The 76th Berlin Film Festival announced its highly anticipated lineup, featuring a host of notable films and international stars including Elle Fanning. Running from February 12 to 22, 2026, this year’s event brings together a mixture of world premieres and international debuts, with a diverse slate of stories showcased under artistic director Tricia Tuttle’s leadership. The Elle Fanning Berlin Festival presence highlights the buzz around Karim Aïnouz’s Rosebush Pruning, a compelling addition to the competition.
Premieres Spotlight Within an Eclectic Competition
The festival’s competition section includes many world premieres, such as Kornél Mundruczó’s At the Sea starring Amy Adams and Murray Bartlett. This drama explores a woman’s return to her family’s Cape Cod home following rehab, as sobriety triggers a confrontation with buried trauma and her identity beyond her dancing career. Meanwhile, Rosebush Pruning, directed by Karim Aïnouz, features Elle Fanning alongside Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, and Pamela Anderson. The film delves into the lives of American siblings isolated in a Spanish villa, grappling with family secrets and inherited wealth that strain their bonds.
Other standout titles in the competition include Alain Gomis’s Dao, intertwining celebrations in France and Guinea-Bissau to explore family heritage, and Anke Blondé’s Dust, set during the Belgian tech boom of the late 1990s, portraying visionary entrepreneurs whose empire collapses amidst scandal. Eva Trobisch’s Etwas ganz Besonderes (Home Stories) follows Lea’s existential search for identity within her family’s hotel in former East Germany, introducing one of the festival’s many films that examine deeply personal narratives.
Additional competition works include a variety of genres and settings, from Grant Gee’s musical exploration Everybody Digs Bill Evans to İlker Çatak’s Gelbe Briefe (Yellow Letters), a story of a celebrated artist couple targeted by the state. Notably, Beth de Araújo’s Josephine premieres internationally after showing at Sundance; a psychological thriller starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan as parents seeking justice following a crime witnessed by their daughter.
Noteworthy Performances and Unique Stories
The festival includes films echoing themes of memory, loss, and resilience. Lance Hammer’s Queen at Sea features Juliette Binoche and Tom Courtenay in a poignant portrayal of advanced dementia and the struggle to preserve autonomy within marriage. Markus Schleinzer’s Rose offers a stark reflection on suspicion and survival in a 17th-century Protestant village, while Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s Soumsoum, la nuit des astres captures the mystical journey of a teenager gifted with supernatural powers in Chad.
Key narratives also come from the Perspectives section, which spotlights debut filmmakers. These include Ashley Walters’s Animol, set inside a young offender institution, featuring Stephen Graham and capturing the complexities of loyalty among inmates. Dara Van Dusen’s Western, A Prayer for the Dying, stars Johnny Flynn and John C. Reilly as figures fighting to protect their town during an epidemic, reflecting post-Civil War tensions.
The Panorama and Special Gala segments highlight unique entries such as Charli XCX’s mockumentary The Moment, Isabelle Huppert’s vampire-themed The Blood Countess, and the historical drama The Weight starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe. This range underscores the festival’s dedication to presenting films with varied narrative and stylistic approaches.
Curatorial Insight and Festival Direction
Tricia Tuttle, in her second year as artistic director, expressed enthusiasm about the lineup’s diversity and market potential, saying,
“We fell in love with so many films this year and I think what was exciting for us as a selection committee is just how diverse these films are,”
highlighting the breadth of cinematic voices assembled this year. She also noted the commercial opportunities ahead:
“lots of really interesting films for the market that haven’t sold yet.”
Tuttle emphasized that the festival offers something for every audience, remarking,
“We really believe that there is something exciting for all kinds of audiences, whatever your tastes are, whatever cinema you like. You will find filmmakers working at the top of their game in this competition, but doing their own thing as well.”
Full Competition Roster Illuminates Global Creativity
The competition lineup features 23 films from around the world, each exploring compelling themes and featuring diverse casts. Highlights include:
- At the Sea by Kornél Mundruczó (USA/Hungary) – Featuring Amy Adams, Murray Bartlett, this world premiere tells the story of a woman confronting her past and identity post-rehab on Cape Cod.
- Dao by Alain Gomis (France/Senegal/Guinea-Bissau) – A rich narrative weaving together a wedding and a commemoration to investigate family and cultural legacy.
- Dust by Anke Blondé (Belgium/Poland/Greece/UK) – Entrepreneurs face downfall amid a business scandal during Belgium’s tech boom.
- Etwas ganz Besonderes (Home Stories) by Eva Trobisch (Germany) – Lea’s search for identity in a reality talent show sparks introspective questions.
- Everybody Digs Bill Evans by Grant Gee (Ireland/UK) – A depiction of jazz pianist Bill Evans coping with loss and artistic struggles.
