London
by Sebastian Brameshuber | with Bobby Sommer Austria 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Bobby drives back and forth between Vienna and Salzburg, giving lifts to strangers on the way, sharing conversations that drift from the mundane to the deeply personal. In this tender portrait of today’s Europe, anonymity and warmth still go hand in hand.
Lord of the Flies
by Marc Munden (Director) | with Winston Sawyers, Lox Pratt, David McKenna, Ike Talbut United Kingdom 2026
Berlinale Special Series | European premiere | Series
Innocence descends into savagery when a group of English schoolboys become desert island castaways in the first television adaptation of William Golding’s landmark dystopian classic.
Love Your Nails! by Narges Kalhor Germany 2026
Forum Special | World premiere | Short film
Cheekily inverted gender roles, history revisited, empowerment. The weapons here: long fingernails and AI counterimages that serve to expand the visual canon of imagined collectives. Things never archived become visible and culturally imaginable.
L’uomo più bello del mondo (The Most Beautiful Man in the World) by Paolo Baiguera
Italy 2026
Forum Special | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
One member of the family is not remembered – only 25 photos of the uncle who died of AIDS remain. His nephew asks both his mother, who looks back via the pictures, and AI tool Google Vision API, which reads the photo data statistically. Memory cultures.
Mambo Kids
by Emanuele Tresca | with Alessandro Nicola Bernardo, Flavio Condemi Italy 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
On a quiet late-summer day, Alessandro and Flavio set out in search of the last secrets of their city. Sitting on the branch of a large cherry tree, they wait for the night. A beer with friends, mopeds heading home, and a farewell.
Matapanki
by Diego “Mapache” Fuentes | with Ramón Gávez, Diego Bravo, Antonia McCarthy, Rosa Peñaloza, Rodrigo Lisboa Chile 2025
Generation 14plus | European premiere | Debut film
After gaining alcohol-fuelled superpowers, Ricardo, a young punk from the outskirts, sets out to change society. But one brutal mistake ignites an international conflict, with him at the heart of the storm.
MegatrashwannabebigstarXD
by Ava Leandra Kleber, Elisa Deutloff Germany 2026
Forum Special | World premiere | Short film
What connects the clones of Paris Hilton and rapper Haftbefehl and why are people sick of performing on social media? We find out from Leandra’s questionnaire, which is answered by a chatbot fed by Elisa. How to appear online? Be a hottie! Frindz??!
Memories of a Window
by Mehraneh Salimian, Amin Pakparvar USA 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
Following crackdowns on protests in Iran, civilians begin documenting the unrest from behind windows. When a woman is shot while recording, a film student writes her a letter raising the question: Can revolution emerge from behind windows?
Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamás acabarás de ser amor (A Thousand Clouds of Peace Fence the Sky; Love, Your Being Love Will Never End)
by Julián Hernández | with Juan Carlos Ortuño, Juan Carlos Torres, Salvador Álvarez, Perla de la Rosa, Clarisa Rendón Mexico 2003
TEDDY 40
Seventeen-year-old Gerardo hopelessly wanders the streets after a breakup. He is tormented by images: every male body reminds him of his lover. Gerardo desperately seeks to cling to the dying embers of their love …
Mint
by Charlotte Regan (Creator, Director) | with Emma Laird, Ben Coyle-Larner, Sam Riley, Laura Fraser, Lindsay Duncan United Kingdom 2026
Berlinale Special Series | World premiere | Series
A love story about a crime family. And not your usual gangster series – no shootouts or drug deals. Instead, the story is told through the eyes (and the imagination) of the family’s daughter, who is desperately searching for love.
Miriam
by Karla Condado Mexico 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
A film letter from the director to her aunt, who was murdered by her partner. She talks about the aftermath of the femicide, her grief, the family’s persistent fear and how she has managed to break the silence to open a space for healing.
Mit einem freundlichen Gruss (With a Kind Regard) by Pavel Mozhar
Germany 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
More than 400 dusty job application letters in an abandoned GDR factory tell of the personal circumstances and memories of a generation. Wishes and fears are laid bare in the effort to find a place in the free market economy.
Mondial 2010
by Roy Dib | with Abed Kobeissy, Ziad Chakaroun Lebanon 2014
TEDDY 40 | Short film
A travel film along a trajectory that does not actually allow travel. A gay couple in a place where homosexuality is a punishable felony.
