Artdots Echo: Photo report & highlights from 75th Berlinale (2025)

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It was a big surprise to see so much snow in Berlin as before the weather was fairly autumn-like with some rain and clouds. The winter aura added extra magic to the whole experience of the festival. The mix of red (the carpet), gold (the award), and white (the snow) can be said as a symbol of this year’s 75th Berlin International Film Festival.

Honorary Golden Bear for Tilda Swinton and her speech

The recipient of this year’s Honorary Golden Bear was Tilda Swinton. Those words from the official program sum it up:

Tilda Swinton’s star shines brightly for all cinema lovers. A great director needs gifted actors to bring their work to life, and Tilda embodies this. (…) Off screen, Tilda Swinton is widely admired for her intelligence, her kindness and her integrity.

Opening Film: Tom Tykwer’s “The Light”

The 75th Berlinale was opened with Tom Tykwer’s highly anticipated film The Light.

The Engels family is comfortably living separate lives under the same roof until the enigmatic Farrah, their new housekeeper who has just arrived in Berlin from Syria, enters their lives and challenges each of them in unexpected ways.

My experience and projections

A word about cinemas in Berlin…

I was speechless while entering the cinemas — this environment helped to enhance the festival experience. I have been in Berlin only sporadically for a brief amount of time but visiting this city during the festival and seeing people with a passion for independent cinema certainly made Berlin feel like home.

“Night Stage” (“Ato noturno”) — dir. Filipe Matzembacher, Márcio Reolo (2025)

An actor and a politician start a secret affair and together discover the thrill for adventurous or risky encounters. The closer they get to their dream of fame, the more they feel the urge to put themselves at risk.

It started well with some potential but ended up as a “Brazilian telenovela” (with no disrespect to Brazil and its film industry!).

I liked the exploration of human motivation and how it impacts decision-making — how much the need for a positive outer perception of oneself can affect one’s actions, and how those two elements coexist in some form of a fight between true intentions or desires and actual “performance”. I believe it could be explored more in-depth while maintaining most of the plot.

The cinematography in the film was eye-catching, in a good way, with the usage of saturated colors. I also like how the beauty of Porto Alegre was captured.

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“little boy” — dir. James Benning (2025)

A film looking at the past to warn about the future, from a little boy’s point of view. A companion piece to “American Dreams (lost and found)” (1984).

“little boy” is an important film for the current state of the world and I am glad that it was followed by a discussion with James Benning, the director, which complemented the movie well.

Now looking back, I wonder if the title isn’t an additional reference to the codename of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on the 6th of August 1945 during World War II.

The movie was kept in the minimalist style, which Benning is famous for, which allowed it to be focused on the themes it was exploring. I loved the interview conducted with James and the final message about “caring about your brothers and sisters”.

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Retrospective of “Deadlock” — dir. Roland Klick (1970)

Under the torrid sun in an abandoned desert settlement, there is a lethal battle over the spoils of a bank robbery. This heady spaghetti western features psychedelic music by Cologne kraut-rockers Can.

It was a positive surprise! I have not watched many Westerns since I missed so-called the “Golden Age of the Western” between the 50s and 60s but I will try to get more familiarized with this genre now after watching “Deadlock”.

This movie captures a simple story with few people focused on characters’ personalities and their motivations in a situation where those will show themselves the most, and it does that in a unique way that it is difficult to turn your eyes away from the screen!

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Movies I wish I could see…

One of them is for sure “Mickey 17” as it is the work of Bong Joon-ho, and starring Robert Pattinson making it a must-see (with so many release date changes, Joon-ho added even more anticipation!).

Additionally, here are some of the pictures I will try to catch up on:

“Shoah” — dir. Claude Lanzmann (1985)

Claude Lanzmann’s monumental Holocaust film, made over 12 years from interviews filmed around the globe with survivors, bystanders and perpetrators, powerfully recounts the extermination of six million Jews during the Second World War.

“Das Deutsche Volk” — dir. Marcin Wierzchowski (2025)

The film tells the story of the victims’ relatives and the survivors of the racist attack in Hanau in 2020, in which nine young people were murdered because the perpetrator did not consider them to be German.

“Honey Bunch” — dir. Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (2025)

Diana’s husband is taking her to an experimental trauma facility deep in the wilderness, but she cannot remember why… As her memories begin to creep back in, so do some unwelcome sinister truths about her marriage.

“A Letter to David” (“Michtav Le’David”) — dir. Tom Shoval (2025)

Ten years ago, David Cunio starred in Tom Shoval’s debut feature film “Youth”, which revolved around a kidnapping. On October 7th, 2023, Cunio was taken from the Nir Oz kibbutz and has been held hostage in Gaza ever since. Now, Shoval sends him a cinematic letter.

“The Settlement” (“Al Mosta’mera”) — dir. Mohamed Rashed (2025)

After a man dies in a fatal accident at work, the only compensation offered to the family is the chance for his two sons, Hossam (23) and Maro (12), to be employed in the same factory, side by side with the man responsible for their father’s death.

“Beginnings” (“Begyndelser”) — dir. Jeanette Nordahl (2025)

Ane and Thomas are on the verge of being divorced when Ane suffers a stroke, forcing them to stay together and postpone telling their children about the split. Faced with this new reality, the two find hope where they least expect it.

“Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child” (“Ne réveillez pas l’enfant qui dort”) — dir. Kevin Aubert (2025)

Fifteen-year-old Diamant from Dakar dreams of making films, but her family has other plans for her. To Diamant, however, these are out of the question. She falls into a deep sleep from which no one can wake her.

“Deaf” (“Sorda”) — dir. Eva Libertad (2025)

Ángela, a deaf woman, is expecting a child with her hearing partner, Héctor. The baby’s arrival causes a crisis in their relationship, forcing Ángela to face the challenges of raising her daughter in a world which is not made for her.

“Under the Flags, the Sun” (“Bajo Las Banderas, El Sol”) — dir. Juanjo Pereira (2025)

The fully archival journey through the 35 years of Alfredo Stroessner’s regime in Paraguay reveals unseen footage and explores one of the longest-running dictatorships in history, whose effects still resonate today.

“Tin City” — dir. Feargal Ward (2025)

In a remote forest in northwest Germany, an urban combat facility called “Tin City” is used to train British soldiers before deployment in Northern Ireland. A bar, a bank, a shop — each location reveals another iteration of the same macabre set-up.

“Special Operation” (“Spetsialna Operatsiia”) — dir. Oleksiy Radynski (2025)

When the Russian troops occupied Ukraine’s Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, their activities were documented by CCTV cameras. Spetsialna Operatsiia is based on that footage, recorded at the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history.

“Purple Sea” — dir. Amel Alzakout, Khaled Abdulwahed (2025)

I lie on my back, under the surface of the water. The sun is warm. I feel the warmth with every pore of my body. The sea is purple. I am not afraid anymore.

“Bloody Friday” (“Blutiger Freitag”) — dir. Rolf Olsen (1972)

A bank robbery in Munich goes south, ending in a hostage-taking and a wave of violence. Loosely modelled on actual crimes, this German-Italian entry in the giallo genre is an impressive blend of realistic and over-the-top elements.

“Dirty Harry” — dir. Don Siegel (1971)

A sniper is threatening San Francisco. Harry Callahan, a gunslinger with a badge, is out to take him down.

“The Paradine Case” — dir. Alfred Hitchcock (1947)

A lawyer falls in love with his client, who is accused of murdering her husband. His infatuation leads to a marital crisis.

and many more…

Winners

Here is the list of winners from the 75th Berlinale: