The 75th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from 13 to 23 February. This year, the festival held in the capital of Germany since 1951 will present more than 200 films, of which 60 are produced or co-produced by Asian countries.
1001 Frames (2025) by Mehrnoush Alia (World Premiere)
Iran, USA, 87′
In the studio of a well-known director, female actors audition for the role of Scheherazade in “A Thousand and One Nights”. However, they gradually realise that the director has more in mind than just casting the leading role.
A Letter to David (2025) by Tom Shoval (World Premiere)
Israel, USA, 74′
In 2013, David Cunio starred in Tom Shoval’s debut feature “Youth”, which revolved around two brothers kidnapping a schoolmate. In 2023, Cunio was abducted and since then, he has been held hostage in Gaza. With this documentary, Shoval sends him a cinematic letter.
A Story about Fire (2025) by Li Wenyu (World Premiere)
China, 85′
The legend of Ran Bi Wa tells of a monkey who was raised by humans. Embarking on a journey to the Holy Mountain to steal fire for humanity, the monkey undergoes a transformation.
After Colossus (2024) by Timoteus Anggawan Kusno (International Premiere)
Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, 29′
In the chaotic aftermath following the collapse of Indonesia’s dictatorship, a team of researchers discovers a forgotten archive revealing a covert operation that manipulated dreams and memories.
After Dreaming (2025) by Christine Haroutounian (World Premiere)
Armenia, Mexico, USA, 105′
Assigned to shield Claudette from the news of her father’s death, young soldier Atom accompanies her on a journey through the war-torn Armenian countryside. This hallucinatory trip weaves through the mythologies of a nation permanently in conflict.
Ancestral Visions of the Future (2025) by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (World Premiere)
Germany, France, Lesotho, Saudi Arabia, 90′
A documentary inspired by Sundance prizewinner Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s childhood, serving as both an ode to cinema and a tribute to his mother. Through fragmented storytelling and evocative imagery, the director offers a meditation on dislocation and belonging.
Beneath the Placid Lake (2025) by Kush Badhwar, Vyjayanthi Rao (World Premiere)
India, Finland, 10′
A projection-based installation that examines the multilayered spatial, social, and cultural aftermath of displacement and slow violence following the creation of a massive dam in the southern Indian state of Telangana.
Beneath Which Rivers Flow (2025) by Ali Yahya (World Premiere)
Iraq, 16′
In the southern Iraq, Ibrahim feels out of place. His only true companion is his loyal buffalo. However, an impending environmental disaster threatens the life he knows as well as the only creature he deeply connects with.
Cadet (2025) by Adilkhan Yerzhanov (European Premiere)
Kazakhstan, 126′
History teacher Alina faces a cold reception when she enrols her son Serik in a cadet school designed to transform boys into men. In this post-horror tale, a student’s death stirs unease, while the lingering stench of past corpses seeps from the cellar.
Chang Gyeong (2025) by Jangwook Lee (World Premiere)
South Korea, 17′
A video journey through Changgyeonggung reveals an unusual mix of zoo, amusement park, and palaces. As the site’s dark past comes to light, its nostalgic charm fades, transforming childhood memories into a complex, unsettling reflection.
Children’s Day (2025) by Giselle Lin (World Premiere)
Singapore, 20′
Eight-year-old Xuan searches for the perfect outfit for her school’s upcoming Children’s Day celebration. With her sisters teasing her, her father’s strictness, and her mother preoccupied with a newborn, she cautiously reaches out to a classmate, forging a new friendship.
Confidente (2025) by Cagla Zencirci, Guillaume Giovanetti (World Premiere)
France, Luxembourg, Turkey, 76′
Arzu spends her days taking calls at an erotic hotline. After an earthquake strikes Istanbul, a young caller she spoke with earlier reaches out again, but this time pleading for her help.