Mondial 2010 confronts institutional boundaries in today’s Middle East.
Monster Pabrik Rambut (Sleep No More)
by Edwin | with Rachel Amanda, Lutesha, Iqbaal Ramadhan, Didik Nini Thowok, Sal Priadi Indonesia / Singapore / Japan / Germany / France 2026
Berlinale Special Midnight | World premiere
The world is forcing humans into excessive work. For the sake of the future and their loved ones, they sacrifice sleep to keep on working. It is at this moment that a dark figure appears and takes possession of their bodies.
Mouse
by Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson | with Sophie Okonedo, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Chloe Coleman, David Hyde Pierce, Iman Vellani USA 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Callie and Minnie’s relationship is suddenly upended at the start of the summer before their senior year of high school. Left rudderless without her charismatic best friend, Minnie starts to form a complicated friendship with Callie’s mother.
My Brother’s Wedding
by Charles Burnett | with Everette Silas, Jessie Holmes, Gaye Shannon-Burnett, Ronald E. Bell, Dennis Kemper USA / Germany 1983-2007
Forum Special | World premiere of the digitally restored version
South Central L.A., the 1980s: family, friends, neighbours and class relations are all a source of worry for the young Pierce. Following
Killer of Sheep, Burnett’s second film wrote Black cinema (and Forum) history thanks to its social profundity.
Narciso
by Marcelo Martinessi | with Diro Romero, Manuel Cuenca, Mona Martinez, Nahuel Perez Biscayart Paraguay / Germany / Uruguay / Brazil / Portugal / Spain / France 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Paraguay, 1958. The charismatic Narciso returns from Buenos Aires with rock ’n’ roll in his veins. Under the suffocating military regime, he becomes a music sensation and a symbol of freedom. But then, after his final show, he is found dead …
Ni chui do wo chui si (Tutti)
by Zhuang Rong Zuo | with Liu Rong Chen, Wu Shao Yu Taiwan 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
Rong Chen would like to keep her place in the recorder group, Shao Yu wants to give up playing. She asks him for tips, and by practicing together, they not only improve their skills, but also learn something much more important from each other.
Ni’er (The Girl)
by Yucheng Tan | with Wang Zhiyun, Hou Ruining People’s Republic of China 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Seventeen-year-old Ni’er feels trapped between her monotonous daily grind at a petrol station and the weight of family expectations. A fleeting encounter with a female truck driver radiating freedom and self-determination sparks a quiet revolution within her.
No Salgas (Don’t Come Out)
by Victoria Linares Villegas | with Cecile van Welie, Gabriela Cortés, Camila Issa, Camila Santana, Mariela Guerrero Dominican Republic 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere
After her girlfriend’s death, Liz hides her true self until a weekend trip with friends awakens forbidden desires. The result is paranoia and violence that consumes the group as Liz’s secret unleashes a deadly force.
Not a Hero (Kein Held)
by Rima Das | with Bhuman Bhargav Das, Sukanya Boruah, Mrinmoy Das India / Singapore 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere
Exiled from city comforts to his ancestral village, a boy meets his embittered aunt, befriends a horse and joins the local kids on wild adventures, discovering the beauty of life and a courage he never knew he had.
Only Rebels Win
by Danielle Arbid | with Hiam Abbass, Amine Benrachid France / Lebanon / Qatar 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Suzanne and Osmane meet in crisis-ridden Beirut. Osmane is a young Sudanese man without papers, searching for a better future; Suzanne is a widow with Palestinian roots more than twice his age. Against all odds, they fall in love.
Öömõtted (A Serious Thought| Nachtgedanken) by Jonas Taul | with Harriet Toompere
Estonia 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Animation | Short film
When a boy has trouble falling asleep at night, he begins to ponder his place in the world. If the Earth is just a small marble flying through space, and he is only one child among many, what is the meaning of his existence?
Oranzhevye zhilety (Orange Vests | Orange Westen) by Yury Khashevatsky
Belarus / Germany 1993 Retrospective | Documentary form
A radical cinematic letter about the hardships facing women in the collapsing Soviet Union. Shot in Belarus, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Siberia, these interviews and observations document the exploitation and repression of an unwavering patriarchal doctrine.
