The 75th Berlin Film Festival kicks off with ‘The Light' shining on politics
BERLIN (AP) — The Berlin International Film Festival is kicking off on Thursday with the world premiere of Tom Tykwer's 'The Light,' a timely tale of a dysfunctional German family and a Syrian refugee.
The festival known as the Berlinale this year comes against the backdrop of Germany's parliament elections. For Tykwer, it's the third time he has opened the festival although his most recent success has come in the form of hit TV show 'Babylon Berlin.'
'The Light' infuses drama, political and social commentary, song and dance — and a migration storyline that Tykwer says he didn't know would be so relevant when he started working on the movie three years ago.
'Now that it aligns with the elections and the elections are riding on the subject so violently, of course, I feel (strongly) that this movie has a really strong position about it,' he told The Associated Press.
Nineteen films will compete in the main competition lineup, with the Golden Bear winner to be announced at the closing gala on Feb. 22.
The role of politics
Germany's national election on Feb. 23, the final day of the Berlinale, is being held seven months early, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition collapsed in a dispute about how to revitalize the country's economy.
Efforts to curb migration have emerged as a central issue in the campaign — along with the question of how to handle the challenge from the far-right Alternative for Germany, which appears to be on course for its strongest national election result yet.
Politics remained front and center at a news conference with this year's Berlinale international jury, headed up by American director Todd Haynes.
And despite an air of pessimism around today's global politics, there was positivity around the role of cinema.
Haynes said the Berlinale 'has always had a strength of conviction and an openness to challenging and political discourse and bringing that into the filmmaking.'
'What's happening in the world right now has put an extra urgency to all of that,' he added.
Franco-Moroccan director and jury member Nabil Ayouch added that people need strong creative voices. 'We have to be radical. We have to be strong in our choices, in our movies,' he said.
Five films to watch
'Blue Moon' is set during the opening night of the musical 'Oklahoma!' and marks director Richard Linklater's return to the Berlinale for the first time since 'Boyhood' premiered at the festival in 2014.
Starring long-time collaborator Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qualley of 'The Substance,' the movie is competing for the Golden Bear.
Rose Byrne stars in ''If I had Legs I'd Kick You' alongside A$AP Rocky and this year's Oscar host Conan O'Brien.
The anxiety inducing dramedy from Mary Bronstein, follows Byrne's character Linda as an exhausted working mum surrounded by a revolving group of unhelpful bystanders, colleagues and family. After a hit Sundance world premiere, the movie gets to join the Berlinale's competition lineup.
Jessica Chastain reunites with Mexican director Michel Franco in the drama 'Dreams,' about a young Mexican ballet dancer played by real-life dancer Isaac Hernández. Chastain plays a wealthy socialite who finds her young lover has moved illegally to San Francisco to pursue both her and his dancing dreams.
Emma Mackey and Vicky Krieps star in playwright Rebecca LenkiewIcz's directorial debut 'Hot Milk,' also a hot contender. Based on Deborah Levy's book of the same name, it's the story of a girl who meets a free-spirited traveler when she takes her mother to consult a healer about her mystery illness in a Spanish seaside town.
And Marion Cotillard plays an actress shooting a film adaptation of Hans Christina Anderson's fairytale 'The Snow Queen' in Lucile Hadžihalilović's 70s-set French fantasy drama, 'The Ice Tower.'
Fangirl favorites
Though politics may play a part, some Berliners may be simply hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars.
Timothee Chalamet will undoubtedly cause a stoir the Palast red carpet for the German premiere of his award-winning biopic 'A Complete Unknown' on Friday — a final push before the Oscars where Chalamet is up for best actor for his portrayal of Bob Dylan.
Jacob Elordi is also likely to attract a strong fan turnout when he premieres the new TV series 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' at the festival.
Justin Kurzel's much anticipated drama about a World War II hero haunted by his experiences in a Japanese prisoner of war camp has it's red carpet debut on Saturday.
