From Nov 26, join us at Lichtblick Kino for four consecutive nights of films by acclaimed Berlin feminist director Tatjana Turanskyj, starting with The Drifter, a witty but angry portrait of an unemployed architect in Berlin. Kicking off on Friday (Nov 25) at Kulturbrauerei, Around the World in 14 Films is firmly established as one of Berlin’s best boutique festivals. This year’s programme includes Pablo Larrain’s innovative biopic Neruda and Lav Diaz’s Golden Lion winner The Woman Who Left. Check out our preview for more top picks. Also on Friday, Berlin Film Society presents a 35th anniversary screening of Andrzej Żuławski’s Berlin-set cult classic Possession at St. Johannes-Evangelist-Kirche.
From Nov 30, Berlin French Film Week brings the best of new French and Francophone cinema to town. Highlights include Paul Verhoeven’s provocative and wildly unpredictable Elle and Olivier Assayas’ delightfully oddball supernatural drama Personal Shopper, while Kino Arsenal will showcase under-the-radar gems with English subtitles.
On general release, Amy Adams shines as a linguist charged with fathoming the intentions of alien visitors in Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, one of the year’s most cerebral and moving Hollywood efforts. Should you need further emotional catharsis, Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or winner I, Daniel Blake is a timely and truly gut-wrenching exploration of Britain’s broken welfare system. Florence Foster Jenkins sees Meryl Streep deliver yet another award-worthy performance as the notoriously terrible opera singer. Finally Kater, winner of the Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale, is a gripping portrait of a gay relationship in freefall.