Oupatevak het tam phnom (Incident on the Mountain)
by Savunthara Seng | with Nareach Pich, Kosal Van Than, Vollak Kong Cambodia 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
Years ago, a helicopter crashed under mysterious circumstances high in the mountains. Climbing the slopes to investigate the accident, a journalist and a soldier encounter a shaman deep in the forest who tells them about ancient rain rituals.
Panelstory, aneb jak se rodí sídliště (Prefab Story | Geschichte der Wände oder Wie eine Siedlung entsteht) by Věra Chytilová | with Lukáš Bech, Antonín Vaňha, Eva Kačírková, Oldřich Navrátil, Jiří Kodet
Czechoslovakia 1979
Berlinale Classics | World premiere of the digitally restored version
A social satire about the difficulties of life and community in a newly-built, but already shabby housing estate on the fringes of Prague. The film was not officially approved until two years after its completion and has now been digitally restored.
Papaya
by Priscilla Kellen Brazil 2025
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Debut film | Animation
Papaya, a tiny seed in the Amazon rainforest who is passionate about flying, must keep moving to avoid taking root. But when she discovers the power of her roots, it triggers a revolution that transforms her world and fulfils her dreams in an unexpected way.
Paradise
by Jérémy Comte | with Joey Boivin Desmeules, Daniel Atsu Hukporti, Evelyne de la Chenelière Canada / France / Ghana 2026
Panorama | World premiere | Debut film
The enigmatic captain of a burning cargo ship binds together the fates of two families; one in the bustling Ghanaian city of Accra, the other in a quiet Canadian town.
Party Girl
by Daisy von Scherler Mayer | with Parker Posey, Anthony DeSando, Guillermo Díaz USA 1995
Retrospective
After she is arrested for organising an illegal dance party, a madcap New Yorker works in a public library to pay off her bail money. Parker Posey is brilliant as the “Gen X Holly Golightly” in this indie version of a screwball comedy.
Plan contraplan (Shot Reverse Shot) by Radu Jude, Adrian Cioflâncă Romania 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Documentary form | Short film
During the 1980s, the American journalist Edward Serotta documented the harsh realities and Jewish life in socialist Romania. The secret services clandestinely accompanied him on his journey. A photo essay from opposing perspectives.
Playback. Ensayo de una despedida(Playback)
by Agustina Comedi | with Marcos García, La Delpi, Martín Shanly Argentina 2019
TEDDY 40 | Documentary form | Short film
“La Delpi”, the sole survivor of a group of transgender women and drag queens, remembers how lipstick, playback performances and improvised stage outfits galvanised the community and helped them in their struggle against AIDS and police violence.
Prinz in Hölleland (Prince in Hell)
by Michael Stock | with Wolfram Haack, Stefan Laarmann, Michael Stock Germany 1993
Retrospective
A maverick living in a trailer in Kreuzberg has a heroin habit that wrecks his relationship and, in the end, his entire precarious existence. The film is a graphic, sometimes extreme portrayal of the queer, off-the-grid milieu in gritty West Berlin.
Quand tu ecouteras cette chanson (When You Listen to This Song) by Mona Achache
France 2025
Forum Special | Documentary form
Director Achache and writer Lafon engage with Anne Frank by way of smart mental jumps, hand-picked footage, refinement and breathtaking montage, liberating this symbolic Shoah figure from cliché. Cinema of remembrance, complex and empathetic.
Quatro Meninas (Four Girls)
by Karen Suzane | with Alana Cabral, Ágatha Marinho, Dhara Lopes, Maria Ibraim Brazil / Netherlands 2025
Generation 14plus | International premiere | Debut film
Four enslaved girls dream of freedom. When a turn of events puts their lives at risk, they decide to run away. To their surprise, their mistresses discover the plan – and insist on going with them.
Raspad (Decay | Der Zerfall)
by Mykhailo Belikov | with Sergey Shakurov, Tatyana Kochemasova, Stanislav Stankevich USSR / Ukrainian SSR / USA 1990
Retrospective
After the nuclear meltdown in Chernobyl, a journalist attempts to report from the site of the catastrophe. Raspad is an unusual disaster film, with decay raging on many levels, interspersed with astonishing breaks from reality.
