The last time I did a very long post with everything that's going on at the Berlinale was in 2012; four years later I'm going to try to include in one post all the sections for the 2016 festival. So be prepared for a VERY-LONG post.
The official press conference hasn't happen yet, but organizers have been publishing since the end of last year -and drop by drop-, the films that make the Competition, Panorama, Forum, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Berlinale Shorts, Berlinale Special, NATIVe and more festival sections.
No doubt that the best news the festival offers this year is not about the movies but about one particular juror, the International Jury President! Berlinale 2016 big achievement is having persuaded Meryl Streep to be part of a festival jury for the very first time in her very-long and illustrious career. On top and according to US industry publications, she will give a Masterclass to the 300 emerging film professionals taking part in this year's Berlinale Talents program. Know that I will enjoy all the nitty gritty that will surround her during the festival.
The only section that will not be is this post is all about the Teddy30 as there will be specific posts for each anniversary activity and the film list.
The Program Press Conference for the 66th Berlin International Film Festival will be held on February 2, 2016, at 11.00 am in the Press and Information Office of the German Federal Government. This post will be updated after the press conference to become final IF we learn that all films in each section have been announced.
Still to start the fest-fun will publish what we know up-to-today press release that informs the Competitive section is complete.
There are 23 films in the Competition program but only 18 will be competing for the Golden Bear. The following countries are participating in the entire program: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom and United States of America. The Award Ceremony will take place at the Berlinale Palast on Saturday, February 20th, 2016.
Competition
Opening Film: Hail Caesar!, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, USA and UK
24 Wochen (24 Weeks), Anne Zohra Berrached, Germany
Alone in Berlin, Vincent Pérez, Germany, France and UK
Boris sans Béatrice (Boris without Beatrice), Denis Côté, Canada
Cartas da guerra (Letters from War), Ivo M. Ferreira, Portugal
长江图 Chang Jian Tu (Crosscurrent), Yang Chao, China
اژدها وارد میشود Ejheda Vared Mishavad! (A Dragon Arrives!), Mani Haghighi, Iran
Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea), Gianfranco Rosi, Italy and France (documentary)
Genius, Michael Grandage, UK and USA
Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery), Lav Diaz, Philippines and Singapore
(*) Inhebbek Hedi (Hedi), Mohamed Ben Attia, Tunisia, Belgium and France
Kollektivet (The Commune), Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, Sweden and Netherlands
L'Avenir (Things to Come), Mia Hansen-Løve, France and Germany
Midnight Special, Jeff Nichols, USA
Quand on a 17 ans (Being 17), André Téchiné, France
Smrt u Sarajevu (Death in Sarajevo), Danis Tanović, France and Bosnia Herzegovina
Soy Nero, Rafi Pitts, Germany, France and Mexico
Zero Days, Alex Gibney, USA (documentary)
Zjednoczone Stany Miłości (United States of Love), Tomasz Wasilewski, Poland and Sweden
Out of Competition
Chi-Raq, Spike Lee, USA
Des nouvelles de la planète Mars (News from Planet Mars), Dominik Moll, France and Belgium
Mahana (The Patriarch), Lee Tamahori, New Zealand
Saint Amour, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, France and Belgium
International Jury
President: Meryl Streep, USA
Berlinale Special
Berlinale Special will feature current works by contemporary filmmakers, documentaries and unique formats.
Galas
A Quite Passion, Terence Davies, UK and Belgium
Den allvarsamma leken (A Serious Game), Pernilla August, Sweden, Denmark and Norway
クリーピー Kurîpî (Creepy), Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan
Miles Ahead, Don Cheale, USA
Documentaries
National Bird, Sonia Kennebeck, USA
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Morgan Neville, USA
The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger, Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth, Bartek Dziadosz, Tilda Swinton, UK
Where To Invade Next, Michael Moore, USA)
Check available trailers and info @MOC
Panorama
Program is not finished yet. There are 30 films confirmed to date, of which 24 are fictional and 6 will run in the Panorama Dokumente, this means that two-thirds of this year's Panorama has been announced. An extra 17 works will screen in the Teddy30 anniversary program; the entire program will be finalized and announced in the coming days.
