BERLIN (AP) 鈥� The 74th Berlin International Film Festival opens Thursday with the world premiere of 鈥淪mall Things Like These鈥� starring man of the moment Cillian Murphy.
Murphy, a front runner at next month's Oscars for his turn in 鈥淥ppenheimer,鈥� plays a coal merchant in 1980s Ireland who uncovers shocking secrets kept by the convent in his town. Based on an Irish novel, the drama reunites Murphy with 鈥淧eaky Blinders鈥� director Tim Mielants and co-stars Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley and Emily Watson. The film explores Ireland鈥檚 Magdalene laundries, Catholic-run institutions from the 18th to the late 20th century intended to reform those deemed 鈥渇allen women.鈥�
Politics is never far from the agenda at the Berlinale, but it鈥檚 the ongoing that is likely to spark debate and demonstrations. Festival directors Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian, who will step down after this year, expressed their aim for 鈥渙pen dialogue鈥� surrounding the war. When they introduced this year鈥檚 program, they said they were 鈥渃oncerned to see that antisemitism, anti-Muslim resentment and hate speech are spreading in Germany and around the world.鈥�
Plenty of films and documentaries this year support this desire for dialogue, including the documentary 鈥淣o Other Land.鈥� It鈥檚 about Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and the unlikely friendship that develops between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist, directed by a Palestinian-Israeli collective.
The Berlinale has also partnered with social activists to create the 鈥淭iny Space鈥� project, with a small, intimate cabin set up for several days near the red carpet where festival attendees can discuss and debate the crisis in the Middle East.
But these efforts haven鈥檛 stopped some, including Ghanaian director Ayo Tsalithaba and Indian American artist Suneil Sanzgiri, from withdrawing their films from the festival in protest of .
Meanwhile the festival, which has long championed Iranian directors, has made a plea to Tehran to allow directing duo Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha to attend this year. They are due to present their new movie 鈥淢y Favourite Cake鈥� but face a travel ban by Iranian authorities. The Berlinale said in a statement that they have had their passports revoked and face a court trial in relation to their work as artists and filmmakers. The film, which will compete for the top prize, the Golden Bear, tells the story of a woman who decides to live out her desires in a country where women鈥檚 rights are heavily restricted. The duo鈥檚 previous film, 鈥淏allad of a White Cow,鈥� premiered in competition in Berlin in 2021.
Politics are at play again when it comes to the festival guest list. Last week, organizers uninvited representatives of the party, or AfD, to the opening gala. Five AfD politicians had been expected because members of all parties in Berlin鈥檚 state legislature are invited to events that are supported with public money. In recent weeks, Germany has seen large protests against the far right following a report that extremists met to discuss deporting millions of immigrants, including some with German citizenship, and that some members of AfD were present.
The festival said in a statement that 鈥渢he AfD and many of its members and representatives hold views that are deeply contrary to the fundamental values of democracy.鈥� The leader of AfD鈥檚 Berlin branch, Kristin Brinker, accused the festival of bowing to pressure from 鈥渃ultural policy activists.鈥� She argued that artists stand up for 鈥渇reedom, for diversity and for plurality鈥� but that festival organizers were doing the opposite.
Kenyan-Mexican actor Lupita Nyong鈥檕 will serve as the Berlinale鈥檚 first black jury president at this year鈥檚 festival. The Oscar winner will be joined on the jury by actor-directors Brady Corbet and Jasmine Trinca and directors Ann Hui, Christian Petzold and Albert Serra alongside Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhko.
Last year鈥檚 jury head Kristen Stewart will return to Berlin with '80s thriller 鈥淟ove Lies Bleeding,鈥� a tale of bodybuilding, crime and revenge. Other eclectic titles starring big names include Adam Sandler as a lonely astronaut in 鈥淪paceman,鈥� based on a Czech novel; Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham as father and daughter in 鈥淭reasure鈥� on a road trip through post-communist Poland; and Marvel鈥檚 Sebastian Stan is unrecognizable in psycho thriller 鈥淎 Different Man鈥� as an actor who is transformed by facial reconstruction surgery.
Martin Scorsese will receive an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at a ceremony on Feb. 20. Isabelle Huppert will return to Berlin to collect her unclaimed lifetime achievement from 2022, when the French acting icon could not attend. She returns this year with the movie 鈥淎 Traveler鈥檚 Needs鈥� from South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo.
The festival runs through Feb. 25.
Louise Dixon, The Associated Press