Ravalear (Ravalear: Not For Sale)
by Pol Rodríguez (Creator, Director), Isaki Lacuesta (Director) | with Enric Auquer, María Rodríguez, Sergi López, Quim Ávila, Francesc Orella
Spain 2026
Berlinale Special Series | World premiere | Series
In Barcelona’s Raval neighbourhood, the family-run restaurant “Can Mosques” faces eviction after an investment fund buys the building. The family’s fight to survive escalates, pushing them to cross any and all boundaries.
Riding Time (Reitend)
by Roopa Gogineni, Farhaan Mumtaz United Kingdom / France 2025
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Documentary form | Short film
Horse-obsessed Jaleal comes of age on the West Yorkshire moors while carrying forward the ancient cavalry sport of neza bazi. Filmed over three summers, this joyful portrait blows the dust off traditional tales of Empire, migration and belonging.
River Dreams
by Kristina Mikhailova
Kazakhstan / Switzerland / United Kingdom 2026
Forum Special | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
Young women imagine themselves as a river: what starts off as a poetic metaphor is linked to images of landscape and becomes a many-voiced narration, radically morphing into a political statement. The Kazakh woman, she prefers life without man.
Roya
by Mahnaz Mohammadi | with Melisa Sözen, Maryam Palizban, Hamid Reza Djavdan, Mohammad Ali Hosseinalipour, Bacho Meburishvili Germany / Luxembourg / Czechia / Iran 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Roya, an Iranian teacher imprisoned for her political beliefs, is faced with a choice: make a forced televised confession, or remain confined to her three-square-metre cell.
Rumaragasa (Raging)
by Ryan Machado | with Elijah Canlas, Ron Angeles, Reynald Raissel Santos, Glenn Sevilla Mas, Rodney Galicha Philippines 2025
Panorama | International premiere
The mid-1990s on the Filipino island of Sibuyan. After he has been raped, a young man retreats into a world of silence and isolation. Then he witnesses a plane crash and embarks on a quest for justice.
Saccharine
by Natalie Erika James | with Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, Robert Taylor, Showko Showfukutei Australia 2025
Berlinale Special Midnight | European premiere
Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorised by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight-loss craze: eating human ashes.
Safe Exit
by Mohammed Hammad | with Marwan Waleed, Noha Foad, Hazem Essam Egypt / Libya / Tunisia / Qatar / Germany 2026
Panorama | World premiere
A psychological thriller following Samaan, a young security guard who, like many of his generation, is struggling with trauma. His parents were murdered in the religious and ethnic violence that has been unfolding in the Arab region for decades.
Scorching
by Wang Beidi | with Lv Jiaxin, Li Li, Li Xin, Xu Qinghe People’s Republic of China 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Short film
Li Yan’s life is as regimented as the production lines in the local poultry factory. Her grandmother is determined to get her a job there, but Li Yan refuses. Obsessed with the mystery of life and creation, she secretly attempts to hatch a stolen egg.
Se eu fosse vivo… vivia (If I Were Alive)
by André Novais Oliveira | with Conceição Evaristo, Norberto Novais Oliveira, Jean Paulo Campos, Tainá Evaristo Brazil 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Gilberto and Jacira promised to grow old together – for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. Till death them do part.
Shanghai Daughter
by Agnis Shen Zhongmin | with Liang Cuishan People’s Republic of China 2026
Panorama | World premiere | Debut film
A Shanghai woman journeys alone to a rubber plantation in southwest China, where her late father was sent during the Cultural Revolution. As she searches for a mysterious woman, some strangers unexpectedly drift into her path.
Shibire (Numb)
by Takuya Uchiyama | with Takumi Kitamura, Rie Miyazawa, Tsukasa Enomoto, Anji Kato, Masatoshi Nagase Japan 2025
Panorama | International premiere
A boy who no longer speaks, shaped by a tyrannical father and a mother he both resents and loves, grows up on Japan’s northern coast. With nowhere to belong, he returns to seek his father and sets his fate in motion.
Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self
by Sabine Lidl | with Siri Hustvedt, Paul Auster, Sophie Auster, Katerina Fotopoulou, Liv Hustvedt Germany / Switzerland 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Documentary form
Sabine Lidl presents Siri Hustvedt’s journey from her first novel to being a leading voice in contemporary literature – a film about feminist perspectives, Hustvedt’s soulmate Paul Auster, and the power of thought.
