TRAILERS OF THE BERLINALE

BERLINALE 2020: Having punched above its weight for many years but now firmly established as one of the global festival calendar's major events, the Berlin Film Festival, otherwise known as Berlinale, celebrates its 70th birthday in 2020. Established in 1951 under the guiding principle, "A Showcase for the Free World", the Berlinale has a two-tiered focus - the Programming strands, which include the iconic 'Competition' line-up as well as such focussed sidebars as Generations, Panorama, Encounters, Perspektive Deutsches Kino and Homage; and, the Commercial arm, led by the sales frenzy that is the European Film Market (EFM).

The Berlinale and EFM have become gateway events for the very latest releases from Europe and beyond. Each year, first-look trailers arrive that announce major new works... 

BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ  (Dir: Burhan Qurbani, starring Welket Bungué, Jella Haase, Albrecht Schuch, Joachim Król and Annabelle Mandeng; Germany / Netherlands; 183 mins)
From the Program: Francis has survived his escape from Africa. In Berlin he gets to know Hasenheide park, the city’s clubs and its streets. His pal Reinhold becomes an adversary. Mieze brings both happiness and tragedy. Döblin’s classic as a dark present-day odyssey.

THE ROADS NOT TAKEN (Dir: Sally Potter, starring Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek and Laura Linney; United Kingdom; 85 mins)
From the Program: Twenty-four hours in the life of Leo, a mentally impaired New York resident. A day that for him is characterised by hallucinatory trips into various parallel lives. At his side is his daughter Molly, who worries about him and loves him.

THE INTRUDER (El Prófugo; Dir: Natalia Meta, starring Érica Rivas, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Daniel Hendler, Cecilia Roth and Guillermo Arengo; Argentina / Mexico; 94 mins) 
From the Program: After a traumatic experience, Inés develops a sleep disorder and is haunted by violent nightmares. Do the characters who populate her dreams want to take possession of her body?

PINOCCHIO (Dir: Matteo Garrone, starring Roberto Benigni, Federico Ielapi, Rocco Papaleo, Massimo Ceccherini and Marine Vacth; Italy / France / United Kingdom; 124 mins)
From the Program: A faithful adaptation of the well-known story of Pinocchio, to which Matteo Garrone has added a unique visionary dimension. Pinocchio’s world is simultaneously real and fantastic – this is an Italy redolent of the earth, the sea and the farmyard.

LAST AND FIRST MEN (Dir: Johann Johannson, narrated by Tilda Swinton; Iceland; 70 mins)
From the Program: The concrete brutalism of Yugoslavian war memorials, Tilda Swinton’s voice and the music of Jóhann Jóhannsson are the protagonists of this visionary total work of art by the Icelandic composer and filmmaker, who died in 2018 when he was only 48.

TROUBLE WITH BEING BORN (Dir: Sandra Wollner, starring Lena Watson, Dominik Warta, Ingrid Burkhard and Jana McKinnon; Austria / Germany; 94 mins)
From the Program: Ten-year-old Elli is an android. She loves the man she calls “Daddy” and is the vessel for his memories, which mean nothing to her, but everything to him. A formally dense and provocative invitation into the realm of virtual and psychological reality.

SA-NYANG-EUI-SI-GAN (Time to Hunt; Dir: Sung-hyun Yoon, starring Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Choi Woo-shik, Park Jeong-min and Park Hae-soo; Republic of Korea; 134 mins)
From the Program: After three years in prison, Jun-seok convinces his mates to rob a casino. The heist succeeds, but then the young gangsters themselves become the hunted. An action-packed, dystopian thriller set in a post-capitalist South Korea of the near future.

BERLINALE 2020 runs February 20-March 1 at several sites in Berlin. Full ticket and session details can be found at the event's official website.