The 75th Berlin International Film Festival starts: main films and Ukraine's participation
Kyiv • UNN
The 75th Berlin Film Festival will screen the Ukrainian film Time Tape about schools during the war. The 19 films in competition also include new works by Richard Linklater and Lucille Hadzihalilovic.
Today, February 13, the Berlin International Film Festival, which is recognized as one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, will begin. Among the films presented will also be a Ukrainian film, UNN writes.
This year's festival will feature 19 films competing for the main awards. Among them is the Ukrainian film Time Tape directed by Kateryna Hornostai, which will be an important moment for the Ukrainian film industry, as it is the first time a Ukrainian film has participated in the main competition program in the last 25 years.
The award ceremony will take place on February 22. This year's main competition jury is chaired by renowned director Todd Haynes.
Timestamp, directed by Kateryna Hornostai
The film tells the story of Ukrainian schools in the midst of a full-scale war, showing the lives of students and teachers from Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Bucha, and other cities. One of the most tragic episodes of the film is a funeral in the town of Romny in Sumy Oblast, where a school was destroyed by a Russian drone, killing four teachers.
The idea for the film was proposed by the Osvitoria NGO, which became the executive producer. The film was created in co-production with Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and France and was financed privately. The producer was 2Brave Productions.
Blue Moon, directed by Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater's latest feature film, Blue Moon, is set during the premiere of the musical Oklahoma! The story centers on the creative partnership between Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, which changes their careers and lives.
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The film stars Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley. This is Linklater's first return to Berlinale since Boyhood (2014), which won him the Silver Bear. The film is already being called one of the main premieres of the festival.
The Ice Tower, directed by Lucille Hadzihalilovic
The French director Lucille Hadjihalilovic, known for her film Evolution (2016), returns with a new psychological thriller, The Ice Tower.
Set in the 1970s, Marion Cotillard plays an actress participating in the filming of the adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Snow Queen. Her character gradually plunges into a bizarre world of mutual infatuation with a teenage runaway who is hiding in the studio.
The film explores the themes of obsession, magic, and psychological games, and was written by Jeff Cox. The cast also includes Gaspard Noé, which adds even more intrigue to the project.
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You, directed by Mary Bronstein
Mary Bronstein's film tells the story of Linda, a mother who is forced to deal with a series of problems as her life literally falls apart. She has to move into a motel with her sick child, and a missing patient only adds to the problems.
Rose Byrne plays the lead role in this psychological drama, and the cast includes A$AP Rocky and Conan O'Brien. The film promises to be one of the most intense in the competition, and Byrne's performance could bring her a prestigious award.
Reflection in a Dead Diamond, directed by Hélène Catte and Bruno Forzani
The French directors Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, known for their experimental style, will present their film Reflection in a Dead Diamond at Berlinale 2025. This is an intense action-thriller about a 70-year-old retired spy who has to face his own past after the mysterious disappearance of his neighbor.
The film promises references to European spy films of the 1960s, as well as visually intense scenes with figures in latex and giant blades. All of this is part of a dynamic 87-minute action movie that has every chance of becoming one of the most spectacular films of the festival.
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