Main Program
Aloys, Tobias Nölle, Switzerland and France
Goat, Andrew Neel, USA
Grüße aus Fukushima (Fukushima, mon Amour), Doris Dörrie, Germany
(*) Indignation, James Schamus, USA
Já, Olga Hepnarová (I, Olga Hepnarová), Tomáš Weinreb and Petr Kazda, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and France
(*) Jonathan, Piotr J. Lewandowski, Germany
Junction 48, Udi Aloni, Israel, Germany and USA
Kater (Tomcat), Händl Klaus, Austria
La Helada Negra (The Black Frost), Maximiliano Schonfeld, Argentina
لانتوری Lantouri, Reza Dormishian, Iran
Les premiers, les derniers (The First, the Last), Bouli Lanners, France and Belgium
Little Men, Ira Sachs, USA
Maggie's Plan, Rebecca Miller, USA
Nakom, Kelly Daniela Norris and TW Pittman, Ghana and USA
Раненый ангел Ranenyy Angel (The Wounded Angel), Emir Baigazin, Kazakhstan, France and Germany
(*) Remainder, Omer Fast, UK and Germany
S one strane (On the Other Side), Zrinko Ogresta, Croatia and Serbia
Starve Your Dog, Hicham Lasri, Morocco
(*) Sufat Chol (Sand Storm), Elite Zexer, Israel
Théo et Hugo dans le même bateau (Paris 05:59), Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Martineau, France
(*) The Ones Below, David Farr, UK
While the Women Are Sleeping, Wayne Wang, Japan
Panorama Special
Opening Films:
El Rey del Once (The Tenth Man), Daniel Burman, Argentina
War on Everyone, John Michael McDonagh, UK
Panorama Dokumente
Der Ost-Komplex (The GDR Complex), Jochen Hick, Germany
Don't Blink - Robert Frank, Laura Israel, USA and France
Hotel Dallas, Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, Romania and USA
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, USA and Germany
Mariupolis, Mantas Kvedaravicius, Lithuania, Germany, France and Ukraine
Uncle Howard, Aaron Brookner, UK and USA
Check Panorama available trailers and info @MOC
Forum
The 46th Berlinale Forum will show a total of 44 films in its main program, of which 34 are world premieres and nine international premieres. One regional focus of this year’s program is the Arab region. Films shot by often young directors from an area that stretches between Egypt and Saudi Arabia explore both the past and present of their homelands
Main Program
A Magical Substance Flows into Me, Jumana Manna, Palestinian Territories, UK and UAW
Akher ayam el madina (In the Last Days of the City), Tamer El Said, Egypt, Germany, UK and UAE
And-Ek Ghes..., Colorado Velcu and Philip Scheffner, Germany
Aru michi (A Road), Daichi Sugimoto, Japan
(*) Baden Baden, Rachel Lang, Belgium and France
Barakah yoqabil Barakah (Barakah Meets Barakah) by Mahmoud Sabbagh, Saudi Arabia - WP
Bein gderot (Between Fences) by Avi Mograbi, Israel / France - WP
Dans les bois (The Wandering) by Guillaume Nicloux, France - WP
Deadweight by Axel Koenzen, Germany / Finland - WP
Dubina dva (Depth Two) by Ognjen Glavonić, Serbia - WP
Eldorado XXI by Salomé Lamas, Portugal / France - WP
Elixir by Daniil Zinchenko, Russian Federation - IP
Fantastic by Offer Egozy, USA - WP
Fei cui zhi cheng (City of Jade) by Midi Z, Taiwan / Myanmar - WP
Le Fils de Joseph (The Son of Joseph) by Eugène Green, France / Belgium - WP
Die Geträumten (The Dreamed Ones) by Ruth Beckermann, Austria - WP
Havarie by Philip Scheffner, Germany - WP
火Hee by Kaori Momoi, Japan - WP
Homo sapiens by Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Austria - WP
How Heavy This Hammer by Kazik Radwanski, Canada - IP
Ilegitim (Illegitimate) by Adrian Sitaru, Rumania / Poland / France - WP
Inertia by Idan Haguel, Israel - IP
Kate Plays Christine by Robert Greene, USA - IP
Landstück (Piece of Land) by Volker Koepp, Germany - WP
