Berlin Lineup 2026
Screening in Berlin
Set in a small remote Saudi Arabian village, in the 90s when artistic expression was banned, NORAH is a story about the basic human need to communicate through art, in all its forms. Nader, a new schoolteacher and an artist in secret, arrives at the village and meets Norah, a young woman who ignites the creativity inside him and inspires him to paint again. At great risk, they develop a delicate connection and a quiet bond. Nader enlightens Norah on the wider world outside of her tiny community and she realises she must leave, to find a place where she can be free to express her artistic self.
Norah
Directed by Tawfik Alzaidi
Johan, on the cusp of manhood, lives alone with his Mama on a crocodile farm in West Java. Mother and son live in voluntary exile with only a white crocodile as their confidant. Their life of isolation is disrupted when Johan falls for a girl in town, Arumi, setting off a chain of events that threatens the delicate balance of their lives. As the fabric of their world unravels, Mama’s opposition manifests in increasingly bizarre ways...
Crocodile Tears
Directed by Tumpal Tampubolon
After the birth of her first child, Diane disappears in an unknown city, but her body reawakens her memories and what she is fleeing from.
Paradises of Diane
Directed by Carmen Jaquier & Jan Gassmann
Karen lives with her husband Markus and their children in her idyllic childhood home. Karen’s sister Jule and her family are visiting for Markus’ birthday. The two women could not be more different. Grim reminders of their deceased mother incite Jule’s rebellion against her domineering sister. As the house gradually fills with life and a sparrow in the chimney seeks a way out to freedom, Karen becomes increasingly tense – until it all comes to a head and the old is destroyed to make room for the new.
The Sparrow In The Chimney
Directed by Ramon Zürcher
Over the course of a week boomerang is unfolding as a sociological snapshot of modern Tehran with manhood in crisis, a crumbling marriage and a teenage couple falling in love under the eyes of the public.
Boomerang
Directed by Shahab Fotouhi
BEST FILM ** FIPRESCI AWARD ** SPECIAL MENTION FOR BEST CINEMATOGGRAPHY VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2024
On December 20th, 1989, Romania stands on the brink of revolution. The streets are alive with demonstrations, students mock the regime through art, and New Year’s shows glorify Ceausescu. Yet, behind closed doors, families grapple with personal conflicts and the omnipresent Secret Police.
Six seemingly disconnected lives intersect in unexpected ways. As tensions reach a boiling point, an explosive moment brings them together, culminating in the dramatic fall of Ceausescu and the communist regime.
The New Year That Never Came
Directed by Bogdan Muresanu
In 1981 Vienna, Perla, a dissident artist and single mother, struggles to build a stable life for her daughter Julia, a gifted young pianist. But when Julia’s estranged father reappears after years of absence, claiming to be gravely ill, Perla is forced to make a dangerous journey back to communist Czechoslovakia. This perilous return compels her to confront a past she thought she had left behind, jeopardizing her present to protect her future.
Perla
Directed by Alexandra Makarová
The feature documentary offers an intimate, first-hand perspective on life under siege in Gaza, captured through video calls between Farsi and young Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, who was tragically killed in an airstrike on her home, just one day after the film’s Cannes selection was announced. Combining raw immediacy with deep humanity, Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk portrays daily life during the conflict through the eyes of a generation caught in an endless cycle of war and living under siege.
Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk
Directed by Sepideh Farsi
After a family tragedy, siblings Ella and Charlie are unexpectedly woken up by their dad and taken on a journey across the country, experiencing a world they’ve never seen before. As their adventure unfolds, Ella begins to understand that things might not be what they seem.
Omaha
Directed by Cole Webley
“Elusive, troubling and densely-crafted both visually and sonically, Milk Teeth is not quite like any film we have yet seen from contemporary Romanian cinema.”
SCREEN
“A sophomore effort that should travel far and wide based on the recent pedigree of Romanian cinema, as well as its ability to tick multiple boxes (historical context, genre elements, a carefully judged performance by the very young lead actress).”
THE FILM VERDICT
“Milk Teeth suggests that what is tender could be temporary and easily lost. Buoyed by strong visuals, this sophomore film describes fear on a different plane—not overt oppression or transgressions, but a stinging indifference, making for an engrossing triple-layered look into painful transitions.”
ION CINEMA
Romania, 1989. The twilight of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship. In a small, isolated town, Maria, a ten-year-old girl, is the last person to witness her sister disappearing before her eyes. Torn apart by the loss, she tries to make sense of a new, terrifying reality. Can she summon the courage to grow up?
