Berlinale Spotlight: World Cinema Fund at “Around the World in 14 Films” for the Seventh Time

For many years, the Berlinale has been presenting specially curated programmes outside the festival time. These programmes go by the name of Berlinale Spotlight.

For the seventh time since 2018, the Berlinale initiative World Cinema Fund (WCF) is invited with a Berlinale Spotlight at the film festival “Around the World in 14 Films”. At its 20th edition (November 28 to December 6, 2025 at the KulturBrauerei cinema, the Delphi Lux and Neues Off in Berlin), “Around the World in 14 Films” will present an all-day Berlinale Spotlight: World Cinema Fund on Sunday, November 30. Alongside four current WCF films, the festival will also feature Félicité from 2017 as a “WCF Berlinale Retrospective” presentation. The five films are made by filmmakers from Chile, Egypt, Georgia, Thailand and Senegal: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes (Chile), Aisha Can’t Fly Away by Morad Mostafa (Egypt), Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze (Georgia), A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thailand) and Félicité by Alain Gomis (Senegal/France). The films will be presented on November 30, 2025 by WCF head Vincenzo Bugno, who will hand over his role to Sata Cissokho at the end of 2025 after 21 years.

Vincenzo Bugno: “At ’Around the World in 14 Films’ 2025, the WCF once again presents films that had their world premieres at international festivals and achieved notable success. These films, with their formal and thematic diversity, reflect the funding identity of the WCF. They are bold works that take risks and move audiences. I would like to thank Susanne Bieger and Bernhard Karl from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful collaboration since 2018 and for the opportunity to bring WCF films closer to the ’Around the World in 14 Films’ audience. Through this partnership, we have achieved something essential for us: not only supporting the production of these films, but also strengthening their visibility in Germany and their access to audiences"

“First and foremost, we would like to thank Vincenzo Bugno, who, together with his team, has shaped this unique Berlinale funding initiative for 21 years and, with his deep passion for global cinema, played a key role in its success. Thanks to the work of the World Cinema Fund, many wonderful discoveries from lesser-known film regions have found their way into the world of cinema. We are especially looking forward to the seventh edition of ’Berlinale Spotlight: World Cinema Fund’" say festival directors Susanne Bieger and Bernhard Karl.

The WCF has been funding films in regions with weak film infrastructures since 2004, and promotes cultural diversity in German and European cinema: WCF Profile

A Useful Ghost (Original title: Pee Chai Dai Ka) by Thai director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke promises a ghost story with elements of comedy and fantasy. The debut film had its world premiere in 2025 in the Semaine de la Critique section at Cannes, where it was awarded the Grand Prix. It is also Thailand’s official submission for the 2026 Oscars in the “Best International Feature Film” category.

From Egypt comes Aisha Can’t Fly Away by director Morad Mostafa - a social drama with elements of horror. Highly praised after its world premiere in 2025 in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, this debut film tells the story of Aisha, a Sudanese immigrant working as a caregiver in the sprawling metropolis of Cairo, and the harsh realities she faces in her daily life.

The German-Georgian co-production Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze (director, writer, and cinematographer) was screened in the competition at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival and received the FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize. The Georgian director and DFFB graduate has created a road movie that blends magic and mystery.

The film Félicité tells the story of a singer in Kinshasa, her love for her son, and her struggle for human dignity. In 2017, Félicité was awarded the Silver Bear – Grand Jury Prize in the Berlinale Competition. The work by Senegalese-French director Alain Gomis was also Senegal’s official submission for the 2018 Oscars in the “Best International Feature Film” category.

Diego Céspedes’ feature film debut The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (Original title: La misteriosa mirada del flamenco) won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film is Chile’s official submission for the 2026 Oscars in the “Best International Feature Film” category.

The programme of “Around the World in 14 Films” will be published on November 3rd: 14films.de.

The World Cinema Fund is an initiative of the German Federal Cultural Foundation and the Berlin International Film Festival. The special WCF Europe programme was launched with the support of the European Union’s Creative Europe MEDIA programme.