Lao Shi (Old Stone) by Johnny Ma, People’s Republic of China / Canada - WP
Liliom Ösvény (Lily Lane) by Bence Fliegauf, Hungary - WP
Makhdoumin (A Maid for Each) by Maher Abi Samra, Lebanon / France / Norway - WP
Manazil bela abwab (Houses without Doors) by Avo Kaprealian, Syria / Lebanon - WP
Maquinaria Panamericana (Panamerican Machinery) by Joaquín del Paso, Mexico / Poland - WP
Nikdy nejsme sami (We Are Never Alone) by Petr Vaclav, Czech Republic / France - WP
P.S. Jerusalem by Danae Elon, Canada - EP
Posto avançado do progresso (An Outpost of Progress) by Hugo Vieira da Silva, Portugal - WP
The Revolution Won’t Be Televised by Rama Thiaw, Senegal - WP
Rio Corgo by Maya Kosa, Sergio da Costa, Switzerland / Portugal - IP
Les Sauteurs (Those Who Jump) by Moritz Siebert, Estephan Wagner, Abou Bakar Sidibé, Denmark - WP
Short Stay by Ted Fendt, USA - WP
Ta’ang by Wang Bing, Hong Kong, China / France - WP (documentary)
Tales of Two Who Dreamt by Andrea Bussmann, Nicolás Pereda, Canada / Mexico - WP
Tempestad by Tatiana Huezo, Mexico - WP
Toz bezi (Dust Cloth) by Ahu Öztürk, Turkey / Germany - IP
Trivisa by Frank Hui, Vicky Wong, Jevons Au, Hong Kong, China - WP
Vlažnost (Humidity) by Nikola Ljuca, Serbia / The Netherlands / Greece - WP
Yarden (The Yard) by Måns Månsson, Sweden / Germany - IP
Zhī fán yè mào (Life after Life) by Zhang Hanyi, People’s Republic of China - WP
Forum Expanded
The theme of this year’s Forum Expanded is “Traversing the Phantasm”. Forum Expanded is curated by Stefanie Schulte Strathaus (head curator), Anselm Franke, Nanna Heidenreich, Bettina Steinbrügge and Ulrich Ziemons.
A Boy Needs a Friend by Steve Reinke (Canada / USA)
Abu Ammar is Coming by Naeem Mohaiemen (Bangladesh / Lebanon / United Kingdom)
Al Marhala Al Rabiaa (The Fourth Stage) by Ahmad Ghossein (Lebanon / United Arab Emirates)
Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson (Canada)
Bunker Drama by Mike Crane (USA / Lithuania)
The Communist Revolution Was Caused By The Sun by Anton Vidokle (USA / Kazakhstan)
Continuity by Omer Fast (Germany)
La Cupola by Volker Sattel (Germany)
ESIOD 2015 by Clemens von Wedemeyer (Austria / Germany)
Expired by Islam Kamal (Egypt)
Fathy La Yaeesh Hona Baad Ala'n (Fathy Doesn't Live Here Anymore) by Maged Nader (Egypt)
From the Notebook of... by Robert Beavers (USA)
Fugue by Kerstin Schroedinger (Germany)
The Illinois Parables by Deborah Stratman (USA)
In the Future They Ate from the Finest Porcelain by Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind (Palestinian Territories / Denmark / United Kingdom / Qatar)
Invention by Mark Lewis (Canada / United Kingdom)
Kama Tohalleq al Teyour (As Birds Flying) by Heba Amin (Egypt)
The Lamps by Shelly Silver (USA)
Le Corbusier [IIIII] Asger Jorn [Relief] by Heinz Emigholz (Germany / Denmark)
Mannerlaatta (Tectonic Plate) by Mika Taanila (Finland)
Moderation by Anja Kirschner (Greece / Italy / Egypt / United Kingdom)
Muito Romântico by Melissa Dullius, Gustavo Jahn (Germany / Brazil)
Now: End of Season by Ayman Nahle (Lebanon)
O Pássaro da Noite by Marie Losier (Portugal / France)
The Right by Assaf Gruber (Germany / Poland)
Ruina by Gabraz Sanna (Brazil)
Sign Space by Hila Peleg (Germany)
Stones Gods People by Joe Namy (Lebanon)
Transmission from the Liberated Zones by Filipa César (Portugal / France / Germany)
Wadee'at tasallul (Offside) by Marwan Hamdan (Lebanon)
We Demand by Claudrena N. Harold, Kevin Jerome Everson (USA)
Zakerat Abad El Shams (A Stroll Down Sunflower Lane) by Mayye Zayed (Egypt)
To check Performance, Reading, Exhibitions and other events go official site here.
