A new competitive section Encounters will be introduced in the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival with the goal to support new voices in cinema and to give more room to diverse narrative and documentary forms in the official program.
The 15 titles chosen for Encounters presents a different way of interpreting the cinematic story: autobiographical, intimate, political, social, philosophical, epic, surreal.
Cristi Puiu’s new work will open this kaleidoscopic gallery. A journey through time and thought, Malmkrog is a major work, a tour de force of words and mise en scène, a fresco that fascinates with precision and inventiveness. The following films are made by already admired directors (Decker, Emigholz, Kossakovsky, Kluge/ Khavn, Piñeiro, Ostrochovský, Restrepo, Sutton, Winter/Edström) and others which the festival has discovered along the way (Singh, Vasconcelos, Waelde, Wollner, Wilczyński).
During the Festival, the 70th anniversary will be celebrated with the special program “On Transmission”. Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian has invited seven notable directors who will in turn each bring a guest to discuss cinematic art. Each conversation will be framed by two film screenings: the film by the contributing director and a contemporary work they have chosen.
Encounters Program
Funny Face
USA
by Tim Sutton
with Cosmo Jarvis, Dela Meskienyar, Jonny Lee Miller, Victor Garber, Jeremy Bobb, Rhea Pearlman, Dan Hedaya
World premiere
Gunda
Norway / USA
by Victor Kossakovsky
World premiere / Documentary form
Isabella
Argentina
by Matías Piñeiro
with María Villar, Agustina Muñoz, Pablo Sigal, Gabi Saidón
World premiere
Laila aur satt geet (The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs)
India
by Pushpendra Singh
with Navjot Randhawa, Sadakkit Bijran, Shahnawaz Bhatt, Ranjit Khajuria, Mohammed Yaseen
World premiere
Los Conductos
France / Colombia / Brazil
by Camilo Restrepo
with Luis Felipe Lozano, Fernando Úsaga Higuíta
World premiere / Debut film
Die letzte Stadt (The Last City)
Germany
by Heinz Emigholz
with John Erdman, Jonathan Perel, Young Sun Han, Dorothy Ko, Susanne Sachsse, Laurean Wagner
World premiere
Malmkrog
Romania / Serbia / Switzerland / Sweden / Bosnia / North Macedonia
by Cristi Puiu
with Frédéric Schulz-Richard, Agathe Bosch, Diana Sakalauskaité, Marina Palii, Ugo Broussot, István Téglás
World premiere
A metamorfose dos pássaros (The Metamorphosis of Birds)
Portugal
by Catarina Vasconcelos
World premiere / Documentary form / Debut film
Nackte Tiere (Naked Animals)
Germany
by Melanie Waelde
with Marie Tragousti, Sammy Scheuritzel, Michelangelo Fortuzzi, Luna Schaller, Paul Michael Stiehler
World premiere / Debut film
Orphea
Germany
by Alexander Kluge, Khavn
with Lilith Stangenberg, Ian Madrigal
World premiere
Shirley
USA
by Josephine Decker
with Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young, Logan Lerman
International premiere
Služobníci (Servants)
Slovakia / Romania / Czech Republic / Ireland
by Ivan Ostrochovský
with Samuel Skyva, Samuel Polakovič, Vlad Ivanov, Vladimír Strnisko
World premiere
The Trouble with Being Born
Austria / Germany
by Sandra Wollner
with Lena Watson, Ingrid Burkhard, Dominik Warta, Jana McKinnon
World premiere
The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
USA / Sweden / Japan / Hong Kong, China / United Kingdom
by C.W. Winter, Anders Edström
with Tayoko Shiojiri, Hiroharu Shikata, Ryo Kase, Mai Edström
World premiere
Zabij to i wyjedz z tego miasta (Kill It and Leave This Town)
Poland
by Mariusz Wilczyński
with the voices of Krystyna Janda, Andrzej Chyra, Maja Ostaszewska, Małgorzata Kożuchowska
World premiere / Animation / Debut film
“On Transmission” Program
Friday, February 21, 2020
Testről és lélekről (On Body and Soul)
Hungary 2017
by Ildikó Enyedi
with Géza Morcsányi, Alexandra Borbély, Zoltán Schneider
Berlinale award-winner Ildikó Enyedi in dialogue with Zsófia Szilágyi.
Following the conversation:
Egy Nap (One Day)
Hungary 2018
by Zsófia Szilágyi
with Zsófia Szamosi, Leó Füredi, Annamária Láng
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Cesare deve morire (Caesar Must Die)
Italy 2012
by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
with Cosimo Rega, Salvatore Striano, Giovanni Arcuri, Antonio Frasca
Berlinale award-winner Paolo Taviani in dialogue with Carlo Sironi.
Following the conversation:
Sole
Italy / Poland 2019
by Carlo Sironi
with Sandra Drzymalska, Claudio Segaluscio, Barbara Ronchi, Bruno Buzzi, Marco Felli, Vitaliano Trevisan
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Heller Wahn (Sheer Madness)
Federal Republic of Germany 1983
by Margarethe von Trotta
with Hanna Schygulla, Angela Winkler, Peter Striebeck, Christine Fersen
World premiere of the digitally restored version in 4K DCP
Berlinale director Margarethe von Trotta in dialogue with Ina Weisse.
Following the conversation:
Der Architekt (The Architect)
Germany 2008
by Ina Weisse
with Josef Bierbichler, Hilde van Miegheim, Matthias Schweighöfer, Sandra Hüller, Sophie Rois, Lucas Zolger
Monday, February 24, 2020
Xiao Wu (Artisan Pickpocket)
People’s Republic of China 1998
by Jia Zhang-Ke
with Wang Hongwei, Zuo Baitao, Hao Hongjian
World premiere of the digitally restored version
in 4K DCP
Berlinale director Jia Zhang-Ke in dialogue with Huo Meng.
Following the conversation:
Guo Zhao Guan (Crossing the Border – Zhaoguan)
People’s Republic of China 2018
by Huo Meng
with Yang Taiyi, Li Yunhu, Wan Zhong
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
35 rhums (35 Shots of Rum)
France / Germany 2008
by Claire Denis
with Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Nicole Dogué, Grégoire Colin
Berlinale director Claire Denis in dialogue with Olivier Assayas.
Following the conversation:
Irma Vep
France 1996
by Olivier Assayas
with Maggie Cheung, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Nathalie Richard
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
En kärlekshistoria (A Swedish Love Story)
Sweden 1970
by Roy Andersson
with Ann-Sofie Kylin, Rolf Sohlman, Anita Lindblom, Bertil Norström, Lennart Tellfeldt, Margreth Weivers
Berlinale director Roy Andersson in dialogue with Niki Lindroth von Bahr.
Following the conversation:
Short Film Programme
with films by Niki Lindroth von Bahr
Sweden
Tord och Tord (Tord and Tord) 2010, 11’
Simhall (Bath House) 2014, 15’
Min Börda (The Burden) 2017, 14’
Något att minnas (Something to Remember) 2019, 5’
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Brokeback Mountain
USA 2005
by Ang Lee
with Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Williams
TBC
Berlinale award-winner Ang Lee in dialogue with Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Following the conversation:
Wandafuru Raifu (After Life)
Japan 1998
by Hirokazu Kore-eda
with Arata, Erika Oda, Kyōko Kagawa, Susumu Terajima, Takashi Naitô