Slacker
by Richard Linklater | with Richard Linklater, Rudy Basquez, Mark James USA 1990
Retrospective
An improvised circle dance of some 100 players on the streets of Austin, Texas. The fanciful experiences and absurd dialogue of these young “slackers” turn Richard Linklater’s first theatrical outing into a manifesto for Generation X.
So schnell es geht nach Istanbul (Shortcut to Istanbul)
by Andreas Dresen | with Yüksel Yolcu, Jana Mattukat, Susann Thiede German Democratic Republic / Germany 1991
Retrospective
A young Turkish man working in West Berlin looks for a girlfriend in East Berlin, so he can move there and save up money faster for a return to Istanbul. This culture-clash comedy was Andreas Dresen’s graduation film at the Konrad Wolf film school.
Speedy!
by Oh Jiin | with Kim Gyuna, Lee Kyoung hoon, Hong Sung choon, Leem Seung-min, Ban Hae Young South Korea 2025
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Short film
Seoul, 1989. Jung-min wants to become a speed-reading prodigy, just like Dong-hyun – the coolest guy in town who can finish an entire book in just 60 seconds! But things do not go exactly as she expected.
Spî (White | Weiß)
by Navroz Shaban | with Rewan Nizar Iraqi Kurdistan Region 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
In a small village classroom, a teacher often transforms the blackboard with a simple white sheet. When it is taken for a burial rite, the children refuse to let their moment slip away – and set out to reclaim what they were promised.
Staatsschutz(Prosecution)
by Faraz Shariat | with Chen Emilie Yan, Julia Jentsch, Alev Irmak, Arnd Klawitter, Sebastian Urzendowsky Germany 2026
Panorama | World premiere
After surviving a racist attack, state prosecutor Seyo Kim takes her own case to court – confronting both the perpetrators and a justice system that turns a blind eye to right-wing extremism.
Stallion y la bola de cristal (Stallion and a Crystal Ball)
by Christian Avilés | with Gerard Ribera, Dudu Alves, Cristina Plazas Spain 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
In his dark, silent room, a secluded teenager casts a spell. A poetic fever dream exploring queer longing and the magic and mysteries of adolescence.
Sunny Dancer
by George Jaques | with Bella Ramsey, Neil Patrick Harris United Kingdom 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Debut film
As if conquering cancer were not hard enough, 17-year-old Ivy’s parents sign her up to spend the summer at what she calls “chemo camp”. Once there, she unexpectedly manages to find friends in a group of misfits and has a summer she will never forget.
Sunny Point
by Wolf Vogel | with André M. Hennicke, Jenny Schily, Christian Kuchenbuch Germany 1995
Retrospective
A satire about a West Berlin commercial producer with an East German background. To stave off his company’s bankruptcy and collect a second round of Western aid money, he “repeats” his flight from East Berlin – on, of all days, November 9, 1989.
Találkozás(Encounter)
by Judit Elek | with Iván Mándy Hungary 1963
Forum Special | Short film
A shy encounter. A blind date on a park bench. Budapest, 1963. The focus is on a woman who works as a nurse, knows what life is and is looking for more. Elek underpins her fiction with documentary glances whose openness is unbelievable precision.
TAXI MOTO
by Gaël Kamilindi | with Gaël Kamilindi, Erwan Kepoa Falé Switzerland / France 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
A director has to reimagine his film – a love story between two men – because he was not allowed to shoot it in his home country. In a different location, he finds a new leading actor and, together with him, a tender gesture of resistance.
Tegenwoordig heet iedereen Sorry (Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays | Heute heißen alle Sorry)
by Frederike Migom | with Lisa Vanhemelrijck, Laurence Roothooft, Sachli Gholamalizad, Lewis Hannes, Lewis Gérard Belgium / Netherlands / Germany 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere
On a sweltering summer day, Bianca feels unseen by her parents. Then an unexpected encounter with her favourite female actor, Billie King, helps her to find herself. A tender, imaginative tale about dreams and carving out a space for yourself in life.