Generation
A total of 63 feature-length and short films produced or co-produced in 35 countries have been invited to participate in the two competitions Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus. The program was selected from around 2000 feature-length and short films submitted to Generation this year, which is more than in any year previously.
Feature Films
Generation Kplus
ENTE GUT! Mädchen allein zu Haus (Fortune Favors the Brave), Norbert Lechner, Germany
Genç Pehlivanlar (Young Wrestlers), Mete Gümürhan, Turkey and Netherlands
Jamais contente, Emilie Deleuze, France
Little Men, Ira Sachs, USA (will also be presented at Panorama)
Mavi Bisiklet (Blue Bicycle), Ümit Köreken, Turkey and Germany
Ottaal (The Trap), Jayaraj Rajashekaran Nair, India
(*) Rara, Pepa San Martín, Chile and Argentina
Rauf, Barış Kaya and Soner Caner, Turkey
Siv sover vilse (Siv Sleeps Astray), Catti Edfeldt and Lena Hanno Clyne, Sweden and Netherlands
Solan og Ludvig - Herfra til Flåklypa (Louis & Nolan – The Big Cheeserace), rasmus Sivertsen, Norway
Ted Sieger’s Molly Monster – Der Kinofilm (Ted Sieger’s Molly Monster), Ted Sieger, Matthias Bruhn and Michael Ekbladh, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden
Woorideul (The World of Us), Yoon Ga-eun, Korea
Zud, Marta Minorowicz, Germany and Poland
Generation 14plus
6A, Peter Modestij, Sweden
Ani ve snu! (In Your Dreams!), Petr Oukropec, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria
Avant les rues (Before the Streets), Chloé Leriche, Canada
Born to Dance, Tammy Davis, New Zealand
El soñador (The Dreamer), Adrián Saba, Peru and France
Es esmu šeit (Mellow Mud), Renars Vimba, Latvia
Girl Asleep, Rosemary Myers, Australia
Las Plantas (Plants), Roberto Doveris, Chile
Ma Révolution (My Revolution), Ramzi Ben Sliman, France
Royahaye Dame Sobh (Starless Dreams), Mehrdad Oskouei, Iran
Sairat (Wild), Nagraj Manjule, India
Triapichniy Soyuz (Rag Union), Mikhail Mestetskiy, Russia
Valderama, Abbas Amini, Iran
What's in the Darkness, Yichun Wang, China
Zhaleika, Eliza Petkova, Germany
Short Films
Generation Kplus
Aurelia y Pedro (Aurelia and Pedro), Mexico, by Omar Robles, José Permar - WP
Cats & Dogs, Switzerland / Germany, by Gerd Gockell, Jesús Pérez (Berlinale Generation Kplus 2011: Der große Bruder) – IP
Chopping Onions, USA, by Adinah Dancyger – EP
El inicio de Fabrizio (Fabrizio’s Initiation), Argentina, by Mariano Biasin – IP
En la azotea (On the Roof), Spain, Damià Serra Cauchetiez - IP
Kill Your Dinner, Australia, by Bryn Chainey - WP