Robert Pattinson will also hit the Berlinale carpet on the same day for a special screening of Bong Joon-Ho's long-awaited follow-up to 'Parasite.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mexican national soccer team changes hotels in Los Angeles because of safety concerns
Mexico's José Raúl Rangel (12) dives to stop the ball during an international friendly soccer match against Switzerland, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate) MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican national soccer team will change hotels in Los Angeles ahead of their Gold Cup match on Saturday because of safety concerns amid the protests against immigration raids in the city, a team spokesman said Tuesday. Mexico will play its opening match in the regional tournament against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Advertisement The team had a hotel reserved in downtown Los Angeles but governing body CONCACAF has allowed for a change to an undetermined hotel, Mexican team spokesman Fernando Schwartz told The Associated Press. CONCACAF, which runs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has not made an official announcement. The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. On Sunday, crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. On Monday, President Donald Trump ordered another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to be sent to Los Angeles. Advertisement Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was reluctant to talk about the protests at a news conference on Monday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the team is scheduled to play in a friendly match against Turkey on Tuesday. 'I'm not going to talk about Los Angeles, I told you no, we are talking about sports here.' Aguirre said. 'I can't express myself right now. We have a match against Turkey, and I don't have any information. I know what we see on television. We're thousands of miles away, and I can't express myself.' After the match against the Dominican Republic, Mexico will fly to Arlington, Texas, to play Suriname and then close out the first round of the tournament against Costa Rica in Las Vegas. ___ AP soccer:

Associated Press
27 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Mexican national soccer team changes hotels in Los Angeles because of safety concerns
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican national soccer team will change hotels in Los Angeles ahead of their Gold Cup match on Saturday because of safety concerns amid the protests against immigration raids in the city, a team spokesman said Tuesday. Mexico will play its opening match in the regional tournament against the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. The team had a hotel reserved in downtown Los Angeles but governing body CONCACAF has allowed for a change to an undetermined hotel, Mexican team spokesman Fernando Schwartz told The Associated Press. CONCACAF, which runs soccer in North America, Central America and the Caribbean, has not made an official announcement. The protests began Friday in downtown Los Angeles after federal immigration authorities arrested more than 40 people across the city. On Sunday, crowds blocked a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire as police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. On Monday, President Donald Trump ordered another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to be sent to Los Angeles. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was reluctant to talk about the protests at a news conference on Monday in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where the team is scheduled to play in a friendly match against Turkey on Tuesday. 'I'm not going to talk about Los Angeles, I told you no, we are talking about sports here.' Aguirre said. 'I can't express myself right now. We have a match against Turkey, and I don't have any information. I know what we see on television. We're thousands of miles away, and I can't express myself.' After the match against the Dominican Republic, Mexico will fly to Arlington, Texas, to play Suriname and then close out the first round of the tournament against Costa Rica in Las Vegas. ___ AP soccer:


The Hill
33 minutes ago
- The Hill
Ahead of UN climate talks, Brazil fast-tracks oil and highway projects that threaten the Amazon
MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Months before hosting the U.N.'s first climate talks held in the Amazon, Brazil is fast-tracking a series of controversial decisions that undercut President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's lofty environmental rhetoric and show widening divisions within his cabinet. The country's federal environmental agency approved plans for offshore drilling near the mouth of the Amazon and rock blasting along another river in the rainforest, while Congress is moving to make it harder to recognize Indigenous land and easier to build infrastructure in the rainforest. These efforts would be controversial in normal times. But on the eve of the COP30 climate summit, environmental advocates say they're undermining Lula's claims to be an environmental defender whose administration has made headway in slowing deforestation in the Amazon. 'What will Brazil show up with at COP30 in November?' asked Cleberson Zavaski, president of the National Association of Environmental Public Servants. 