Tickets go on sale starting February 10 at 10 a.m. and the festival kicks off on February 13 with Tom Tykwer’s “The Light.” The Honorary Golden Bear will go to Tilda Swinton, whose nearly four-decade acting career has included 26 films in the Berlinale 2025 program.
To celebrate the festival’s anniversary, the opening film and ceremony will be live-streamed from the Berlinale Palast to cinemas in seven cities across the country.Â
Taking the reins this year is Tricia Tuttle, an American curator and journalist who previously headed the BFI London Film Festival. She benefits from a funding boost of nearly €2 million from the German Culture Ministry, bringing the festival’s budget to a total of almost €13 million.
The hike “allows us to deliver the festival with a balanced budget this year and allows us to realize the festival in the way that we want to in the 75th anniversary year,”
Tuttle said at the opening press conference.
Tuttle’s team chose an idiosyncratic mix of films, balancing some festival favorites with celebrity intrigue. Todd Haynes, a pioneer of New Queer Cinema whose feature debut “Poison” won Berlin’s Teddy Award for queer cinema in 1991, will helm the jury who will pick the festival’s top film.
Perhaps the hottest ticket in this year’s competition is Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon,” a Broadway biopic featuring Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley. Linklater’s last visit to Berlin was for 2014’s “Boyhood” where the celebrated American filmmaker won the Silver Bear for Best Director.
Several other Berlinale 2025 heavyweights are returning to the competition this year. Romanian director Radu Jude, who won the Golden Bear in 2021 for “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn,” will premiere his new film “Kontinental '25.” Hong Sang-soo, the South Korean director who picked up his fifth Silver Bear last year for “A Traveler’s Needs,” returns to the competition with “What Does That Nature Say to You.” And Chinese director Vivian Qu, producer of 2014’s Golden Bear-winning “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” will premiere “Girls on Wire.”
This year’s competition features just one documentary, “Timestamp,” about teachers and students affected by the war in Ukraine. Last year’s competition featured three, including the eventual Golden Bear winner “Dahomey” about the restitution of looted artifacts to Benin.
French cinema has a strong presence this year, with five films in competition, including The Ice Tower, starring Marion Cotillard as an actress shooting an adaptation of a fairy tale.Â
Other highlights include “Hot Milk,” the only directorial debut in the competition. It comes from Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the screenwriter of “Ida” and “She Said.” The film stars Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, and Vicki Krieps.
And Mexican director Michael Franco reteams with Jessica Chastain after 2023’s “Memory” for a new feature, “Dreams” about a Mexican ballet dancer who tries to make it big in the United States.Â
“There are intimate dramas that ask us to understand our human fragilities and strengths; there is gentle comedy but also the sharpest, blackest satire; there are films that pay homage to cinematic greats and ones that use the art form’s fullest canvas,”
Tuttle said in a press release.
Beyond the Competition: Special Gala & Panorama Highlights
The battle for the Golden Bear in the main competition won’t be the only section worth watching.Â
In Berlinale’s “Special Gala” section, the festival will host star-studded screenings like the German premiere of “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet and nominated for eight Academy Awards. The celebrated “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho finally follows up his Palme D’or winner with “Mickey 17” starring Robert Pattinson, after the 2023 Hollywood actors’ union strikes delayed its release.
Rounding out the “Special Gala” screenings is “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” a new series from Australian director Justin Kurzel starring Jacob Elordi.
It’s not yet clear whether Chalamet, Pattinson, or Elordi will grace the red carpet, as the full list of attendees drops on February 4. But stars including Chastain, Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard are all already confirmed.
In Berlinale’s “Panorama” section, focused on queer film, attendees can look forward to indie giant Ira Sachs’ new feature, “Peter Hujar's Day,” starring Whishaw and Hall. In “Generation,” the section focused on children's films, the innovative French director Michel Gondry will bring his paper cut-out-animated film, “Maya, Give Me a Title.”
This year, the festival will close its “Encounters” section, which focuses on independent film. In its place, a new “Perspectives” section will feature international debuts.
Tickets for most screenings go on sale online three days before showtimes and are limited to two per person, until the end of the festival on February 23. Even if a particular showtime is sold out, attendees should continue to refresh the page periodically as additional tickets are often released.
Regular screenings cost €15 or €10 for schoolchildren, apprentices, students, people with disabilities, unemployed people, Bürgergeld benefit recipients, Berlin-Ticket S holders, and participants in the Federal Voluntary Service. Special screenings, like those at the Berlinale Palast cost €20 or €13 for the reduced tier.
Â
As Berlinale 2025 celebrates 75 years of cinematic excellence, it promises an unforgettable lineup of films, special screenings, and exclusive premieres. Whether you're a passionate cinephile or a casual moviegoer, this year's festival offers something for everyone. Stay updated on the Berlinale program and screenings to make the most of your experience!
