2021 Berlin Film Festival lineup: New films from Céline Sciamma, Hong Sangsoo, Maria Schrader, Daniel Brühl for hybrid events

New films from Céline Sciamma, Hong Sangsoo and the directorial debut of actor Daniel Brühl highlight the lineup for the 71st Berlin Film Festival, announced on Thursday.

Of the 15 competition films, 33% are from female filmmakers (either directed or co-directed). This is on par with last year’s competition, when six of the 18 competition titles were directed or co-directed by women.

The 71st edition of Berlinale will be a hybrid event, taking place in two distinct stages. The European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund will be online only from March 1-5. June 9-20 will potentially be a physical summer public event, depending on the state of the current coronavirus pandemic, which has entered its 14th month worldwide.

Competition Titles

“Albatros” (Drift Away)
Country: France
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Cast: Jérémie Renier, Marie-Julie Maille, Victor Belmondo
Logline: Set in northern France, the film, which explores philosophical and existential questions, follows a police officer on a journey of self-discovery.

“Babardeală cu buclucsau porno balamuc” (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)
Country: Romania/Luxemburg/Croatia/Czech Republic
Director: Radu Jude
Cast: Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Mălai
Logline: An irreverent, yet political film that takes a look at contemporary Romania seen through the filters of a revenge porn story.

“Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde” (Fabian – Going to the Dogs)
Country: Germany
Director: Dominik Graf
Cast: Tom Schilling, Saskia Rosendahl, Albrecht Schuch
Logline: Based on the well-known novel “Fabian: The Story of a Moralist,” by Erich Kästner, the coming-of-age film is a moral journey through time and space set during the end of the Weimar Republic in the 1920s.

“Ghasideyeh gave sefid” (Ballad of a White Cow)
Countries: Iran/France
Directors: Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam
Cast: Maryam Moghaddam, Alireza Sanifar
Logline: Exploring themes of guilt and atonement, the film follows a woman whose husband has been unjustly executed in contemporary Iran.

“Guzen to sozo” (Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy)
Country: Japan
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Cast: Kotone Furukawa, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Fusako Urabe
Logline: A bittersweet tribute to women where the writing flows organically with the characters.

“Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse” (Mr Bachmann and His Class)
Country: Germany
Director: Maria Speth
Cast: Dieter Bachmann and pupils of class 6b
Logline: Filmed and edited over the last decade, this documentary is a tribute to a great teacher and looks at the classroom as a microcosm of society.

“Ich bin dein Mensch” (I’m Your Man)
Country: Germany
Director: Maria Schrader
Cast: Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens, Sandra Hüller
Logline: This sci-fi film flips the traditional romantic comedy and features a Prince Charming who is not chosen by a woman, but designed to her taste.

“Inteurodeoksyeon” (Introduction)
Country: Republic of Korea
Director: Hong Sangsoo
Cast: Shin Seokho, Park Miso, Kim Minhee
Logline: Partly shot in Berlin, the film follows a young man who tries to find his way in the face of his parents’ wishes and impositions.

“Memory Box”
Countries: France/Lebanon/Canada/Qatar
Directors: Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
Cast: Rim Turki, Manal Issa, Paloma Vauthier
Logline: Three generations of women who are relocated to Canada, deal with memories of their country of origin, Lebanon.

“Nebenan” (Next Door)
Country: Germany
Director: Daniel Brühl
Cast: Daniel Brühl, Peter Kurth
Logline: A tribute to the contradiction of Berlin in the 21st century, the film explores several characters, including a famous film actor and his neighbor, as their lives collide.

“Petite Maman”
Country: France
Director: Céline Sciamma
Cast: Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse
Logline: The director returns to her pet themes of kids and rites of passage, shot through with magic realism.

Ras vkhedavt, rodesac cas vukurebt? (What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?)
Countries: Germany/Georgia
Director: Alexandre Koberidze
Cast: Ani Karseladze, Giorgi Bochorishvili, Vakhtang Fanchulidze
Logline: In Georgia, a young man and woman meet and are separated by destiny.

“Rengeteg – mindenhol látlak” (Forest – I See You Everywhere)
Country: Hungary
Director: Bence Fliegauf
Cast: Laura Podlovics, István Lénárt, Lilla Kizlinger, Zsolt Végh, László Cziffer, Juli Jakab, Ági Gubík
Logline: A sequel to Fliegauf’s 2003 Berlin title “Forest,” the Hungary-set film challenges physicality and shatters boundaries.

“Természetes fény” (Natural Light)
Countries: Hungary/Latvia/France/Germany
Director: Dénes Nagy
Cast: Ferenc Szabó, Tamás Garbacz, László Bajkó
Logline: An officer from the Hungarian army is ordered to scout an area where Russian partisans fight against the occupation of the Third Reich.

“Una Película de Policías” (A Cop Movie)
Country: Mexico
Director: Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cast: Mónica Del Carmen, Raúl Briones
Logline: Set on the mean streets of Mexico city, fiction and documentary intertwine in this portrayal of the life of a police officer.

Berlinale Special Titles

“Best Sellers”
Country: Canada/U.K.
Director: Lina Roessler
Cast: Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza

“Courage”
Country: Germany
Director: Aliaksei Paluyan
Cast: Maryna Yakubovich, Pavel Haradnizky, Denis Tarasenka

“French Exit”
Countries: Canada/Ireland
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer, Lucas Hedges, Valerie Mahaffey, Imogen Poots

“Je suis Karl”
Countries: Germany/Czech Republic
Director: Christian Schwochow
Cast: Luna Wedler, Jannis Niewöhner, Milan Peschel

“Language Lessons”
Country: U.S.
Director: Natalie Morales
Cast: Natalie Morales, Mark Duplass, Desean Terry

“Limbo”
Countries: Hong Kong/People’s Republic of China
Director: Cheang Soi
Cast: Lam Ka Tung, Liu Cya, Lee Mason, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi

“The Mauritanian”
Country: U.K.
Director Kevin Macdonald
Cast: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch

“Per Lucio” (For Lucio)
Country: Italy
Director: Pietro Marcello
Cast: Lucio Dalla

“Tides”
Countries: Germany/Switzerland
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Cast: Nora Arnezedar, Iain Glen, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina

“Tina”
Country: U.S.
Directors: Dan Lindsay, T. J. Martin
Cast: Tina Turner, Angela Bassett, Oprah Winfrey, Katori Hall

“Wer wir waren” (Who We Were)
Country: Germany
Director: Marc Bauder
Cast: Alexander Gerst, Sylvia Erle, Dennis Snower, Matthieu Ricard

You can find the complete lineup including Panorama, Shorts, Retrospectives and special sections here.