'Will it be, once again, a list of commitments that contradict what the country itself is putting on the table today — such as expanding the highway network and oil exploitation?' Protecting the environment was a central part of Lula's presidential campaign in 2022, when he ran against President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over increasing deforestation and illegal activities in the Amazon, such as gold mining and land-grabbing. But when Brazil's environmental protection agency rejected the bid of Petrobras, the country's state-run oil company, to conduct exploratory drilling in an about 160 kilometers (99 miles) off Brazil's Amazonian coast, Lula supported the company's appeal and in February criticized the agency for taking too long, saying it 'seems like it's working against the government.' On May 19, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources or IBAMA, approved an emergency plan to allow the drilling. A week later, IBAMA approved a rock-blasting operation along 40 km (25 miles) of the Tocantins River to enable year-round navigation, despite criticism from local grassroots organizations. The river, which cuts through the Amazon rainforest, is set to become a critical waterway to ship soybeans, mainly to China. The Federal Prosecutor's Office said the authorization was illegal because it failed to address issues highlighted during the environmental study, and filed a lawsuit seeking to have it overturned. Since taking office in 2023, Lula has argued that Brazil can both further its development while protecting the environment. 'France, the U.K., Norway and the U.S. also produce oil. And Brazil has the cleanest energy mix in the world: 90% of our electricity comes from renewables,' Lula said in an interview to French newspaper Le Monde published last week. Brazil gets most of its own electricity from hydropower and other green energies, while its oil exports, a major source of income for the country, are on the rise. Emails to the president's chief of staff seeking comment were not answered. On May 21, the Senate approved sweeping legislation that weakens federal agencies' environmental licensing powers. Among other measures, the bill streamlines review for projects deemed priorities by the federal government, reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic steps to one and imposing a one-year deadline for review. It also elimates reviews for upgrades to existing highways, which could clear the way for to pave the whole of BR-319, a highway that runs about 900 kilometers (560 miles) through the western part of the Amazon. Environmentalists argue that the paving will lead to mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but it's expected to pass the lower chamber of Congress. Lula could veto all or parts of the bill, but according to press reports he is expected to support of the bulk of the changes with only minor adjustments. Lula has said he has no position on the environmental bill. Meanwhile, Congress has also approved rules that make it harder demarcate Indigenous lands and is moving forward with legislation to weaken licensing rules that, among other impacts. The bill is opposed by Lula's Workers' Party, but according to several press reports Lula will support of the bulk of the changes and will only negotiate minor adjustments. 'It's the perfect combo to wipe out environmental protections and Indigenous land demarcations in the country, accelerate the tipping point of the world's largest tropical forest and set off a carbon bomb against the global climate,' Climate Observatory, a network of 133 environmental, civil society and academic groups, said in a statement. Former U.S. Interior Interior Bruce Babbitt, who sits on the board of the nonprofit Amazon Conservation, said in a statement that the bill 'will lead to massive destruction of the Amazon rainforest. It should be opposed by all Brazilians and friends of Brazil in the international community.' The licensing bill has also deepened internal divisions within Brazil's government. Environment Minister Marina Silva said the law will end one of Brazil's crucial mechanisms of environmental protection, but she appears increasingly sidelined in the administration. Local media have reported that Lula's Chief of Staff Rui Costa promised the bill's sponsor that Lula would not oppose changes to licensing rules, and Minister of Transportation Renan Filho said in a social media post that the bill is 'excellent' news that will get the highway project moving. At a press conference last week, Lula praised Silva, calling her 'loyal' and adding that it's normal to have friction between the environmental and other ministries of government. But many see echoes of Lula's previous administration, during which Silva resigned from the same post after being marginalized by the rising influence of agribusiness. João Paulo Capobianco, executive secretary of the environment ministry, reiterated her criticism of the bill in a speech last week, calling it a 'real risk of setback.' He added that Silva is working with Lula's cabinet toward 'a point of convergence between those who seek efficiency — and deserve a response — and the need to preserve the system without dismantling environmental licensing.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at