'Sunny Dancer'

Source: Colin J Smith/Sunny Dancer Distribution

‘Sunny Dancer’

The Berlin Film Festival (February 12-22) has selected films for its Special, Panorama, and Generation strands.

The world premiere of George Jaques’ UK comedy Sunny Dancer starring Bella Ramsey and Neil Patrick Harris will open the Generation 14plus strand, in competition.

Scroll down for the full list of titles

Nineteen titles have been selected for the Berlinale Special strand so far, including six documentary features and six series. Feature world premieres include Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85, a drama about the tragedy at a football match at Heysel Stadium in 1985; and Ulrike Ottinger’s The Blood Countess starring Isabelle Huppert.

The Special series programme includes the European premiere of Marc Munden’s Lord Of The Flies adaptation, written by Jack Thorne; and the world premiere of Charlotte Regan’s UK series Mint, a darkly comic crime drama.

The Panorama strand will open with the world premiere of Danielle Arbid’s Only Rebels Win starring Hiam Abbass, and will feature 37 films. Further titles include the international premiere of Aidan Zamiri’s US-UK co-production The Moment starring Charli XCX and Alexander Skarsgard; and The Day She Returns, the new film from prolific Korean director Hong Sangsoo.

The Generation section includes 18 features and 23 shorts. Titles alongside Sunny Dancer include A Family, a sibling drama from Paradise Drifters director Mees Peijnenburg; and Not A Hero, the new film from Indian filmmaker Rima Das.

The Generation Kplus competition will open with Eliza Capai’s The Fabulous Time Machine, a Brazilian documentary about girls poised between their mothers’ difficult pasts and their dreams for the future.

The festival has also programmed 10 titles in its Classics strand, including the first titles ever in the strand from Morocco (Mirage) and Ukraine (Crystal Palace). The Classics strand will also show a 4K restoration of Mike Figgis’ Leaving Las Vegas starring Nicholas Cage.

Berlin Film Festival Special, Panorama, Generation 2026 titles

Berlinale Panorama

  • Allegro Pastell (Ger), dir. Anna Roller (world premiere)
  • Árru (Nor-Swed-Fin), dir. Elle Sofe Sara (world premiere)
  • Bucks Harbor (US), dir. Pete Muller (world premiere, documentary)
  • Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon (UK-Fr), dir. Finlay Pretsell (world premiere, documentary)
  • The Garden We Dreamed (Mex), dir. Joaquín del Paso (world premiere)
  • Enjoy Your Stay (Switz-Fr-Phil), dir. Dominik Locher, Honeylyn Joy (world premiere)
  • The Day She Returns (S Kor), dir. Hong Sangsoo (world premiere)
  • I Understand Your Displeasure (Ger), dir. Kilian Armando Friedrich (world premiere)
  • Around Paradise (Ger), dir. Yulia Lokshina (world premiere, documentary)
  • Isabel (Bra-Fr), dir. Gabe Klinger (world premiere)
  • Iván & Hadoum (Sp-Ger-Bel), dir. Ian de la Rosa (world premiere)
  • Jaripeo (Mex-US-Fr), dir. Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig (international premiere, documentary)
  • Lady (UK), dir. Olive Nwosu (European premiere)
  • The Hidden Face of the Earth (Fr), dir. Arnaud Alain (world premiere, documentary)
  • Lali (Pak), dir. Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (world premiere)
  • London (Austria), dir. Sebastian Brameshuber (world premiere)
  • Mouse (US), dir. Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson (world premiere)
  • Narciso (Par-Ger-Uru-Bra-Port-Sp-Fr), dir. Marcelo Martinessi (world premiere)
  • Only Rebels Win (Fr-Leb-Qat), dir. Danielle Arbid (world premiere)
  • Paradise (Can-Fr-Gha), dir. Jérémy Comte (world premiere)
  • Roya (Ger-Lux-Cz-Iran), dir. Mahnaz Mohammadi (world premiere)
  • Raging (Phil), dir. Ryan Machado (international premiere)
  • Safe Exit (Egypt-Lib-Tun-Qat-Ger), dir. Mohammed Hammad (world premiere)
  • If I Were Alive (Bra), dir. André Novais Oliveira (world premiere)
  • Shanghai Daughter (China), dir. Agnis Shen Zhongmin (world premiere)
  • Numb (Japan), dir. Takuya Uchiyama (international premiere)
  • Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self (Ger-Switz), dir. Sabine Lidl (world premiere, documentary)
  • Prosecution (Ger), dir. Faraz Shariat (world premiere)
  • The Education of Jane Cumming (Ger-Switz-UK), dir. Sophie Heldman (world premiere)
  • The Moment (US-UK), dir. Aidan Zamiri (international premiere)
  • The Other Side of the Sun (Belg-Fr-Saudi), dir. Tawfik Sabouni (world premiere, documentary)
  • Traces (Ukr-Pol), dir. Alisa Kovalenko, Marysia Nikitiuk (world premiere, documentary)
  • Tristan Forever (Switz), dir. Tobias Nölle, Loran Bonnardot (world premiere, documentary)
  • Enough Is Enough (Fr-DRC), dir. Elisé Sawasawa (world premiere, documentary)
  • Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest (Ger-Neth), dir. Viv Li (world premiere, documentary)
  • A Russian Winter (Fr), dir. Patric Chiha (World premiere, documentary)
  • Four Minus Three (Aus-Ger), dir. Adrian Goiginger (world premiere)

