Over 200 films are screening at this year's Berlinale: you can choose between high-quality art house productions, bold experiments, classics of film history, children's films, comedies and tragedies, snapshots of our reality or cinematic poetry.
We have taken a look at the programme for you in advance and selected eleven promising films.
Have fun at the cinema.
Tip 1: Blue Moon
Director Richard Linklater has already wowed Berlinale audiences with his magical Before trilogy and Boyhood , and now he returns to the competition with his latest film Blue Moon. And Ethan Hawke is also back, alongside "Hot Priest" Andrew Scott and Margaret Qualley, in the film about the last days in the life of composer Lorenz Hart.
Tip 2: A complete unknown
While the film is not screening in competition, A complete unknown is certainly one of the most anticipated films at the Berlinale. Superstar Timothée Chalamet plays Bob Dylan - so well, in fact, that he has already been nominated for an Oscar. There were eight nominations in total, including for James Mangold as best director and best film.
Tip 3: Mickey 17
Can Bong Joon Ho repeat his success from The Parasite? In his latest work, Robert Pattinson has to die in order to clone himself and is then confronted with himself. The trailer promises a wacky adventure with Robert Pattinson in fine form.
Tip 4: Xiang fei de nv hai
The Chinese competition entry Xiang fei de nv hai about two cousins who are pursued by the mafia also sounds really exciting. The film, a mixture of family drama, thriller and martial arts film, reflects on the role of women in modern China. Director Vivian Qu, who also wrote the screenplay, was the producer of the thriller Fireworks in Broad Daylight, which won the Golden Bear in 2014. And if this film has equally poetic images, then it will certainly be a feast for the eyes.
Tip 5: Begyndelser
Trine Dyrholm is not only one of Denmark's best-known and most awarded actresses, but also one of the Berlinale stars who always enjoy coming to the festival. In 2014 she was part of the jury, and two years later she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her role in The Commune. In her latest film, which is screening in the Panorama, she plays a woman who suffers a stroke shortly before her divorce.
Tip 6: Peter Hujar's Day
Also showing in the Panorama is Peter Hujar's Day by Ira Sachs about the New York art scene in the 1970s. The film focuses on a conversation between photographer Peter Hujar, who meticulously records a day in his life, and his girlfriend Linda Rosenkrantz. With Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall the chamber drama has a prominent cast and promises to be one of those rather quiet but lasting films that make the Berlinale so rich in special impressions.
Tip 7: Meat
In any case, the film Meat, which will be shown in the Retrospective, is unforgettable. A classic paranoia genre film from the 1970s. Jutta Seidel and Herbert Hermann play a couple on their honeymoon in the USA: suddenly the husband disappears without a trace and a nerve-wracking search begins. The thriller about organ trafficking shocked audiences at the time - and has lost none of its impact to this day.
Tip 8: The Paradine Case
The Paradine Case is one of Alfred Hitchcock's lesser-known works. But the 1947 film starring Gregory Peck, Ann Todd and Charles Laughton about a lawyer who falls in love with his client accused of murder is a thrilling courtroom drama.
The Berlinale Classics will feature the world premiere of the digitally restored version, which is based on the original cinema version authorised by producer David O. Selznick. In his cameo, you can see Hitchcock with a cigar and a cello at the railway station.
Tip 9: Hot Milk
Deborah Levy's successful novel Hot Milk examines the complex relationships between mothers and daughters. Now Rebecca Lenkiewicz has. In her directorial debut, Rebecca Lenkiewicz has adapted the novel with Fiona Shaw, Vicky Krieps and Emma Mackey in the leading roles and immediately made it into the competition.
Tip 10: Le rendez-vous de l'été
For the first time this year, there is a separate competition for debut films. The new Perspectives section features debut films from all over the world. The French entry Le rendez-vous de l'été shows summertime Paris during last year's Olympic Games.
Tip 11: Maya, donne-moi un titre
The films from the Generation series are aimed at children and young people. The films come from Colombia, Iraq, Ireland, Australia and the Philippines and tell of loss and grief, of foreignness and marginalisation, of courage and self-acceptance, of friendship and family. Included is the dreamy stop-motion love letter Maya, donne-moi un titre from star director Michel Gondry to his daughter. And anyone familiar with his films can look forward to a poetic journey full of magical moments.