Citizen-Inmate (2025) by Hesam Eslami (World Premiere)
Iran, 15′
Tehran has become a digital panopticon where relentless electronic monitoring turns the nightmare of constant surveillance into reality. In this documentary, Hesam Eslami unfolds what happens when those behind the surveillance become the ones under scrutiny?
Dreams in Nightmares (2025) by Shatara Michelle Ford (International Premiere)
Taiwan, USA, United Kingdom, 128′
Three Black queer women in their mid-thirties embark on a road trip across the American Midwest, searching for their friend who has mysteriously disappeared.
Eel (2025) by Chu Chun-Teng (World Premiere)
Taiwan, 102′
In his debut, Chu Chun-Teng raises the themes of longing, belonging and transformation. The story focuses on a lost man and a mysterious woman as they explore an isolated island on the outskirts of Taipei.
Extracurricular Activity (2024) by Dean Wei, Xu Yidan (International Premiere)
China, 22′
Two teenagers secretly meet, but things don’t go as planned. When one of them reveals what happened to his mother, she takes control and decides how to solve the problem.
Fruit Farm (2025) by Nana Xu (World Premiere)
China, Germany, 30′
Nana Xu travels to the place her father built as a prisoner during the Cultural Revolution. Initially, it was a labour camp, later a prison, then a fruit farm, and finally a treatment centre. Through conversations with the last surviving witnesses, she explores how the past shapes the notion of home.
Girls on Wire (2025) by Vivian Qu (World Premiere)
China, 115′
Tian Tian, a single mother raising her five-year-old daughter, finds herself on the run after killing a drug dealer. With danger closing in, her only ally is her cousin, Fang Di. Vivian Qu’s third feature competes for the Golden Bear.
Houses (2025) by Veronica Nicole Tetelbaum (World Premiere)
Germany, Israel, 98′
Sasha is a non-binary person who moved to Israel from the Soviet Union as a child. Tormented by memories, they return to the houses they once lived in. The film offers a quiet reflection on the search for a sense of belonging.
Inner Blooming Springs (2025) by Tiku Kobiashvili (World Premiere)
Georgia, 43′
In Tbilisi in 2024, protests break out against the controversial “Foreign Agents” law. Many people, Tiku Kobiashvili among them, joined the movement, standing together in solidarity.
Khartoum (2025) by Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea M Ahmed, Phil Cox (European Premiere)
Germany, Qatar, Sudan, United Kingdom, 80′
When civil war erupts in Sudan, a civil servant, a tea lady, a resistance committee volunteer, and two street boys are compelled to escape. This emotional and poetic film offers an intimate portrayal of five individuals from Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan.
Little Rebels Cinema Club (2025) by Khozy Rizal (International Premiere)
Indonesia, 17′
In 2008, 14-year-old Doddy and his friends attempt to recreate a famous scene from a zombie movie, using the video camera that belongs to his melancholic and angry emo brother, Anji.
Living the Land (2025) by Huo Meng (World Premiere)
China, 132′
Huo Meng presents his newest film 7 years after his award-winning debut, “Crossing the Border – Zhaoguan” (2018). The story focuses on ten-year-old Chuang. With both parents working far from home, who is left in the care of his extended family in a village where rural traditions clash with the socio-economic changes of China in the early 1990s. “Living the Land” is a part of the Competition.
Mickey 17 (2025) by Bong Joon-ho (German Premiere)
South Korea, United Kingdom, USA, 137′
Six years after the huge success of “Parasite” (2019), Bong Joon-ho presents his latest work. The story, based on the novel “Mickey7” by Edward Ashton, focuses on Mickey Barnes who works as a disposable crew member on a space mission. Because he can be renewed in case of death, he is selected for dangerous tasks. However, with one regeneration, things don’t go as planned.
Mirage: Eigenstate (2024) by Riar Rizaldi (International Premiere)
Indonesia, Portugal, United Kingdom, 30′
Inspired by Carl Sagan’s iconic TV series “Cosmos” (1980), this film challenges the supremacy of Western science, embracing diverse worldviews – from Sufi mysticism and monorealism to quantum mechanics.
