Watch Festival Favourites: 75th Berlinale | CinemaWorld
As the Berlin International Film Festival kicks off its 75th year from 13 to 23 February, 2025, CinemaWorld commemorates the world-renowned festival with 6 Berlinale accredited films in our award-winning catalogue.
Elaha
A 2023 coming-of-age drama by director Milena Aboyan, Elaha is a poignant exploration of the ingrained patriarchal beliefs in a multicultural society through the experiences of its vulnerable 22-year-old protagonist, Elaha. As a young Kurdish-German woman about to be married, Elaha’s family expects for her to be wedded a virgin – something she is not. Trapped by societal expectations and shame, it seems her only option is to undergo a surgery to repair her hymen.
In this multifaceted story of female emancipation, Aboyan elegantly treads the lines between family and self, tradition and modernity, which Bayan Layla’s captivating performance brings to life.
The film was nominated for Best Film at the Compass Perspektive Award at the Berlin International Film Festival 2023, cementing its place as a standout feminist socio-political piece in contemporary cinema.
Ghost Town Anthology
Nominated for the Best Film Award at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, Ghost Town Anthology is a genre-defying film that explores the mystifying return of the dead in an isolated rural town in Quebec.
When 21-year-old Simon Dubé is killed in what appears to be a car accident, the townsfolk are stunned into a grief-stricken silence who are reluctant to speak of the tragedy. In this time of mourning, the Dubé family and townsfolk begin to witness strange phantom sightings and days seem to stretch on endlessly. As the otherworldly bleeds into their lives, the town’s inhabitants must break through the fog of mysteries that have descended upon them.
Lemonade
A Best First Feature Award Nominee (Berlin International Film Festival, 2018), Lemonade probes into the oppressive structures of the bureaucratic immigration system in America.
The film follows Mara, a 30-year-old single mother from Romania, who is working in the US on a temporary visa as a caretaker. In search of a better life in America for her son, Mara marries her American patient, Daniel. Just as everything seems to fall into place with the arrival of her son in the States, the process of getting a green card veers unexpectedly off course.
In this harrowing drama, Romania actress Mălina Manovici’s sensitive and unflinching performance as Mara brings to light a pertinent problem that continues to plague many immigrants around the world.
The Inland Road
16-year-old Tia’s search for belonging takes her on a journey across the rugged New Zealand landscape. After falling out with her Mum, Tia hitchhikes down the country to find her estranged father but is caught in an ugly car crash that leaves one victim dead. Despite the accident, Tia’s father refuses to take her in, leaving Tia on her own.
In a twist of events, the teenage girl finds herself at the door of the strangers involved in the car accident. As the family attempts to cope with the loss of a loved one, Tia’s presence is one that is welcomed yet increasingly imposing as her relationships with members of the family blur.
Nominated for the Best Film Award (Generation 14plus) at the Berlin International Film Festival, 2017, The Inland Road tells a heartfelt tale of a young girl’s coming of age journey.
The Salvation Of The World As We Know It
After a suicide attempt, 17-year-old Paul is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is sent to a psychiatric institution by his father, Hardy (Til Schweiger). There, Paul meets youths with similar struggles and finds comfort in their shared experiences, and among them is Toni, a girl whom Paul can’t help but gravitate towards.
Starring German actor Emilio Sakraya, who won the EFP Shooting Star award at the 2022 Berlin International Film Festival for his role as Paul in the film, this tragicomedy delves into mental health struggles, young love, and complex family dynamics.
Veins Of The World
Through an intimate look into the life of an 11-year-old Mongolian boy, Amra, Veins Of The World blends tradition and the modern pursuit of success against the picturesque Mongolian steppe. Between tending to his family’s sheep and goats, and admiring YouTube videos of singers, Amra lives a humble nomadic life yet dreams of competing in Mongolia’s Got Talent.
But tragedy strikes when his father dies in a sudden accident, throwing Amra’s life into turmoil. As survival takes precedence, Amra is faced with an impossible choice — abandon his aspirations or join the illegal gold miners who are exploiting the land his family has called home for generations. Nominated for Best Film (Generation KPlus) at the Berlin International Film Festival 2020, Veins of the World is a heart-wrenching yet inspiring tale of resilience, family, and the price of preserving tradition in the face of exploitation.
Watch these films on CinemaWorld On-Demand (selected territories only).
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