Related Articles:
Tickets go on sale starting February 10 at 10 a.m. and the festival kicks off on February 13 with Tom Tykwer’s “The Light.” The Honorary Golden Bear will go to Tilda Swinton, whose nearly four-decade acting career has included 26 films in the Berlinale 2025 program.
To celebrate the festival’s anniversary, the opening film and ceremony will be live-streamed from the Berlinale Palast to cinemas in seven cities across the country.Â
Taking the reins this year is Tricia Tuttle, an American curator and journalist who previously headed the BFI London Film Festival. She benefits from a funding boost of nearly €2 million from the German Culture Ministry, bringing the festival’s budget to a total of almost €13 million.
The hike “allows us to deliver the festival with a balanced budget this year and allows us to realize the festival in the way that we want to in the 75th anniversary year,”
Tuttle said at the opening press conference.
Tuttle’s team chose an idiosyncratic mix of films, balancing some festival favorites with celebrity intrigue. Todd Haynes, a pioneer of New Queer Cinema whose feature debut “Poison” won Berlin’s Teddy Award for queer cinema in 1991, will helm the jury who will pick the festival’s top film.
Perhaps the hottest ticket in this year’s competition is Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon,” a Broadway biopic featuring Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley. Linklater’s last visit to Berlin was for 2014’s “Boyhood” where the celebrated American filmmaker won the Silver Bear for Best Director.
Several other Berlinale 2025 heavyweights are returning to the competition this year. Romanian director Radu Jude, who won the Golden Bear in 2021 for “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn,” will premiere his new film “Kontinental '25.” Hong Sang-soo, the South Korean director who picked up his fifth Silver Bear last year for “A Traveler’s Needs,” returns to the competition with “What Does That Nature Say to You.” And Chinese director Vivian Qu, producer of 2014’s Golden Bear-winning “Black Coal, Thin Ice,” will premiere “Girls on Wire.”
This year’s competition features just one documentary, “Timestamp,” about teachers and students affected by the war in Ukraine. Last year’s competition featured three, including the eventual Golden Bear winner “Dahomey” about the restitution of looted artifacts to Benin.
French cinema has a strong presence this year, with five films in competition, including The Ice Tower, starring Marion Cotillard as an actress shooting an adaptation of a fairy tale.Â
Other highlights include “Hot Milk,” the only directorial debut in the competition. It comes from Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the screenwriter of “Ida” and “She Said.” The film stars Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, and Vicki Krieps.
And Mexican director Michael Franco reteams with Jessica Chastain after 2023’s “Memory” for a new feature, “Dreams” about a Mexican ballet dancer who tries to make it big in the United States.Â
“There are intimate dramas that ask us to understand our human fragilities and strengths; there is gentle comedy but also the sharpest, blackest satire; there are films that pay homage to cinematic greats and ones that use the art form’s fullest canvas,”
Tuttle said in a press release.
Beyond the Competition: Special Gala & Panorama Highlights
The battle for the Golden Bear in the main competition won’t be the only section worth watching.Â
In Berlinale’s “Special Gala” section, the festival will host star-studded screenings like the German premiere of “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet and nominated for eight Academy Awards. The celebrated “Parasite” director Bong Joon-ho finally follows up his Palme D’or winner with “Mickey 17” starring Robert Pattinson, after the 2023 Hollywood actors’ union strikes delayed its release.
Rounding out the “Special Gala” screenings is “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” a new series from Australian director Justin Kurzel starring Jacob Elordi.
It’s not yet clear whether Chalamet, Pattinson, or Elordi will grace the red carpet, as the full list of attendees drops on February 4. But stars including Chastain, Ben Whishaw, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard are all already confirmed.
In Berlinale’s “Panorama” section, focused on queer film, attendees can look forward to indie giant Ira Sachs’ new feature, “Peter Hujar's Day,” starring Whishaw and Hall. In “Generation,” the section focused on children's films, the innovative French director Michel Gondry will bring his paper cut-out-animated film, “Maya, Give Me a Title.”
This year, the festival will close its “Encounters” section, which focuses on independent film. In its place, a new “Perspectives” section will feature international debuts.
Tickets for most screenings go on sale online three days before showtimes and are limited to two per person, until the end of the festival on February 23. Even if a particular showtime is sold out, attendees should continue to refresh the page periodically as additional tickets are often released.
Regular screenings cost €15 or €10 for schoolchildren, apprentices, students, people with disabilities, unemployed people, Bürgergeld benefit recipients, Berlin-Ticket S holders, and participants in the Federal Voluntary Service. Special screenings, like those at the Berlinale Palast cost €20 or €13 for the reduced tier.
Â
As Berlinale 2025 celebrates 75 years of cinematic excellence, it promises an unforgettable lineup of films, special screenings, and exclusive premieres. Whether you're a passionate cinephile or a casual moviegoer, this year's festival offers something for everyone. Stay updated on the Berlinale program and screenings to make the most of your experience!
Related Articles:
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