Mountain Roars (2025) by Chonchanok Thanatteepwong, Pobwarat Maprasob (World Premiere)
Thailand, 13′
Amid shifting mountains and the distant rumble of explosions, secrets linger in the caves, streams, and trees. As a mysterious light emerges, two people try to unravel the story of this place.
My Armenian Phantoms (2025) by Tamara Stepanyan (World Premiere)
Armenia, France, Qatar, 75′
In this documentary, Tamara Stepanyan embarks on a nostalgic journey through Armenian cinema, intertwining reflections on her late father’s acting legacy with her own artistic journey, blending personal memories and a tribute to the nation’s cinematic heritage.
Nudity (2025) by Sabina Bakaeva (World Premiere)
Uzbekistan, France, 26′
An open conversation between a mother and a daughter about growing up as a woman in Uzbekistan. Confessions about an unwanted sexual intercourse, the experience of misogyny and gender asymmetry.
Night Fishing (2011) by Park Chan-wook, Park Chan-kyong (No Premiere)
South Korea, 33′
A fantasy-horror short fairy tale about a fisherman who catches something unexpected. The film addresses the themes of death, reincarnation, transmigration and the sounds of music.
Ordinary Life (2025) by Yoriko Mizushiri (World Premiere)
France, Japan, 10′
A breath of air, a subtle movement, a gentle touch, and in between, a sense of dissolution. Everyday gestures unfold delicately, bathed in pastel colours.
Photosynthesizing Dead in Warehouse (2024) by Jeamin Cha (International Premiere)
South Korea, 30′
Within an empty house, images of decaying fruit in a box are intertwined with letters from a researcher examining the kusōzu – Buddhist paintings illustrating the nine stages of a decomposing corpse, tied to the contemplation of impermanence.
Queer as Punk (2025) by Yihwen Chen (World Premiere)
Indonesia, Malaysia, 88′
A documentary capturing bravery, humour, friendship, and the rebellious spirit of punk. In Muslim-majority Malaysia, where being LGBT is criminalized, trans man Faris and his punk band continue to tour the country, perform at gigs, and protest in the streets.
Queerpanorama (2025) by Jun Li (World Premiere)
China, Hong Kong, USA, 87′
A gay man impersonates his past lovers, carrying each new identity into his next encounter. Only through pretending to be someone else does he find the freedom to express his true self.
Ruse (2025) by Rhea Shukla (World Premiere)
India, 10′
On a rainy afternoon, three teenage girls practice a dance that begins to evolve, teetering between innocence and self-discovery.
Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts (2025) by Rein Maychaelson (World Premiere)
Indonesia, 19′
Sammi was born with the unsettling ability to detach and move his body parts at will. Throughout his life, he shared these pieces with those he loved. But when he died, only a torso and a faceless head remained. After learning of her estranged son’s death, Lian, his middle-aged mother, embarks on a desperate journey to reclaim the scattered fragments of her son in a haunting quest to restore what was lost.
Seaside Serendipity (2025) by Satoko Yokohama (World Premiere)
Japan, 141′
A coastal town draws artists who engage both children and adults in peculiar happenings. This episodic film is filled with a gentle sense of mystery and bittersweet moments.
Shadowbox (2025) by Tanushree Das, Saumyananda Sahi (World Premiere)
France, India, Spain, USA, 91′
Maya discovers that her husband, an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD, is the prime suspect in a murder investigation. Going to extremes, she and her teenage son try to keep the family together.
Silent Sparks (2024) by Ping Chu (International Premiere)
Taiwan, 79′
Ex-con Pua dives into the world of gangsters. However, his reunion with a former cellmate Mi-ji doesn’t live up to his hopes. Soon, both men will face some tough decisions.
Spring Night (2024) by Kang Mi-ja (International Premiere)
South Korea, 67′
As old habits prove difficult to overcome, an alcoholic woman and an ailing man form a life-affirming connection. In her poignant drama, Kang Mi-ja offers a look at the doomed romance between two isolated individuals, burdened by their experiences.