Le renard minuscule (The Teeny-Weeny Fox), France / Switzerland / Belgium, by Aline Quertain, Sylwia Szkiladz – IP
Lili, Denmark / Great Britain, by Siri Melchior (Berlinale Generation Kplus 2010: Fløjteløs) – WP
Little Doll, Ireland, by Kate Dolan – WP
Neiwa, Mexico, by Abraham Cruz Herrera, Javier Vázquez Cervantes – WP
Nina, Belgium, by Emmanuel Elliah, Maria Körkel – WP
Ninnoc, Netherlands, by Niki Padidar – IP
Semele, USA / Cyprus, by Myrsini Aristidou – EP
Simon's Cat: Off to the Vet, Great Britain, by Simon Tofield – IP
Skatekeet, Netherlands, by Edward Cook - IP
Take Your Partners, Great Britain, by Siri Rodnes –WP
The Boyfried Game, Australia, by Alice Englert – EP
Zeezucht (Jonas and the Sea), Netherlands, by Marlies van der Wel – EP
Generation 14plus
Balcony, Great Britain, by Toby Fell-Holden – IP
Berlin Metanoia, Germany, by Erik Schmitt (Berlinale Generation 14plus 2013: Nashorn im Galopp) – WP
Blind Vaysha, Canada, by Theodore Ushev – WP
Carousel, Great Britain, by Kal Weber – WP
Crystal Lake, USA, by Jennifer Reeder (Berlinale Shorts 2015: Blood Below the Skin) – WP
El Edén (Eden), Colombia, by Andrés Ramírez Pulido – WP
Jacked, Great Britain, by Rene Pannevis – IP
Kroppen är en ensam plats (The Body Is a Lonely Place), Sweden, by Ida Lindgren – WP
Léchez-nous, Miaou, Miaou! (Lick Us, Meow, Meow!), Switzerland, by Marie de Maricourt – IP
Mamma vet bäst (Mother Knows Best), Sweden, by Mikael Bundsen – WP
Mushkie, Israel, by Aleeza Chanowitz – WP
O noapte in Tokoriki (A Night in Tokoriki), Romania, by Roxane Stroe – WP
Refugee Blues, Great Britain, by Stephan Bookas, Tristan Daws – WP
Sensiz (Without You), Ukraine, by Nariman Aliev – WP
Spoetnik, Netherlands, by Noёl Loozen – IP
That Day, USA, by Stephanie Ard, WP
The Ballad of Immortal Joe, Canada, by Hector Herrera – EP
Perspektive Deutsches Kino
Die Prüfung (The Audition), Till Harms
Lotte, Julius Schultheiß
(*) Meteorstraße (Meteor Street), Aline Fischer
TORO, Martin Hawie
(*) Wir sind die Flut (We Are the Tide), Sebastian Hilger
Short Films
A Quiet Place, Ronny Dörfler, 24'
Research Refugees: Meinungsaustausch (Research Refugees: Duologue), Sophia Bösch and Sophie Linnenbaum, 4'
11 Short Films by students of the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and the Bauhaus Universiät Weimar about the current refugee situation
(*) First Feature in competition for the Best First Feature Award
Berlinale Shorts
25 films from 21 countries compete for the Golden and Silver Bear, the nominee for the European Film Awards and, for the second consecutive year, the Audi Short Film Award.
