The 75th Berlin International Film Festival, which runs from February 13-23, kicks off on Thursday with the world premiere of "The Light," by Tom Tykwer. The German filmmaker behind "Run Lola Run" (1998) and the series "Babylon Berlin" returns with a drama starring Lars Eidinger and Nicolette Krebitz. It depicts a middle-class family whose routine is upturned when a housekeeper from Syria enters their lives.

During the opening event, Tilda Swinton will receive the Honorary Golden Bear, which recognizes her lifetime achievement. The Scottish actor has attended the Berlinale many times over the years, whether as jury president in 2009 or to accompany her films — 26 of which have been featured at the film festival.

Edward Berger will be giving a speech in her honor at the ceremony. The Oscar-nominated director of "Conclave" and "All Quiet on the Western Front" is currently working on a Netflix production starring Swinton, titled "The Ballad of a Small Player."

The competition's international jury will also be introduced at the opening gala. US director Todd Haynes ("Carol," "I'm Not There") presides over the international jury.

His fellow jurors are Chinese star Fan Bingbing, German filmmaker and actor Maria Schrader, Moroccan-French director Nabil Ayouch, German costume designer Bina Daigeler, Argentine filmmaker Rodrigo Moreno and US critic and podcast host Amy Nicholson.

The seven-member jury will be selecting this year's Golden and Silver Bear winners, which will be awarded on February 22.

Competition highlights

While the entire public program features nearly 250 films presented across different sections, the main competition comprises 19 films, with 26 countries represented through those works.

Former Berlinale winners returning to the competition include Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude, presenting "Kontinental '25." He won the Golden Bear in 2021 with "Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn." Korean director Hong Sang-soo, who has collected several Silver Bears over the past few years, returns with "What Does that Nature Say to You."

Two Chinese films are making their world debuts within the competition: "Girls on Wire," directed by Vivian Qu, and "Living the Land," directed by Huo Meng.

 

Ameer Fakher Eldin's "Yunan" — a co-production between Germany, Canada, Italy, Palestine, Qatar, Jordan and Saudi Arabia — stars Lebanese comedian Georges Khabbaz and German acting legend Hanna Schygulla, best known for her work with Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

There is only one documentary in the main competition, "Timestamp," by Kateryna Gornostai. It provides insight into Ukraine's school life following Russia's full-scale invasion of the country.

The stars expected at the festival

Competition films that will bring celebrities to Berlin include Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon," starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley and Andrew Scott. The US filmmaker won a Silver Bear for best director for both "Before Sunrise" (1995) and "Boyhood" (2014).

"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," by Mary Bronstein, stars Rose Byrne and A$AP Rocky. "The Ice Tower," directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic, features French star Marion Cotillard. As the lead actress in Michel Franco's "Dreams," Jessica Chastain is also expected in Berlin.

The Berlinale Special is another film festival section that promises star power and red carpet galas. Bong Joon Ho, the award-winning filmmaker of "Parasite," will be in Berlin for the German premiere of his new sci-fi black comedy, "Mickey 17," starring Robert Pattinson.

Timothee Chalamet is also expected at the festival to celebrate the opening of "A Complete Unknown," in which he portrays Bob Dylan. 

The festival will be welcoming "Euphoria" star Jacob Elordi, who will be accompanying Justin Kurzel's TV series, "The Narrow Road to the Deep North."

And Benedict Cumberbatch will be in Berlin too, for the European premiere of "The Thing with Feathers."

Still a political festival

Beyond the glitzy red carpet events, the festival is also putting the spotlight on different current and historical events.

With the film festival taking place 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, screenings of Claude Lanzmann's monumental "Shoah" (1985) is part of the special program, as well as a new documentary revisiting the groundbreaking work that revolutionized the representation of the Holocaust in cinema, titled "All I Had was Nothingness," by Guillaume Ribot.

"My Undesirable Friends: Part I - Last Air in Moscow" is a documentary about intellectuals being driven in to exile under Russia's current regime. "Das Deutsche Volk" revisits the racist shootings in Hanau in 2020. And "A Letter to David" is a cinematic letter to Hamas hostage David Cunio, who is still detained in Gaza.

'Joyful' challenges for new festival director Tricia Tuttle

Compared to Cannes and Venice, Berlin has always been considered the most political of Europe's major film festivals.

"People often ask us if we are a political festival. And yes, while I'd say we are a social festival, politics is in our DNA. […] Berlin is a city steeped in history. We do not shy away from this," said festival director Tricia Tuttle, ahead of this year's event, the first edition under her leadership.

Last year, criticism of Israel's policies during the awards' ceremony — in particular by the Israeli and Palestinian directors of the documentary "No Other Land" — led to accusations of antisemitism by some German politicians.

With the festival being largely publicly funded, Tuttle is now facing the challenge of satisfying the requirements of German lawmakers, all while allowing artists to express themselves freely.

The US-born curator said at the presentation of the program that "lots of filmmakers from Arab countries have approached us over the last weeks, just to make sure the festival is a space for open dialogue and discourse."

"It was a challenge, let's be honest. But this year has been really challenging. It's been challenging for every festival. We're living in a world that's very divisive and divided and [in which] discourse is not always friendly and open," she said, adding that the process of putting together the program with the festival team was nevertheless "really joyous and pleasurable, and a real privilege."

Beyond the political debates, one of Tuttle's missions is to revitalize the Berlin festival through a modern and invigorating program.

An example of the changes she has spearheaded with this goal in mind is the introduction of a new competitive sidebar called Perspectives. It will exclusively showcase feature debuts, providing "a more prominent platform for emerging filmmakers," she said. One of the competing works will win the Best First Feature Award, that comes with a €50,000 ($52,000) cash prize.

Hopefully, along the way, cinema enthusiasts will discover new voices they will want to follow for years to come.

This article was edited by Sarah Hucal.