Sunshine (2024) by Antoinette Jadaone (European Premiere)
Philippines, 91′
During the week of national team try-outs, a young gymnast finds out she’s pregnant. On her journey to get illegal abortion pills, she crosses paths with a mysterious girl who makes her doubt her choice.
The Botanist (2025) by Jing Yi (World Premiere)
China, 96′
In a village in a remote valley in China, a lonely Kazakh boy named Arsin nurses fading memories of his family. He finds solace in the company of plants. The arrival of Meiyu, a Han Chinese girl, is like the discovery of a plant he has never seen before, bringing him comfort and a strange sense of wonder. Together, they grow like two distinct species, rooted in a shared corner of the world, imagining the valley as an endless ocean. But one day, Arsin learns that Meiyu will be moving to Shanghai, which is 4,792 kilometres away – a distance he struggles to comprehend.
The Goddess (1934) by Wu Yonggang (World premiere of the digitally restored version)
China, 82′
A single mother resorts to prostitution for the sake of her son, but she finds herself in conflict with both the mothers of his classmates and her pimp. The restored movie offers a sharp critique of society.
The Heart Is a Muscle (2025) by Imran Hamdulay (World Premiere)
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, 86′
Ryan’s five-year-old son goes missing for a brief moment during a barbecue. Ryan’s intense reaction triggers a series of events that bring buried secrets to light. This sparks a journey of self-reflection and reconciliation.
The Longing (2025) by Toshizo Fujiwara (World Premiere)
Japan, 104′
A couple of restaurant owners employ young people recently released from juvenile detention, aiming to help them reintegrate into society. Eager to start anew, Yuto seeks their support in turning his life around.
The Old Woman with the Knife (2025) by Min Kyu-dong (World Premiere)
South Korea, 131′
Hornclaw is a legendary assassin in her 60s. Her speciality is eliminating the scum of the earth. She has learned to accept loss, but when she meets Bullfight, a promising young killer who wants to work with her, she finds new meaning in her monotonous life.
The Sense of Violence (2024) by Kim Mooyoung (International Premiere)
South Korea, 114′
In his documentary, Kim Mooyoung presents how state-supporting ideologies, specifically anti-Communism in South Korea, are built from the ground up – through images, narratives, architecture, propaganda and real-life violence.
The Settlement (2025) by Mohamed Rashad (World Premiere)
Egypt, France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, 94′
After a man dies at work, the only compensation offered to his family is the chance for his two sons to be employed in the same place, with the man responsible for their father’s death.
The Tale of Daye’s Family (2024) by Karim El Shenawy (European Premiere)
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, 100′
Inspired by his idol Mohamed Mounir, Daye, a teenage Nubian albino with a beautiful voice, travels with his family to Cairo where he intends to audition for “The Voice”.
The Trio Hall (2025) by Su Hui-yu (World Premiere)
Taiwan, 85′
This spectacularly eccentric satire by Su Hui-yu draws on 1970s Taiwanese TV culture and has a revue show of dictators in cahoots with the entertainment industry – a roller-skating Hitler dancing with Stalin, as Mao does the same with Chiang Kai-shek.
The Wife of Seisaku (1965) by Yasuzo Masumura (World premiere of the digitally restored version)
Japan, 93′
The audience at Berlinale will get a chance to watch the digitally restored version of “The Wife of Seisaku” 60 years after its premiere. Yasuzô Masumura, known for portraying and promoting individualism, presents a story happening at the beginning of the 20th century. A small-town girl named Okane, shunned by villagers as a “witch”, begins a passionate relationship with an honoured soldier.
Through Your Eyes (2025) by Nelson Yeo (World Premiere)
Singapore, 20′
Two years after his awarded feature debut, “Dreaming & Dying” (2023), Nelson Yeo presents his eighth short film. In a discotheque stuck in the 1980s, the lives of four characters intertwine as each of them searches for connection and meaning amidst the pulsating beats and timeless allure of an era that refuses to disappear.