“The film, and Hassona’s eye-opening photographs, will one day be added to the historical record detailing what happened in Gaza – which, in a broader sense, is also about what has happened to our civilization.
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Farsi’s film now stands as a powerful memorial to someone who was both ordinary and extraordinary.
SCREEN
“Despite its tragic outcome, the film proves stirring in its capacity for hope against all odds, while also placing on full display the cost of occupation, portraying the full extent of the lives and dreams dashed by war.”
VARIETY
US release on April 24, 2026
"While the drama depicts a situation most parents would find unthinkable, it does so with unfailing compassion and sensitivity (...) Omaha delivers a haunting payoff."
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"Intimate road trip drama about a father in crisis exudes visual lyricism and emotional honesty (...) John Magaro stars in a tenderly devastating debut feature alongside two child actors who astound with the spontaneity of their heartfelt performances."
VARIETY
"Critics will rally to Omaha (...). It also announces Webley and his DoP Paul Meyers as significant talents to watch – not to mention its cast, particularly the young Molly Belle Wright and the weathered John Magaro, as her dad (...) Most importantly, though, it begs for forgiveness and understanding, then and now. It’s a plea Omahamakes more eloquently than you might have imagined."
SCREEN
"Magaro, looking uncannily like a young Dustin Hoffman, is terrific in this role, and we have such empathy for him - a man for whom dire circumstances are forcing him to find a way, any way, to keep his family together."
DEADLINE
Titles We May Have Missed in 2025
Milk Teeth
Directed by Mihai Mincan
A bankrupt film studio lies frozen and abandoned. Zha, a lonely janitor, escapes his empty life through a vivid virtual world, where he enters an online romance and dreams of traveling to the Moon. When the illusion collapses, the studio’s real destruction is turned into the set of a sci-fi film.
In Light Pillar, reality is animated and the virtual world is live-action. A formal reversal that creates a cinematic experience never seen before.
OFFICIAL SCREENINGS
Fri 13 - 10 AM - Bluemax Theater (Press Screening)
Sat 14 - 9:45 PM - Bluemax Theater (World Premiere)
Sun 15 - 6:45 PM - Cubix 9
Mon 16 - 4:30 PM - Cubix 8
Wed 18 - 4 PM - Colosseum 1
MARKET SCREENINGS
Sun 15 - 12:10 PM - CinemaxX 2
Sun 15 - 3 PM - Virtual Cinema 12
Mon 16 - 3 PM - Virtual Cinema 12
Light Pillar
Directed by Xu Zao
“Reminiscent of Charlotte Wells’ "Aftersun"."
“astute writing and assuredly bittersweet performances take the story into singular, surprising places.”
“An expression of the purest, most genuine endearment.”
"Unvarnished and truthful."
VARIETY
"A Stunning Portrayal of Wild Girlhood
"Enthralling performances, strong direction, and sensory filmmaking.”
“Breathes new life into a classic indie premise.”
THE PLAYLIST
“A filmmaker bold enough to end her film without any traditional closure. More of that, please.
“I found myself holding my breath more than once.”
ROGER EBERT
“This gritty, exquisite gem.”
THE CONTENDING
“A profoundly rewarding experience.”
“Strikingly authentic performances.”
NEXT BEST PICTURE
“A great debut feature film.”
LOUD AND CLEAR
“Aristidou shows remarkable restraint as a storyteller.”
SILVER SCREEN RIOT
On Release
MARKET SCREENINGS
Sun 15 - 10:35 AM - CinemaxX 4
Sun 15 - 2:45 PM - Virtual Cinema 8
Mon 16 - 10 AM - Virtual Cinema
11-year-old Iris learns her estranged father, Aris, is back in town for his own father’s funeral. Determined to know him, Iris tracks him down to a dilapidated shipyard, where he’s been keeping to himself. What begins as a stubborn attempt to reconnect slowly unfolds into a fragile bond.
Hold Onto Me
Directed by Myrsini Aristidou
Recently divorced David goes on a camping vacation to the Adriatic with his two teenage kids, Klara and Teo. With the arrival of a local beach bum who steals Klara’s heart, old wounds open up that threaten to wreck family relationships that have been built on half-truths, deceit and lies. What version of the truth should you tell your loved ones when the police show up at your tent?
Ungrateful Beings
Directed by Olmo Omerzu
“A sly, skillfully sustained Czech drama about a family fractured by anorexia. What at first appears to be a run-of-the-mill trauma drama about a family dealing with the eldest child’s anorexia nervosa gradually evolves into something odder and more original, even blackly comic.”
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER