All posts tagged: berlin film festival

Recognition for the Northeast must begin at home, disappointing and shameful: Sukanya Boruah on Not a Hero at Berlinale

Recognition for the Northeast must begin at home, disappointing and shameful: Sukanya Boruah on Not a Hero at Berlinale

Published by Parlour News

Actor Sukanya Boruah recently marked her film debut with Rima Das’s Not A Hero, which went on to receive a Crystal Bear Special Mention at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival. Sukanya Boruah Describing the moment as unreal, the Assam-born actor says, “It took a few seconds to process. There was silence, then disbelief, then pure gratitude. It was really emotional for all of us.” The recognition comes amid a wider spotlight on cinema from the Northeast. Filmmaker Lakshmipriya Devi’s Manipuri-language film Boong recently won the Best Children’s & Family Film award at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) awards. Reflecting on the moment for the region, Sukanya shares, “It shouldn’t take international validation for the Northeast to be respected in their own country. Recognition must begin at home. That’s the part that feels disappointing and even shameful. But moments like these prove that no matter how much bias exists, art will travel, voices will be heard, and identity cannot be erased.” Speaking about the coming-of-age drama, Not a Hero, the actor …

Rima Das’ Not a Hero wins Crystal Bear Special Mention at Berlin International Film Festival

Rima Das’ Not a Hero wins Crystal Bear Special Mention at Berlin International Film Festival

Published by Parlour News

Acclaimed filmmaker Rima Das has won the Crystal Bear Special Mention at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival for her film ‘Not A Hero.’ The award ceremony was held on Saturday, at which the jury awarded the film a special mention. The members of the Children’s Jury Generation Kplus included Walter Moritz Arndt, Gustav Arnz, Thabani Dabulamanzi, Rosa Sophie Krasznahorkai, Vera Marsh, Emir Efe Ozeren, and Alma Sofia Villanueva Bullemer. Not A Hero was screened in the Generation Kplus Competition section last week. Rima Das attended the world premiere of the film at the Berlin Film Festival. (Rima Das (Instagram)) What Rima Das said Rima Das said the recognition is “deeply meaningful”. “Not a Hero was made by listening closely and trusting children, their quiet strength, their courage, and their right to choose who they want to become. I’m grateful to the Generation jury, the Generation team, and the audiences who received the film with such openness and care,” she said in a statement. About the film Not a Hero stars Bhuman Bhargav Das, who …

Ilker Catak’s ‘Yellow Letters’ wins Golden Bear at Berlin film festival

Ilker Catak’s ‘Yellow Letters’ wins Golden Bear at Berlin film festival

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“Yellow Letters”, directed by German filmmaker Ilker Catak, won the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday in a ceremony reflecting the controversy over Gaza which has dogged this year’s edition of the event. Ilker Catak’s ‘Yellow Letters’ wins Golden Bear at Berlin film festival A political drama, Catak’s film tells the story of a Turkish director and his actor wife, suddenly barred from working because of their political opinions. Jury president Wim Wenders called the film “a terrifying premonition, a look into the near future that could possibly happen in our countries as well”. “This is a movie that speaks up very clearly about the political language of totalitarianism as opposed to the empathetic language of cinema,” Wenders said. Catak called Wenders “one of my teachers”, adding: “It’s such an incredible thing to receive this award from you.” The runner-up Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to “Salvation” by Emin Alper, who in his speech mentioned his solidarity with several high-profile opposition figures in prison in Turkey, including jailed …

Why Arundhati Roy pulled out of Berlinale 2026 despite her film’s 4K premiere

Why Arundhati Roy pulled out of Berlinale 2026 despite her film’s 4K premiere

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Booker Prize-winning Indian author Arundhati Roy’s 1989 English television film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones has been restored in 4K by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur-led Film Heritage Foundation. The restored version of the film, which is also known for one of Shah Rukh Khan’s earliest onscreen appearances, had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival or the Berlinale this week. But Roy has decided to give it a miss. Roy pulled out of the Berlinale hours after the Berlinale jury maintained an apolitical stance during a press conference at the film festival. Roy put out a statement which read, “This morning, like millions of people across the world, I heard the unconscionable statements made by members of the jury of the Berlin film festival when they were asked to comment about the genocide in Gaza.” “To hear them say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping. It is a way of shutting down a conversation about a crime against humanity even as it unfolds before us in real time – when artists, …

Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton Join 81 Artists Criticising Berlin Film Festival For ‘Silence’ Over Gaza | Hollywood News

Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton Join 81 Artists Criticising Berlin Film Festival For ‘Silence’ Over Gaza | Hollywood News

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Last Updated:February 18, 2026, 02:33 IST Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton and Adam McKay join 81 artists condemning Berlin Film Festival for alleged silence on Gaza and suppression of political voices. Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton sign an open letter urging Berlinale to speak on Gaza. More than 80 current and former participants of the Berlin International Film Festival have signed an open letter criticizing the festival for what they describe as its “silence” regarding the conflict in Gaza and the “censoring” of artists who speak out. Among the signatories are actors Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Angeliki Papoulia, Saleh Bakri, Tatiana Maslany, Peter Mullan, and Tobias Menzies, along with directors Mike Leigh, Lukas Dhont, Nan Goldin, Miguel Gomes, Adam McKay, and Avi Mograbi. The letter urges film institutions to refuse “complicity in the terrible violence that continues to be waged against Palestinians,” calling for moral responsibility from the festival. It comes amid the 2026 Berlinale, where political issues have sparked debate after jury head Wim Wenders claimed in the opening press conference that “filmmaking was the …