Tiger’s Pond (2025) by Natesh Hegde (World Premiere)
India, Singapore, 87′
The second feature by Natesh Hegde tells a story about Prabhu, a ruthless businessman of feudal heritage, who sets out to manipulate a local election. However, his plans are disrupted by Basu, a street-smart, outcast villager. A dark, lyrical crime drama with rapturous textures and treacherous depths.
Underground (2024) by Kaori Oda (International Premiere)
Japan, 83′
In 1945, the caves in Okinawa offered the population shelter from the bombs and the US troops’ arrival. These events from the past still cast a shadow over the present. Kaori Oda’s latest documentary, which premiered at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival, works in different visual layers, superimposing oral memory culture over historical wounds.
Village Rockstars 2 (2024) by Rima Das (European Premiere)
India, Singapore, 108′
After seven years, Rima Das presents a sequel to his very well-received “Village Rockstars” (2017). In a small village, Dhunu, now a teenage girl, passionately pursues her dreams of life as a guitarist in her rock band. As the harsh realities of life get in the way, she tries to defy the challenges, and embarks on a journey to rediscover the profound connection between music and life.
Vita Lakamaya (2016) by Akihito Izuhara (No Premiere)
Japan, 8′
Resting is the most important activity of all in the land of Vita Lakamaya. A procession goes by. The year draws to a close. The creature sleeps. This second short film directed by Akihito Izuhara was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.
What Does that Nature Say to You (2025) by Hong Sang-soo (World Premiere)
South Korea, 108′
A young poet drops his girlfriend off at her parents’ house and is amazed by its size. He meets her family, and they all end up spending a day together. Hong Sang-soo’s 33rd feature competes for the Golden Bear.
What’s Next? (2025) by Cao Yiwen (World Premiere)
China, Hong Kong, 72′
In her feature debut, Cao Yiwen dreams up a world before and after the arrival of evil. With the help of an AI image generator, no dialogue and a meditative soundtrack, this animation embraces the kitsch and utter strangeness of images hallucinated by machines.
Where the Night Stands Still (2025) by Liryc Dela Cruz (World Premiere)
Italy, Philippines, 75′
After years apart, three Filipino siblings who are all domestic workers in Italy, meet in the villa that one of the sisters has inherited. As the night deepens, the long-awaited reunion stirs old memories but also awakens unspoken grievances. The air is heavy with the weight of what has been left unsaid over time as the siblings carefully try to navigate the distance that has grown between them. In the stillness of the villa, they wrestle with an inexpressible pain as their shared history unfolds in fragments and reveals subtle but profound marks of absence, envy and broken bonds.
Yalla Parkour (2025) by Areeb Zuaiter (European Premiere)
Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, 89′
In her full-length debut, Areeb Zuaiter crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza. This encounter sparks a journey where conflicting aspirations clash, nostalgia meets ambition, and the weight of the past meets an unpredictable future. This documentary premiered at the 15th Doc NYC, where it won the Grand Jury Prize.
Yunan (2025) Ameer Fakher Eldin (World Premiere)
Canada, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, 124′
Seeking solitude, Munir travels to a remote island. There he stays at a hotel run by a woman named Valeska. Her compassion reignites his diminishing will to live. The second feature directed by Ameer Fakher Eldin is a part of the Competition.
Apart from the movies mentioned above, the program includes a film titled “Lloyd Wong, Unfinished” by Lesley Loksi Chan. Even though the only country of production is Canada, it should be of interest to fans of Asian cinema. This short film tells the story of a Chinese-Canadian artist Lloyd Wong, who began to make a work based on his experiences living with AIDS in Toronto, but he died from AIDS-related illnesses before completing it. For three decades, his work-in-progress was considered “long-lost” until it resurfaced at The Queer ArQuives.
