Richard LInklater, Michel Franco and Hong Sang-soo in the selection

Four French or French-speaking films, including “La Cache”, by Lionel Baier with Michel Blanc in his latest role, will also be in the running for the Golden Bear at the 75th Berlin Film Festival, which will be held from February 13 to 23, 2025. With, out of competition, the world premiere of “Mickey17”, by Bong Joon-ho with Robert Pattinson.

Dhe big names in auteur cinema, stars and a few bets: the competition for the 75th Berlinale, which will take place from February 13 to 23, 2025 under the presidency of the jury by American filmmaker Todd Haynes, was revealed this Tuesday, January 21 by the new festival director, Tricia Tuttle. And it looks promising.

Among the regulars, the American Richard LInklater (Silver Bear for best director for Boyhood in 2014) will come and present Blue Moona musical biopic about the final days of lyricist Lorenz Hart (one half of the famous musical comedy writing duo Rodgers & Hart) starring Ethan Hawke in the title role, alongside Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott. Mexican Michel Franco will also compete for the Golden Bear for his new feature film with Jessica Chastain, Dreamsthe story, shot in San Francisco, of a forbidden relationship between a woman who works for an artistic foundation and a ballet dancer. No Berlinale without Hong Sang-soo (who already has four silver bears to his name!): the prolific Korean filmmaker arrives with What Does That Nature Say to You whose hero is a young poet. And, four years after the very (un)breezy Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Pornwe are very curious to discover the new “ofni” (unidentified film object) by Radu Jude, Continental ’25which the Romanian director describes as “a modest attempt at dialogue with certain themes ofEurope 51 by Rossellini ».

French or French-speaking cinema will, as every year, be well represented with four films in competition. But with a very auteurist, if not cutting-edge, dimension, through the new opuses of three formalist filmmakers: Lucile Hadžihalilović recruited Marion Cotillard to interpret… a tyrannical film star who plays the Snow Queen in The ice towerand the Belgian duo Hélène Cattet/Bruno Forzani revisits spy cinema in Reflection in a dead diamond (what a title!). Leonor Serraille, Golden Camera in Cannes with Girl in 2017 before returning to competition on the Croisette in 2021 with the very beautiful A little brotherwill take his first steps in Berlin thanks to Ari, the portrait of a young school teacher (Andranic Manet) in full burnout. The Swiss Lionel Baier completes the selection with The Cachethe adaptation of Christophe Boltanski’s book, in which Michel Blanc (this was his final role) plays the author’s grandfather, who lived for several months parked in his Parisian apartment during the Occupation.

Aside from competition, the announced arrival of several Hollywood stars gives hope for lively gala evenings on Potsdamer Platz. Robert Pattinson will star in Hong Sang-soo’s new sci-fi film, Mickey 17presented in its world premiere in Berlin, and Timothée Chalamet should attract crowds for his incarnation of the young Bob Dylan in A complete strangerby James Mangold (which comes out in France on January 29).

The 19 films in competition

Ariby Léonor Serraille (France/Belgium)
Blue Moonby Richard Linklater (United States/Ireland)
The cacheby Lionel Baier (Switzerland / Luxembourg / Franc)
Dreamsby Michel Franco (Mexico)
Dreams (Sex Loved)de Dag Johan Haugerud (Norway)
What Does That Nature Say to You) by Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)
Hot Milkby Rebecca Lenkiewicz (UK)
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, byMary Bronstein (United States)
Continental ’25by Radu Jude (Romania)
The message, by Iván Fund (Argentina/Spain)
Mother’s Babyby Johanna Moder (Austria/Switzerland/Germany)
The Blue Trailby Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil)
Reflection in a dead diamond, of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Belgium/France)
Sheng xi zhi di (Living the Land)de Huo Meng (Chinese)
Strichka chasu (Timestamp)Kateryna Gornostai (Ukraine)
The Ice Tower, of Lucile Hadžihalilović (France/Allemagne)
What Marielle Knowsby Frédéric Hambalek (Germany)
Xiang fei de nv hai (Girls on Wire)by Vivian Qu (China)
Greekby Ameer Fakher Eldin (Germany/Palestine)