Another City, Pham Ngoc Lan, Vietnam, 25’ (WP)
Bai Niao (White Bird), Wu Linfeng, People’s Republic of China, 30’ (WP)
Balada de um Batráquio (Batrachian's Ballad), Leonor Teles, Portugal, 11’ (WP)
El Buzo (The Diver), Esteban Arrangoiz, Mexico, 16’ (IP)
Das águas que passam (Running Waters), Diego Zon, Brazil, 23’ (WP)
Estate (Summer), Ronny Trocker, France / Belgium, 7’ (WP)
Freud und Friends (Freud and Friends), Gabriel Abrantes, Portugal, 23’ (EP)
He Who Eats Children, Ben Russell, USA, 25’ (WP)
Hopptornet (Ten Meter Tower), Axel Danielson & Maximilien Van Aertryck, Sweden, 17’ (IP)
In the Soldier's Head, Christine Rebet, USA / France, 4’ (WP)
Jin zhi xia mao (Anchorage Prohibited), Chiang Wei Liang, Taiwan, 16’ (IP)
Kaputt (Broken – The Women’s Prison at Hoheneck), Volker Schlecht & Alexander Lahl, Germany, 7’ (WP)
Love, Réka Bucsi, France / Hungary, 14’ (WP)
A Man Returned, Mahdi Fleifel, United Kingdom / Netherlands / Denmark, 30’ (IP)
Moms On Fire, Joanna Rytel, Sweden, 12’ (IP)
Notre Héritage (Our Legacy), Jonathan Vinel in collaboration with Caroline Poggi, France, 24’ (WP)
Oustaz, Bentley Brown, Chad, 21’ (WP)
personne, Christoph Girardet & Matthias Müller, Germany, 15’ (WP)
Prelude to the General, Pimpaka Towira, Thailand, 11’ (WP)
Reluctantly Queer, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Ghana / USA, 8’ (WP)
Six Cents in the Pocket, Ricky D’Ambrose, USA, 14’ (IP)
Tsomet Haruhot (Winds Junction), Rotem Murat, Israel, 22’ (IP)
Die Unzugänglichkeit der griechischen Antike und ihre Folgen (The Inaccessibility of Ancient Greece and Its Impact), Gerrit Frohne-Brinkmann & Paul Spengemann, Germany, 13’ (WP)
Vintage Print, Siegfried A. Fruhauf, Austria, 13’ (IP)
Vita Lakamaya, Akihito Izuhara, Japan, 8’ (WP)
Out of Competition
Los murmullos (Murmurings), Rubén Gámez, Mexico, 25’
International Short Film Jury
Sheikha Hoor Al-Qasimi, UAE
Katerina Gregos, Greece
Avi Mograbi, Israel
NATIVe
With mixed feelings this year’s NATIVe is saying goodbye to last year’s focus on Latin America and welcoming the Arctic as next year’s geographical focus. In the 2016 NATIVe programme, which will bridge the gap between the two editions, one film will represent each of these regions. They will provide the impetus to carry on the journey into the far north.
El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent), Ciro Guerra, Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina, 2015
Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change, Zacharias Kunuk and Ian Mauro, Canada, 2010
Retrospective & Homage
Culinary Cinema
“Make Food Not War” is the motto of the 10th Culinary Cinema.
Ants on a Shrimp, Maurice Dekkers, Netherlands (documentary)
Café Nagler, Mor Kplansky, Israel and Germany (documentary)
Campo a través. Mugaritz, intuyendo un camino. (Off-Road. Mugaritz, Feeling a Way.), Pep Gatell, Spain (documentary)
Cooked - Fire/Air, Alex Gibney and Ryan Miller, USA (documentary-series)
How to Build an Igloo, Douglas Wilkinson, Canada
In Defense of Food, Michael Schwarz, USA (documentary)
Kivalina, Gina Abatemarco, USA (documentary)
Need for Meat, Marijn Frank, Netherlands (documentary)
Noma-My Perfect Storm, Pierre Deschamps, UK (documentary)
Portret van een tuin (Portrait of a Garden), Rosie Stapel, Netherlands (documentary
The Singhampton Project, Jonathan Staav, Canada (documentary)
Vormittags-Spuk, Hans Richter, Germany
Wanton Mee, Eric Khoo, Singapur (docu-fiction)
Berlinale Talent Campus
European Film Market & Co-Production Market
The second edition of its exclusive “CoPro Series” event has seven selected series projects that will be looking for co-production and financing partners.
Selected Projects for “CoPro Series” 2016
The Disappearance (23/5 Filmproduktion), Germany
Avrupa (Circe Film), The Netherlands
The Illegal (Conquering Lion Pictures), Canada
Wars Inc. (Drama Team), Israel
Brotherhood (Friland Produksjon), Norway
Lucky Per (Nordisk Film Production), Denmark
Project selected in cooperation with Séries Mania
DNA (Eyeworks Scandi Fiction), Denmark
World Cinema Fund
Special Presentations