Competition and Berlinale Special: Soderbergh, Diaz, Padilha, Ruizpalacios, and Lazarov in the Competition - Everett, Fischer Christensen, Lommel, Brinkmann, Nomura Schible, and Šulík in the Berlinale Special

Another five films have been invited to take part in the Competition of the 68th Berlin International Film Festival. 23 of the 24 titles in the Competition have already been selected, 19 of the 24 films will be competing for the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears.

A further six films have been invited to participate in the Berlinale Special programme, which will include a total of twelve films and seven series.

The additional two Competition and Berlinale Special titles will be announced at the Programme Press Conference on February 6, 2018.

Berlinale Special Gala premieres will be held at the Friedrichstadt-Palast. For the first time the Zoo Palast will be the venue for the Berlinale Series of the Berlinale Special. Selected screenings at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele will again be followed by discussions about the films.

7 Days in Entebbe
USA / United Kingdom
By José Padilha (The Elite Squad, Garapa)
With Rosamund Pike, Daniel Brühl, Eddie Marsan, Lior Ashkenazi, Denis Menochet, Ben Schnetzer, Angel Bonanni, Juan Pablo Raba, Nonso Anozie
World premiere – Out of competition

Ága
Bulgaria / Germany / France
By Milko Lazarov (Otchuzhdenie)
With Mikhail Aprosimov, Feodosia Ivanova, Galina Tikhonova, Sergey Egorov, Afanasiy Kylaev
World premiere – Out of competition

Ang panahon ng halimaw (Season of the Devil)
Philippines
By Lav Diaz (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery, The Woman Who Left)
With Piolo Pascual, Shaina Magdayao, Pinky Amador, Bituin Escalante, Hazel Orencio, Joel Saracho, Bart Guingona, Angel Aquino, Lilit Reyes, Don Melvin Boongaling
World premiere

Museo (Museum)
Mexico
By Alonso Ruizpalacios (Güeros)
With Gael García Bernal, Leonardo Ortizgris, Alfredo Castro, Simon Russell Beale, Bernardo Velasco, Leticia Brédice, Ilse Salas, Lisa Owen
World premiere

Unsane
USA
By Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, The Good German)
With Claire Foy, Joshua Leonard, Jay Pharoah, Juno Temple, Aimee Mullins, Amy Irving
World premiere – Out of competition

To date, the following countries are participating in the Competition programme: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay and USA.

Berlinale Special Gala at the Friedrichstadt-Palast

The Happy Prince
Germany / Belgium / Italy
By Rupert Everett
With Colin Firth, Emily Watson, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas, Rupert Everett
European premiere - First Feature

Unga Astrid (Becoming Astrid)
Sweden / Germany / Denmark
By Pernille Fischer Christensen (A Soap, A Family, Someone You Love)
With Alba August, Trine Dyrholm, Magnus Krepper, Maria Bonnevie, Henrik Rafaelsen
World premiere

Berlinale Special at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele

AMERICA Land of the FreeKS – Documentary Form
Germany
By Ulli Lommel (Tenderness of the Wolves, The Boogey Man, Absolute Evil)
With Ulli Lommel, Tanner King Barklow, Nola Roeper, Gil Kofman, Chris Kriesa, Lilith Stangenberg, Tatjana Lommel, Max Brauer
World premiere
Tribute to Ulli Lommel

RYŪICHI SAKAMOTO: async AT THE PARK AVENUE ARMORY – Documentary
USA / Japan
By Stephen Nomura Schible (Ryūichi Sakamoto: Coda)
International premiere

Berlinale Special at Kino International

The Interpreter
Slovak Republic / Czech Republic / Austria
By Martin Šulík (The Garden, Landscape, Gypsy)
With Peter Simonischek, Jiří Menzel, Zuzana Mauréry, Attila Mokos, Anna Rakovská
World premiere

Usedom – Der freie Blick aufs Meer – Documentary
Germany
By Heinz Brinkmann (The Carbide Factory, Come Into The Garden, The Boehme Case – The Wondrous Life of a Left-Handed Man)

To date, the Berlinale Special includes titles from the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong – China, Italy, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and USA.

