Berlinale 2024
“Oppenheimer” star and German films in competition
Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian present the program of the 74th Berlinale.
© imago/Cathrin Bach
With “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy: The program for the Berlinale 2024 has been set.
The program for the 74th Berlin International Film Festival has been announced. Those responsible around Mariette Rissenbeek (68) and Carlo Chatrian (52) presented the films that are in the competition for the Golden Bear on Monday (January 22nd). Overall, the Berlinale from February 15th 233 works in various series.
The Berlinale will be opened by an Irish film with a top-class leading actor: “Small Things Like These” with Cillian Murphy (47). The “Peaky Blinders” mime became a star with his title role in the blockbuster “Oppenheimer”.
Two German films in competition
There are two German entries among the 20 films in competition for the Golden Bear. In “In Love, Your Hilde,” “Babylon Berlin” star Liv Lisa Fries (33) plays the resistance fighter Hilde Coppi (1909-1943). The director is Berlinale regular guest Andreas Dresen (60), who was only invited two years ago with “Rabiye Kurnaz against George W. Bush”.
The second German competition entry is the drama “Die” by Matthias Glasner (59, “The Free Will”) with Corinna Harfouch (69) and Lars Eidinger (48). The new film by Severin Fiala (39) and Veronika Franz (59) comes from Austria. The directing duo made a name for themselves internationally in 2014 with the psychological shocker “Ich seh Ich seh”. Your Berlinale film “Des Teufels Bad” is also a horror film.
233 films in various series
In addition to the main competition for the Golden Bear, there are also various side series at the Berlinale. These include the Berlinale Special with 19 films and the international short film competition with 20 films. With the special project “Berlinale Meets Football”, the festival is participating in the cultural program for this year’s European Football Championship in Germany. Eleven short films about youth teams were commissioned.
A total of 233 films are shown in Berlin. That’s exactly 50 stripes less than last year. Criticism of the Berlinale that has often been heard in recent years is that the program is too bloated. For cost reasons alone, the following applies: less is more.
Honorary bear for Martin Scorsese
It was already known that the honorary bear for life’s work would go to Martin Scorsese (81). The “Killers of the Flower Moon” director had signed a letter of complaint with other filmmakers criticizing the fact that Carlo Chatrian’s contract was not being renewed. For him and Mariette Rissenbeek, who is withdrawing of her own free will, it is the last Berlinale as dual leadership. Next year Tricia Tuttle from the USA will take over the management.
The jury president for this year’s Berlinale is actress Lupita Nyong’o (40), who won the Oscar for supporting actress in 2013 for “12 Years a Slave”.
The Berlinale will take place from February 15th to 25th, 2024.