It’s almost time for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival! The festival, also referred to as Berlinale for short, is the first of the 3 biggest international film events of the year, along with the festivals in Cannes and Venice, which will take place in a few months. The Berlin Film Festival is famously known for its well-rounded, diverse lineup and its awareness of current global issues, reflected in cinema.
Cillian Murphy, star of the highly praised Oppenheimer, Kristen Stewart, Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan, and Hunter Schafer are only a few of the biggest star names that will have movies premiering for the first time at the renowned festival this year.
Berlinale takes place in Berlin, Germany, over the course of 10 days between February 15 and February 25, filled to the brim with new movies, experiences, and notable achievements for the art form and the industry going forward.
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Top 10 New Movies Premiering at Berlinale:
Now that the full program has been officially announced, here’s a quick list of the top 10 movies premiering at Berlinale to watch out for and be most excited about. The list is in no particular order.
10. Love Lies Bleeding
Love Lies Bleeding made its first appearance at the Sundance Film Festival very recently and received a diverse first wave of reviews about the extreme places that it goes to, which makes it that much more intriguing. The midnight thriller is promising to deliver violence, gore, provocative scenes, and much more to the table.
Kristen Stewart, who was also Berlinale’s International Jury President in 2023, plays the lead role of a gym manager in New Mexico, Lou, who falls in love with a female bodybuilder, Jackie. Soon enough, their relationship and their lives are threatened by a web of crimes that Lou’s father is a part of.
9. Small Things Like These
Cillian Murphy has had an insanely successful year, and he doesn’t show any sign of stopping. The Irish actor is not only the biggest headliner in this year’s Oscar race for his portrayal of Robert J. Oppenheimer in the Oppenheimer movie, but he’s also headlining the Berlin Film Festival on its opening night with this new Irish film, based on Claire Keegan’s novel of the same name.
Luckily, we have a whole article about this announcement. Read here to find out more about the cast, release date, and plot details of Small Things Like These.
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8. I Saw the TV Glow
Critics and Sundance Film Festival attendees are raving about this A24 movie, and its international premiere will happen at Berlinale! I Saw the TV Glow is writer-director Jane Schoenburn’s second feature film, and it is described as a “haunting neon masterpiece” that is intelligent in its commentary on pop culture, identity, and isolation.
The unique premise involves a couple teenagers and their obsession with a TV show that might be an actual glimpse into another world. It sounds spooky, strange, and fascinating, with a lot of potential to become a cult classic in the genre.
7. Cuckoo
Hunter Schafer has been on the rise in recent years. Most know her from her iconic role as Jules in Euphoria or as young Tigress in the prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Now, she is taking up the lead role in a new German horror film.
Cuckoo is premiering worldwide at Berlinale, and it’s about a 17-year-old teenager who is forced to move to a resort with her family. The resort, however, is a place where not everything is as it seems. Any other details are still under wraps until the movie comes out.
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6. Spaceman
“An intergalactic odyssey of love, ambition, and self-discovery."
Spaceman is a new addition to the sci-fi genre, revolving around a young man from the Czech Republic, raised by his grandparents, who overcomes everything to become his country’s first astronaut. The cast consists of Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, and more actors that rarely need any introduction.
Netflix has already posted a trailer for Spaceman on YouTube and an official streaming release date of March 1, 2024.
5. Sasquatch Sunset
Perhaps among the most fascinating premises in this year’s festival lineup is the one of Sasquatch Sunset, starring Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Now You See Me) and Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & The Six, The Girlfriend Experience).
A year in the life of a sasquatch family in the wilderness. That’s what this movie is about. It’s a crazy, absurdist, and overly graphic ride that promises to be a polarizing experience audiences will either love or hate, but there’s only one way to find out.
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4. The Outrun
Yet another movie fresh out of the Sundance lineup, The Outrun, focuses on Saoirse Ronan as a young Scottish woman recovering from alcoholism and returning to her roots in the countryside.
Ronan is known for her touching performances in the shoes of complex characters, and she is promising to add yet another one to her filmography in this delicate adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir. Liptrot also helped co-write the screenplay for the adaptation.
3. La Cocina
A black-and-white drama film, starring Rooney Mara, that takes us through a one-day snapshot of life in a restaurant kitchen in New York City.
There’s not much we know about La Cocina just yet, but Rooney Mara in the lead role is enough to spark audience curiosity about what this movie can bring to the table. Mara is most prominently known for her roles in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Carol, Her, and Women Talking.
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2. A Different Man
From the indie hands of A24 production and distribution company, known for their controversial and deeply artistic movies, comes A Different Man, a bold, provocative satire covering some pretty dark and sensitive subject matter. It stars Sebastian Stan, recognized as the Winter Soldier in the Captain America franchise.
Stan plays an aspiring actor who goes through an extreme medical procedure to fix his disfigured face, which causes him self-consciousness and isolation. After the procedure fixes his condition, he begins to understand that his issues can’t be so easily fixed.
1. A Traveler’s Needs
Hong Sang-soo has made a name for himself on the contemporary South Korean cinema scene for his heartfelt, minimalistic studies of everyday human issues and relationships. He’s coming back once again to the Berlin Film Festival with a new film, titled A Traveler’s Needs in English. Sang-soo has had 6 films in the Berlin Film Festival selection since 2020.
A Traveler’s Needs is a lighthearted comedy that, in the true style of the director, hides a big heart and a gentle nature.
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