In addition, Berlinale Series of the Berlinale Special is presenting productions from Australia, Denmark, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, and USA.

3 Tage in Quiberon (3 Days in Quiberon) by Emily Atef (Germany / Austria / France)
7 Days in Entebbe by José Padilha (USA / United Kingdom) – Out of competition
Ága by Milko Lazarov (Bulgaria / Germany / France) – Out of competition
Ang panahon ng halimaw (Season of the Devil) by Lav Diaz (Philippines)
Black 47 by Lance Daly (Ireland / Luxembourg) – Out of competition
Damsel by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner (USA)
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot by Gus Van Sant (USA)
Dovlatov by Alexey German Jr. (Russian Federation / Poland / Serbia)
Eldorado by Markus Imhoof (Switzerland / Germany) – Documentary, out of competition
Eva by Benoit Jacquot (France / Belgium)
Figlia mia (Daughter of Mine) by Laura Bispuri (Italy / Germany / Switzerland)
Las herederas (The Heiresses) by Marcelo Martinessi (Paraguay / Germany / Uruguay / Norway / Brazil / France) - First Feature
In den Gängen (In the Aisles) by Thomas Stuber (Germany)
Isle of Dogs by Wes Anderson (United Kingdom / Germany) – Animation
Khook (Pig) by Mani Haghighi (Iran)
Mein Bruder heißt Robert und ist ein Idiot (My Brother’s Name is Robert and He is an Idiot) by Philip Gröning (Germany / France / Switzerland)
Museo (Museum) by Alonso Ruizpalacios (Mexico)
La prière (The Prayer) by Cédric Kahn (France)
Toppen av ingenting (The Real Estate) by Måns Månsson and Axel Petersén (Sweden / United Kingdom)
Touch Me Not by Adina Pintilie (Romania / Germany / Czech Republic / Bulgaria / France) - First Feature
Transit by Christian Petzold (Germany / France)
Twarz (Mug) by Małgorzata Szumowska (Poland)
Unsane by Steven Soderbergh (USA) – Out of competition

AMERICA Land of the FreeKS by Ulli Lommel (Germany) – Documentary Form
The Bookshop by Isabel Coixet (Spain / United Kingdom / Germany)
The Happy Prince by Rupert Everett (Germany / Belgium / Italy)
Gurrumul by Paul Williams (Australia) – Documentary, debut film
The Interpreter by Martin Šulík (Slovak Republic / Czech Republic / Austria)
Monster Hunt 2 by Raman Hui (People’s Republic of China / Hong Kong, China)
RYŪICHI SAKAMOTO: async AT THE PARK AVENUE ARMORY by Stephen Nomura Schible (USA / Japan) – Documentary
Das schweigende Klassenzimmer (The Silent Revolution) by Lars Kraume (Germany)
Unga Astrid (Becoming Astrid) by Pernille Fischer Christensen (Sweden / Germany / Denmark)
Usedom – Der freie Blick aufs Meer by Heinz Brinkmann (Germany) – Documentary
Viaje a los Pueblos Fumigados (A Journey to the Fumigated Towns) by Fernando Solanas (Argentina) - Documentary

Bad Banks - Director: Christian Schwochow - Head writer: Oliver Kienle, based on a concept by Lisa Blumenberg (Germany / Luxembourg)
Heimebane (Home Ground) - Creator: Johan Fasting - Director: Arild Andresen (Norway)
Liberty - Creator: Asger Leth - Director: Mikael Marcimain (Denmark)
The Looming Tower - Creators: Dan Futterman, Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright - Director: Alex Gibney - Written by Dan Futterman, based on the book by Lawrence Wright (USA)
Picnic at Hanging Rock - Director: Larysa Kondracki (episodes 1-3 )- Written by Beatrix Christian, Alice Addison (Australia)
Sleeping Bears - Creator and director: Keren Margalit (Israel)
The Terror - Showrunners: David Kajganich and Soo Hugh - Director: Edward Berger (episodes 1-3), (USA)

The 68th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from February 15 to 25, 2018.

The complete programme will be presented on February 6, 2018.

The Award Ceremony will be held at the Berlinale Palast on Saturday, February 24, 2018. The festival will close with the Berlinale Publikumstag on Sunday, February 25, 2018.