Berlin Film Festival unveils 2023 competition lineup
The Berlin Film Festival on Monday unveiled the titles selected for its official competition as well as its sidebar Encounters competitive section, Deadline reported.
A total of 18 films have been selected for the international competition with highlights including Christian Petzold’s latest film Roter Himmel (Afire), Margarethe von Trotta directing Phantom Thread star Vicky Krieps in Ingeborg Bachmann — Journey Into the Desert, and Philippe Garrel returns with a new feature titled The Plough.
The festival also revealed an extra special screening: Actor and filmmaker Sean Penn will debut a documentary titled Superpower, a film shot in Ukraine last year at the outbreak of Russia’s invasion and follows president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Berlin Film Festival takes place February 16-26.
Organizers have already announced more than 100 titles across sidebars spanning Panorama, Forum, and Berlinale Special. The festival had initially done a good job of increasing star power at the fest through guests, with Steven Spielberg heading to Berlin to be feted with a lifetime achievement award. And it was announced late last year that Kristen Stewart will lead this year’s International Jury. However, this trend has not continued through to the competition lineup, where there is a dearth of US star power and studio power. Across the selection, there isn’t a single film from a major US studio or streamer.
Also previously, Rebecca Miller’s latest film She Came to Me, starring Peter Dinklage, Marisa Tomei, Joanna Kulig, Brian d’Arcy James, and Anne Hathaway, will open the festival. The film will screen as a Berlinale Special Gala at the Berlinale Palast.
Other headline Berlin premieres include Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv’s latest pic Golda, starring Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin, and Liev Schreiber. The film follows the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir, former Israeli prime minister, faced during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Mirren stars as Meir. Jane Hooks and Michael Kuhn are producers on the pic. Embankment is handling sales.