Berlinale film festival reveals parts of programme

The upcoming Berlin International Film Festival will include films from directors Richard Linklater, Michel Franco and Hong Sang Soo in the competition for the festival's top prize, the Golden Bear, the organizers said on Tuesday.

The 75th edition of the festival, known as the Berlinale, is due to take place from February 13 to 23. Berlinale organizers revealed portions of the programme at a launch event on Tuesday in Berlin.

Films with Hollywood stars such as Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Chastain, Marion Cotillard and Margaret Qualley will be shown at the festival, they said.

This time, 19 films representing 26 different countries will be screened in the Berlinale Competition section, they said.

Among the entrants are Linklater's "Blue Moon," which tells the story of songwriter Lorenz Hart, who finds himself in a life crisis. The cast includes Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott.

"If I Had Legs I'd Kick You," director by Mary Bronstein, is also in the competition. The film stars US rapper ASAP Rocky, actress Rose Byrne and US talk show host Conan O'Brien.

Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle, who is leading the festival for the first time this year, sought to downplay political controversy around the event after sharp criticism of the Israeli government at the 2024 edition prompted accusations of anti-Semitism from some German politicians.

In particular, remarks by an Israeli-Palestinian filmmaking duo condemning the Israeli treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the war in the Gaza Strip drew outrage from pro-Israeli German officials.

Tuttle contended on Tuesday that the Berlinale is about more than politics, and expressed hope that visitors would focus on the vibrancy of the art form and the films being shown.

Many filmmakers from Arab countries have approached the Berlinale in recent weeks to ensure that the festival is a space for open dialogue and discourse, said Tuttle.

She said organizers are hoping to have individual conversations with filmmakers about that issue.

The Berlinale recently announced the first films to be included in the programme, including "Mickey 17," a new science fiction film by the award-winning director of "Parasite," Bong Joon Ho, starring Robert Pattinson.

The film will not be part of the Berlinale competition but will be screened as part of a special gala.

The biopic "A Complete Unknown" about music legend Bob Dylan, starring Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet, will also be shown in its German premiere in the Special Gala series, the organizers announced on Tuesday.

Chalamet is expected to come to Berlin for the screening. The German cinema release is scheduled for February 27, shortly after the festival ends.

The film has already been released internationally in many countries.

Directed by James Mangold, "A Complete Unknown" is about the early career of US singer-songwriter Dylan, covering his arrival in New York and decision to use electric instruments which shocked the 1960s folk scene.