Berlinale Special

Berlinale Special Gala

  • Die Blutgräfin (The Blood Countess) (Aut-Lux-Ger), Dir. Ulrike Ottinger (world premiere)
  • Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (Ger), Dir. Gore Verbinski (European premiere)
  • Heysel 85 (Bel-Neth-Ger), Dir. Teodora Ana Mihai (world premiere)
  • The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (USA), Dir. Noah Segan (International premiere)
  • The Testament of Ann Lee (US-UK), Dir. Mona Fastvold (German premiere)
  • The Weight (Ger-US), Dir. Padraic McKinley (European premiere)

Berlinale Special Midnight

  • Monster Pabrik Rambut (Sleep No More) (Indo-Sin-Jap-Ger-Fra), Dir. Edwin (world premiere)
  • Saccharine (Austria), Dir. Natalie Erika James (European premiere)
  • The Ballad of Judas Priest (US), Dir. Sam Dunn, Tom Morello (world premiere, documentary)

Berlinale Special Presentation

  • TUTU (UK), Dir. Sam Pollard (World premiere, documentary)
  • A Child of My Own (Mex), Dir. Maite Alberdi (world premiere, documentary)
  • WAX & GOLD (Austria), Dir. Ruth Beckermann (world premiere, documentary)
  • Who Killed Alex Odeh? (US), Dir. Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans (international premiere, documentary)

Berlinale Special Series

  • House of Yang (Ger), Dir. Mia Spengler; Showrunner Stefanie Ren (world premiere)
  • The House of the Spirits (Chi), Dir. Francisca Alegría, Andrés Wood; Showrunners Francisca Alegría, Fernanda Urrejola (world premiere)
  • Lord of the Flies (UK), Dir. Marc Munden (European premiere)
  • Mint (UK), Dir. Charlotte Regan (world premiere)
  • Ravalear: Not For Sale (Sp), Dir. Pol Rodríguez, Isaki Lacuesta (world premiere)
  • The Story of Documentary Film (UK), Dir. Mark Cousins (documentary)

Generation

Generation Kplus

  • The Fabulous Time Machine (Bra), Dir. Eliza Capai (world premiere, documentary)
  • The Atlas of the Universe (Rom-Bul), Dir. Paul Negoescu (world premiere)
  • Chimney Town: Frozen in Time (Jpn), Dir. Hirota Yusuke (world premiere, animation)
  • Gugu’s World (Bra), Dir. Allan Deberton (world premiere)
  • Ghost School (Pak-Ger-KSA), Dir. Seemab Gul (European premiere, debut film)
  • Papaya (Bra), Dir. Priscilla Kellen (international premiere, debut film, animation)
  • Not a Hero (Ind-Sin), Dir. Rima Das (world premiere)

Generation Kplus shorts

  • Abracadabra (UK-India), Dir. Amay Mehrishi (world premiere)
  • Bats & Bugs (Swi), Dir. Lena von Döhren (world premiere, animation)
  • Imaginary Numbers (Ser-Cro), Dir. Jelica Jerinić (world premiere)
  • Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe! (Cze), Dir. Andrea Szelesová (world premiere, animation)
  • A Serious Thought (Est), Dir. Jonas Taul (world premiere, animation)
  • Riding Time (UK-Fra), Dir. Roopa Gogineni, Farhaan Mumtaz (international premiere, documentary)
  • Tutti (Taiwan), Dir. Zhuang Rong Zuo (world premiere, short film)

Generation 14plus

  • A Family (Ned-Bel), Dir. Mees Peijnenburg (world premiere)
  • Black Burns Fast (SAf), Dir. Sanduela Asanda (international premiere)
  • Sad Girlz (Mex-Sp-Fra), Dir. Fernanda Tovar (world premiere)
  • Matapanki (Chi), Dir. Diego “Mapache” Fuentes (European premiere)
  • Don’t Come Out (Dom), Dir. Victoria Linares Villegas (world premiere)
  • Four Girls (Bra-Ned), Dir. Karen Suzane (international premiere)
  • Sunny Dancer (UK), Dir. George Jaques (world premiere)
  • Everyone’s Sorry Nowadays) (Bel-Ned-Ger), Dir. Frederike Migom (world premiere)

Generation 14plus shorts

  • Nobody Knows the World (Per), Dir. Roddy Dextre (world premiere)
  • That’s My Sister (Can), Dir. Zoé Pelchat (world premiere)
  • When I Get Home (Mex), Dir. Edgar Adrián (world premiere)
  • Hotel Oblique (Ger), Dir. Merlin Flügel (world premiere, animation)
  • The Dream of Dancing (Col), Dir. Luzbeidy Monterrosa Atencio (world premiere)
  • Fire in My Pocket (Hun), Dir. Janka Feiner (world premiere, animation,)
  • Mambo Kids (Ita), Dir. Emanuele Tresca (world premiere)
  • Memories of a Window (USA), Dir. Mehraneh Salimian, Amin Pakparvar (world premiere, documentary)
  • The Girl (Chi), Dir. Yucheng Tan (world premiere) 
  • Scorching (Chi), Dir. Wang Beidi (world premiere)
  • Speedy! (SKor), Dir. Oh Jiin (international premiere)
  • Spî (White | Weiß) (Irq-Kur), Dir. Navroz Shaban (world premiere)

  • 2026 film festivals and markets calendar: latest dates

Topics