- Gelbe Briefe (Yellow Letters) by İlker Çatak (Germany/France/Turkey) – A celebrated couple’s life and marriage shaken by political crackdown.
- Josephine by Beth de Araújo (USA) – Parents navigate trauma and justice after their daughter witnesses a crime.
- Kurtuluş (Salvation) by Emin Alper (Turkey/France/Netherlands/Greece/Sweden/Saudi Arabia) – A village torn by family feuds and mystical visions in turbulent times.
- The Loneliest Man in Town by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel (Austria) – Blues musician Al Cook faces eviction, stirring memories and unfulfilled dreams.
- Meine Frau weint (My Wife Cries) by Angela Schanelec (Germany/France) – A man’s day upended by a mysterious emotional encounter with his wife.
- Moscas (Flies) by Fernando Eimbcke (Mexico) – Olga’s isolated life shifts when a man sneaks his son into her rented room near a hospital.
- A New Dawn by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya (Japan/France) – Animated debut about a boy uncovering a mythical firework’s secrets before a factory closure.
- Nina Roza by Genevieve Dulude-de Celles (Canada/Italy/Bulgaria/Belgium) – An art dealer investigates a prodigy’s authentic talent in Bulgaria.
- Queen at Sea by Lance Hammer (UK/USA) – Juliette Binoche explores dementia and family dynamics amid fading memory.
- Rosebush Pruning by Karim Aïnouz (Italy/Germany/Spain/UK) – Family isolation and sibling secrets revealed in a Spanish villa.
- Rose by Markus Schleinzer (Austria/Germany) – A stranger’s arrival sparks suspicion in a 17th-century village.
- Soumsoum, la nuit des astres (Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars) by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (France/Chad) – A teenager’s supernatural powers lead her into a world of destiny and mysticism.
- À voix basse (In a Whisper) by Leyla Bouzid (France/Tunisia) – A woman confronts family secrets upon returning to Tunisia.
- Wo Men Bu Shi Mo Sheng Ren (We Are All Strangers) by Anthony Chen (Singapore) – A young couple and their families face trials redefining their lives.
- Wolfram by Warwick Thornton (Australia) – Three children challenge colonial oppression in 1930s Australia amidst outlaw chaos.
- YO Love Is a Rebellious Bird by Anna Fitch and Banker White (USA) – A touching documentary about a cross-generational friendship and creative bond.
- Yön Lapsi (Nightborn) by Hanna Bergholm (Finland/Lithuania/France/UK) – New parents in the Finnish forest face haunting uncertainty after the birth of their child.
Spotlight on Emerging Voices Within Perspectives
Berlinale’s Perspectives section, devoted to new filmmakers, features 13 to 14 titles probing diverse social and personal issues. The films address themes like trauma, societal change, and identity struggles through debut works such as Kosara Mitic’s 17, about a teenager witnessing assault, and Juan Pablo Sallato’s Hangar rojo, highlighting moral conflict during Chile’s 1973 military coup.
Ashley Walters’s Animol adds insight into youth violence and institutional life, while Dara Van Dusen’s Western drama A Prayer for the Dying offers a somber look at postwar survival amid an epidemic. Other stories include Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana exploring sinister histories beneath a country club, and Grace Passô’s Nosso segredo examining family grief in silence and unspoken bonds.
The Perspectives lineup also includes Liz Sargent’s intimate Take Me Home about a woman with a disability caring for aging adoptive parents, and Muriel d’Ansembourg’s Truly Naked telling the story of a youth stepping beyond voyeurism toward real connection. Assaf Machnes’s Where To? explores friendship across Israeli–Palestinian divides against the backdrop of Berlin’s nightlife.
Festival’s Broader Context and Cultural Significance
Coming off a year that introduced Oscar contenders like Rose Byrne’s Silver Bear-winning If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and Ethan Hawke’s Blue Moon, the Berlin Film Festival continues to serve as a vital platform for fresh cinematic voices and established talents alike. Its diverse line-up reflects urgent, sometimes anxious themes of identity, family discord, memory loss, and societal fractures, mirroring global tensions and personal crises with raw emotion and narrative complexity.
The 76th edition, under artistic director Tricia Tuttle, comes at a time when festival curators are increasingly focused on representing varied perspectives and amplifying underrepresented voices. The selection demonstrates the festival’s commitment to films that challenge conventional storytelling while engaging audiences across cultural and stylistic spectrums.
Elle Fanning’s presence in the Berlin Festival lineup, particularly in Rosebush Pruning, adds a high-profile touch to a festival rich with introspective and provocative works. With numerous debuts and international premieres, the event promises to attract attention from global cinephiles and industry professionals who seek films addressing contemporary anxieties and poignant human connections.
As the festival unfolds, these films are positioned to spark dialogue about identity, family, memory, and societal change, marking the Berlinale as a crucial event for discovering cinema that reflects urgent cultural conversations.