Juliette Binoche confronts aging’s difficult questions in Berlin competition entry ‘Queen at Sea’

Juliette Binoche confronts aging’s difficult questions in Berlin competition entry ‘Queen at Sea’

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* Juliette Binoche confronts aging’s difficult questions in Berlin competition entry ‘Queen at Sea’ ‘Queen at Sea’ competes for Golden Bear top prize at Berlin Film Festival * Film explores aging and family care dilemmas * New film from director Lance Hammer in nearly two decades BERLIN, – French star Juliette Binoche said on Tuesday that the difficult questions that come with aging, portrayed in her new film “Queen at Sea,” could be posed to anyone who has loved ones. “At a certain point, we have to go through all the questions about how do we take care of our parents, of getting older, and I’m going to get old at a certain point too, so all those questions are very important to anyone,” she told Reuters. “Queen at Sea” premiered on Tuesday at the Berlin Film Festival, where it is competing for the Golden Bear top prize. Binoche stars as Amanda, who decides to call the police because her stepfather will not stop having sex with her mother with advanced dementia, enmeshing her family in …

Ilker Catak’s ‘Yellow Letters’ wins Golden Bear at Berlin film festival

French star Isabelle Huppert revels in vampire role with ‘The Blood Countess’

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BERLIN, – French film mainstay Isabelle Huppert relished slipping into the role of a vampire for German director Ulrike Ottinger’s darkly comic “The Blood Countess”, she told journalists on Monday. French star Isabelle Huppert revels in vampire role with ‘The Blood Countess’ “To play a vampire, it’s fun,” she said ahead of its Berlin Film Festival premiere, where it is playing in the Special section. Ottinger’s playful approach to the genre “gives another dimension to the pleasure of being a vampire,” she added. Huppert stars as Erzsebet Bathory, the Hungarian noblewoman, who according to legend, bathed in the blood of virgins in the belief it would grant her eternal youth. Decked all in red, Huppert’s countess flounces through Vienna’s landmarks in search of a book with the power to kill vampires, accompanied by her pet bat and a coffin-shaped purse. “It’s not the kind of occasion where you approach a character from a psychological point of view. It’s almost broader than this,” said Huppert, a festival regular who was nominated for an Oscar for director …

Historical queer film ‘Rose’ shown at Berlin with call to action| Entertainment News

Historical queer film ‘Rose’ shown at Berlin with call to action| Entertainment News

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Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose” premiered at the Berlin film festival Sunday, with Sandra Hueller playing a woman in 17th-century Germany trying to escape the strictures of patriarchy by passing herself off as a man. Historical queer film ‘Rose’ shown at Berlin with call to action Hueller’s character, the eponymous Rose, is initially welcomed when she arrives in a small village in the aftermath of the Thirty Years’ War and the film charts her attempt to live freely in her assumed identity. Rose marries a young woman from the community, Suzanna played by Caro Braun. When Suzanna discovers the deception, Rose tries to convince her to stay in the marital home by promising her freedom in their life together. Hueller, who gained international acclaim for her roles in “The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall”, said her character “used this drag as a disguise to live in safety and to have a life of her own”. She said the story had a resonance with contemporary developments. “More and more people who were on the path …

Rima Das premieres her new film Not A Hero at Berlin International Film Festival

Rima Das premieres her new film Not A Hero at Berlin International Film Festival

Published by Parlour News

Acclaimed filmmaker Rima Das premiered her new film, Not a Hero, at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it received a warm reception from the audience. The film had its world premiere in the Generation Kplus Competition section on Saturday at the 76th edition of the festival. (Also read: Arundhati Roy pulls out of Berlin Film Festival after organisers choose not to speak on Gaza: ‘Shocked and disgusted’) Rima Das with actor Sukanya Boruah at the premiere. (Sukanya Boruah (Instagram)) Rima Das talks about her new film As per the latest update on news agency PTI, Rima said in a statement, “Not a Hero’ trusts young audiences to sit with ambiguity and emotional complexity. It doesn’t simplify experience or resolve conflicts neatly. I’m grateful it premiered in Generation, a space where children are not symbols or lessons, but fully formed individuals. That openness feels essential to how the film breathes…Walking the red carpet with the team made the moment even more special and deeply meaningful.” Rima attended the premiere with the cast of her film. …

Charli XCX ‘honoured’ to be at ‘political’ Berlin Film Festival

Charli XCX ‘honoured’ to be at ‘political’ Berlin Film Festival

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Pop superstar Charli XCX said Saturday she was “honoured” to be at this year’s Berlin Film Festival and hailed the event’s tradition of scheduling politically aware films. Charli XCX ‘honoured’ to be at ‘political’ Berlin Film Festival Aidan Zamiri’s mockumentary “The Moment”, starring Charli XCX playing a fictionalised version of herself dealing with the fallout of her own “brat summer” phenomenon, is being shown in the festival’s Panorama section after premiering at Sundance last month. At a press conference, Charli XCX was asked why she felt it was important to launch the film this way, at a time when many prominent new film releases are not coming from the festival circuit. “I think we all collectively feel so honoured to have been invited to show our film at both Sundance and here at the Berlinale,” she said, adding that “both festivals really do champion a wide variety of filmmakers with really important voices”. She went on to emphasise that the Berlinale “in particular is known for not shying away from political films, from films that …