The Ballad of Judas Priest
by Sam Dunn, Tom Morello | with Judas Priest USA 2026
Berlinale Special Midnight | World premiere | Documentary form
TheBalladofJudasPriestfollows heavy metal pioneers Judas Priest and their half-century journey from working-class origins in England to their recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Education of Jane Cumming
by Sophie Heldman | with Flora Nicholson, Clare Dunne, Mia Tharia, Fiona Shaw, Sadie Shimmin Germany / Switzerland / United Kingdom 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Edinburgh, 1810. Two female teachers find themselves at the centre of a scandal when one of their pupils accuses them of having a love affair. A drama about prejudice, survival and the courage to stand up for the truth.
The lights, they fall
by Saša Vajda | with Mohammed Yassin Ben Majdouba, Flor Prieto Catemaxca, Mahira Hakberdieva, Safet Bajraj, Shanthi Philipp Germany 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Debut film
Sixteen-year-old Ilay drifts through the summer on the outskirts of Berlin while a palliative nurse accompanies his ailing mother during her last days.
The Moment
by Aidan Zamiri | with Charli xcx, Alexander Skarsgård, Rosanna Arquette, Hailey Benton Gates, Jamie Demetriou USA / United Kingdom 2026
Panorama | International premiere | Debut film
A mockumentary about the highs and lows of success. Charli xcx does battle with immense expectations – both from others and herself… Aidan Zamiri presents the musician in her most personal role yet.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
by Noah Segan | with John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price, Tatiana Maslany USA 2026
Berlinale Special Gala | International premiere
Harry is an ageing pickpocket struggling in a changed New York City. When he unwittingly steals a valuable USB stick, he finds himself in a race against time to return the loot or face the rage of a vengeful crime family.
The Other Side of the Sun
by Tawfik Sabouni | with Tawfik Sabouni, Mahmoud Kadah, Abdelkafi Alhaj, Mohammad Hamki, Abdelhamid Jadou Belgium / France / Saudi Arabia 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
After the fall of Assad’s regime, five survivors return to the former torture prison of Saidnaya to reenact what they experienced there during their incarceration. They reclaim their voices and bear witness for those who can no longer speak for themselves.
The Story of Documentary Film
by Mark Cousins (Director) United Kingdom 2026
Berlinale Special Series | Documentary form | Series
From Mark Cousins (The Story of Film) comes a definitive history of documentary: tracing the evolution of the genre across time, encompassing landmark works and hidden treasures, while revealing how the form has helped us to see and make sense of our world.
The Testament of Ann Lee
by Mona Fastvold | with Amanda Seyfried, Lewis Pullman, Thomasin McKenzie, Matthew Beard, Christopher Abbott USA / United Kingdom 2025
Berlinale Special Gala | German premiere
The extraordinary true legend of Ann Lee, founder of the Shakers, who preached gender and social equality. Revered by her followers, her rapturous quest to build a utopia comes to life through song and movement.
The Thread
by Fenn O’Meally | with Anaya Thorley, Tyrelle Boyce, David Gyasi, Lucy Phelps, Thea Butler United Kingdom 2025
Generation 14plus | International premiere | Short film
Grace is born of dual heritage: she has a white British mother and a Black Jamaican father. As she reaches her early teens, Grace takes her identity into her own hands and begins to navigate how to exist as a young woman, fully Black, fully white.
The Valley where LOAB Lives
by Georg Tiller Austria 2026
Forum Special | World premiere | Short film
A female character born from code, LOAB leads us through six iconic horror eras from Nosferatu to Get Out: a prompted being, cursed by design. Whoever knows her becomes part of the algorithm; whoever resists will be punished. An AI meta genre essay.
The Watermelon Woman
by Cheryl Dunye | with Cheryl Dunye, Guinevere Turner, Valerie Walker, Lisa Marie Bronson, Cheryl Clarke USA 1996
TEDDY 40
In this riotous highlight of Black lesbian cinema, a young filmmaker researches the life of a forgotten Black bit player in old Hollywood movies. The film won the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at the 1996 Berlinale.
The Weight
by Padraic McKinley | with Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash Germany / USA 2026
Berlinale Special Gala | European premiere | Debut film
Oregon, 1933. Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through the deadly wilderness. How far will Murphy go to see his child again?
Tito pro drugi put među Srbima (Tito Among the Serbs for the Second Time) by Želimir Žilnik | with Dragoljub Ljubičić, Milan Pavlović
Yugoslavia (until 1992) 1994 Retrospective | Documentary form
An actor dresses up as the former Yugoslavian ruler, Tito. Walking around Belgrade, he talks to passers-by, evoking a variety of reactions. This “happening” triggers heated discussions, documented on film.
