Even though we still are dealing with the post-fall film festival hangover, it’s time to start looking ahead to 2019. We’ve already seen the year’s first major festival, Sundance, reveal most of its lineup, and now, the Berlin International Film Festival has followed suit. However, instead of releasing its full selection of films, we’re only getting a taste of what’s to come. But judging by what the festival is revealing already, 2019 is sure to be another strong year for Berlin.
READ MORE: 18 Sundance Film Festival 2019 Premieres That Already Have Our Attention
While the fest doesn’t carry the same high-profile that TIFF, Venice, or Cannes share, the Berlin International Film Festival regularly features some of the year’s biggest films. Last year alone, Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs,” Gus Van Sant’s “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot,” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Unsane” all competed for the coveted Golden Bear. And in 2019, we’ve already got two acclaimed filmmakers set to compete, with Golden Globe winner Fatih Akin and François Ozon both set to compete.
Heavy hitters include Akin, known for critically acclaimed international fare such as “Head-On,” “The Edge of Heaven” and most recently “In The Fade” which earned Diane Kruger the Best Actress at Cannes last year. German chose the film Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards and the film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Ozon has achieved international acclaim for several of his films including “8 femmes” (2002) and “Swimming Pool” (2003) and he’s a staple at international film festivals around the world.
As mentioned above, this is just the first wave of announcements. We are expecting probably a dozen more for the main competition, and the rest of the programs to fill out in the coming weeks.
The 2019 Berlin International Film Festival begins February 7, 2019.
Here’s the first group of films selected for next year’s event:
Berlinale 2019:
Competition
Der Boden unter den Füßen (The Ground Beneath My Feet) – Austria
by Marie Kreutzer (The Fatherless, We Used to be Cool)
with Valerie Pachner, Pia Hierzegger, Mavie Hörbiger, Michelle Barthel, Marc Benjamin, Axel Sichrovsky, Dominic Marcus Singer, Meo Wulf
World premiere
Der Goldene Handschuh(The Golden Glove) – Germany / France
by Fatih Akin (Head On, In the Fade)
with Jonas Dassler, Margarethe Tiesel, Hark Bohm
World premiere
Grâce à dieu (By the Grace of God) – France
by François Ozon (8 Women, In the House)
with Melvil Poupaud, Denis Ménochet, Swann Arlaud, Éric Caravaca, François Marthouret, Bernard Verley, Martine Erhel, Josiane Balasko, Hélène Vincent, François Chattot, Frédéric Pierrot
International premiere
Ich war zuhause, aber (I Was at Home, but) – Germany / Serbia
by Angela Schanelec (The Dreamed Path, Marseille)
with Maren Eggert, Franz Rogowski, Lilith Stangenberg, Jakob Lassalle, Clara Möller
World premiere
Kız Kardeşler (A Tale of Three Sisters) – Turkey / Germany / Netherlands / Greece
by Emin Alper (Beyond the Hill, Frenzy)
with Cemre Ebüzziya, Ece Yüksel, Helin Kandemir, Kayhan Açikgöz, Müfit Kayacan, Kubilay Tunçer
World premiere
Répertoire des villes disparues (Ghost Town Anthology)
Canada
by Denis Côté(Vic + Flo Saw a Bear, Bestiaire)
with Robert Naylor, Josée Deschênes, Jean-Michel Anctil, Larissa Corriveau, Rémi Goulet, Diane Lavallée, Hubert Proulx, Rachel Graton, Normand Carrière, Jocelyne Zucco
World premiere
Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt-Palast
Gully Boy – India
by Zoya Akhtar (You Won’t Get This Life Again, Lust Stories)
with Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Vijay Raaz, Amruta Subhash, Vijay Verma
World premiere
Berlinale Special at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele
Brecht – Germany / Austria
by Heinrich Breloer (The Manns – Novel of a Century, Buddenbrooks – The Decline of a Family)
with Burghart Klaußner, Tom Schilling, Adele Neuhauser, Trine Dyrholm, Mala Emde, Franz Hartwig, Friederike Becht, Ernst Stötzner, Lou Strenger
World premiere
Watergate – Documentary – USA
by Charles Ferguson (No End in Sight, Inside Job)
with Douglas Hodge, Jill Wine-Banks, Dan Rather, Lesley Stahl, Richard Ben-Veniste
European premiere