Tomboy
by Céline Sciamma | with Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani, Mathieu Demy France 2011
TEDDY 40
Laure is new in town. She just moved in with her family in the heart of summer. When she meets Lisa and a group of kids they assume she is a boy. She decides to become Michael.
To Write From Memory by Emory Chao Johnson USA 2023
TEDDY 40 | Documentary form | Short film
A young person’s transition is steadily progressing, despite their mother’s vocal objections. To Write From Memory is an essay on moving forward, and the inevitability of confronting one’s own past in the process.
Traces
by Alisa Kovalenko, Marysia Nikitiuk | with Iryna Dovhan, Tetiana Vasylenko, Liudmyla Mefodiivna, Galyna Tyshchenko, Olha Cherniak Ukraine / Poland 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Documentary form
Despite the deep traces of trauma caused by sexual violence and torture at the hands of Russian troops, Ukrainian women survivors are uniting to break stigma and silence, transforming their testimonies into a powerful form of resistance.
Tristan Forever
by Tobias Nölle, Loran Bonnardot Switzerland 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Documentary form
For 30 years, a doctor from Paris has maintained a friendship with a fisherman on Tristan da Cunha, the most isolated inhabited island in the world. Now he travels back one more time, with the plan to stay there for good.
Trop c’est trop (Enough is Enough) by Elisé Sawasawa
France / Democratic Republic of the Congo 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
Thirty years of war, seven million displaced, ten million dead. Trop c’est tropis a plunge into the chaos of the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tunten lügen nicht (Queens Don’t Cry)
by Rosa von Praunheim | with Ichgola Androgyn, BeV StroganoV, Tima die Göttliche, Ovo Maltine Germany 2002
TEDDY 40 | Documentary form
In the mid-1980s, Ichgola Androgyn, BeV StroganoV, Tima the Divine and Ovo Maltine come together in West Berlin to develop shows, political actions and media appearances. They collaborate, argue and love each other – because they see themselves as a family.
TUTU
by Sam Pollard United Kingdom 2026
Berlinale Special Presentation | World premiere | Documentary form
Through never-before-seen archival footage and first-hand accounts of those who knew him best, the film traces Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s rise as the voice of the oppressed, guided by faith, hope and an understanding of the power of forgiveness.
Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest
by Viv Li
Germany / Netherlands 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
A Chinese wannabe artist drifts between Berlin’s overwhelming alternative scene and her traditional family in Beijing. With wit and insight, the film follows her search for identity and belonging in a globalised but polarised world.
Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman | Eine fantastische Frau)
by Sebastián Lelio | with Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolas Saavedra Chile / USA / Germany / Spain 2017
TEDDY 40
Marina is a transgender woman. When her partner dies, she finds herself faced with his family’s anger and prejudice. She fights for her right to grieve – with the same unbroken energy she displayed when she fought to live as a woman.
Under The Wave off Little Dragon(Unter der Welle vor Little Dragon) by Jian Luo | with Wang Kexin, Jessica Dong
United Kingdom 2025
Generation Kplus | European premiere | Short film
When her goldfish dies, six-year-old Feifei sets off through a small Welsh seaside town in search of answers. Her journey leads her to reimagine a folktale from her mother’s homeland – on her own terms.
Un hijo propio (A Child of My Own)
by Maite Alberdi | with Ana Celeste, Armando Espitia, Ángeles Cruz, Mayra Sérbulo Cortés, Luisa Guzmán Mexico 2026
Berlinale Special Presentation | World premiere | Documentary form
The profound desire to become a mother and pressure from her surroundings drive Alejandra to fake a pregnancy. What begins as a simple lie turns into a complex charade and unleashes a media scandal that makes it impossible for her to continue the pretence.
Un hiver russe (A Russian Winter) by Patric Chiha
France 2026
Panorama Dokumente | World premiere | Documentary form
After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Margarita, Yuri and their friends are pushed into exile from Russia as they refuse to comply with the regime. Suspended between countries, they have nowhere to return, and nowhere they feel truly welcome.
Unidentifizierte Unflugobjekte (UUO)(Unidentified Nonflying Objects (UNO)) by Sasha Svirsky | with Sasha Svirsky
Germany 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Animation | Short film
However permanent and stable any order may seem, it may eventually crumble when reality outside of the system creeps in, growing like organic matter through the boundaries that the order has imposed. An animated odyssey.
Verführung: Die grausame Frau(Seduction: The Cruel Woman)
by Elfi Mikesch, Monika Treut | with Mechthild Grossmann, Udo Kier, Sheila McLaughlin, Carola Regnier, Georgette Dee Federal Republic of Germany 1985
TEDDY 40
A Forumfilm that today remains what the heart desired in 1985: queer and sensual, drama and S & M, cool and hot, avant-garde and subversion, dreamers and toilet slaves, camp and critique, “Venus in Fur” and pure Eighties. Treut and Mikesch – and Udo forever!
Videogramme einer Revolution by Harun Farocki, Andrei Ujica Germany 1992
Retrospective | Documentary form
A minute-by-minute chronology of the Romanian revolution in December 1989 in Bucharest. This cinematic montage of live footage from the state television company TVR and video taken by numerous amateurs becomes a new media-based form of historiography.
Vier minus drei(Four Minus Three)
by Adrian Goiginger | with Valerie Pachner, Robert Stadlober, Stefanie Reinsperger, Hanno Koffler Austria / Germany 2026
Panorama | World premiere
Barbara and Heli are professional clowns, living out their dream of an alternative, joy‑filled life with their two children. But when Heli and the children die in a car crash, Barbara’s faith in humour, hope and humanity is put to the ultimate test.
WAX & GOLD
by Ruth Beckermann Austria 2026
Berlinale Special Presentation | World premiere | Documentary form
Starting from a hotel in Addis Ababa built by Emperor Haile Selassie, Ruth Beckermann explores a place both familiar and foreign to her. Archive footage and conversations on the ground combine personal reflections with the histories of Ethiopia and Europe.
Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale (Wal52–SuitefürMann,JungeundWal) by Daniel Neiden | with Bruce Vilanch, Parker Allana Hughes
USA 2026
Generation Kplus | International premiere | Animation | Short film
A quiet boy and a silently grieving widower who volunteers at the boy’s school discover a magical pen and journal that enable them to hear each other with a listening heart.
What Will I Become?
by Lexie Bean, Logan Rozos USA 2026
Generation 14plus | World premiere | Debut film | Documentary form
Co-directors Lexie and Logan weave together the stories of two trans boys who died by suicide and their trans masculine+ community, offering resources and imagination for a way forward.
Who Killed Alex Odeh?
by Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans USA 2026
Berlinale Special Presentation | International premiere | Documentary form
The assassination of a beloved Palestinian American activist in Southern California ignites a 40-year quest for justice that uncovers the roots of a dangerous political movement that still thrives today.
Wildwood, NJ
by Ruth Leitman, Carol Weaks Cassidy USA 1994
Retrospective | Documentary form
Shot with an all-female crew on Super 8, Wildwood, NJ catapults the audience into the lives and stories of young American women in the 1990s. Yet under the blazing sun of the Jersey Shore, it also sometimes reveals the underbelly of the boardwalk carnival.
Yawman ma walad(Someday a Child)
by Marie-Rose Osta | with Khaled Hassan, Antoine Daher France / Romania / Lebanon 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
A boy with extraordinary powers lives with his uncle in a Lebanese village where the noise of warplanes is a daily occurrence. As his uncle tries to train him to appear “normal”, the boy’s gift becomes impossible to contain.
Yercekimi(Gravity | Schwerkraft)
by Dalya Keleş | with Sudem Berin-Dinç, Mustafa Konak, İpek Çattım Turkey 2026
Generation Kplus | World premiere | Short film
Deniz plays happily with her best friend Umut at their secret hideout. But at school, she is excluded by the boys and also fails to fit in with the girls. Then, a childhood dream becomes true and takes on a new meaning.
Yuragim
by Varia Garib, Kirill Komar | with Varia Garib, Hasan Azimov Austria / Uzbekistan 2026
Berlinale Shorts | World premiere | Short film
Saida moves between the roles of teacher, daughter, translator and fixer like a train on its tracks. As her boss looms closer, she must decide whether to continue supporting the system or vanish into a world of her own making.