Dates & ticket presale
The complete film programme and a large cast of guests for Berlin Critics’ Week 2025 are now online, with the final list of attendees as well as a detailed schedule for the opening conference on February 12 to be announced in the coming days. This year, our film screenings and debates will take place from February 13–20.
Tickets are now on sale for all film and debate programmes of the Berlin Critics’ Week. Find our ticket presales on the website of the Hackesche Höfe Kino.
Tickets for the opening conference are available on the website of the Akademie der Künste. Find details on our film programmes on our website.
Access to the events is free of charge for reporting press, anyone with Berlinale accreditation, and members of the German Film Critics Association (VdFk). The number of free tickets is, however, limited. We therefore ask you to register in advance: Members of the press and VdFk members should contact Elisabeth Mohr (presse@wochederkritik.de) regarding our guest list, while people with Berlinale accreditation should contact Elena Friedrich (akkreditierung@wochederkritik.de). A limited number of remaining tickets will be allocated at the box office according to availability. Free tickets cannot be booked online via Hackesche Höfe Kino or Akademie der Künste. Please understand that we are currently unable to offer a separate accreditation option for film professionals.
All dates at a glance:
WED February 12
6 pm
Opening conference
Place: Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin
Doors: 5.30 pm, event held in English
BACK TO THE CLASS ISSUE – FILM CULTURE AND SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Today, your social and economic background still determines your chances of success in society. Cinema also tells stories about class relations, but in the film industry itself, meaningful discussions about this subject are largely absent. With our opening conference, we want to break this silence, discuss class shame and status politics, and look for possibilities of change.
Guests:
Christopher Andrews (film director), Nuray Demir (artist/curator), Heike-Melba Fendel (author/actress), Katalin Gennburg (politician), Andreas Kemper (sociologist), Marco Müller (festival director/producer), Biene Pilavci (film director), Jovana Reisinger (author/director), Francis Seeck (mediator/professor/author)
THU February 13
7 pm
Chain Reaction
Film program with Hala Elkoussy’s EAST OF NOON, followed by a debate in our Rudelkritik format – which brings together voices from international film critics to take a closer look at the evening’s films and engage with the audience’s positions.
Guests include: Hala Elkoussy, Beatrice Loayza, Öykü Sofuoğlu
In cooperation with: Goethe Institute Cairo
EAST OF NOON
D: Hala Elkoussy, C: Menha Elbatroui, Ahmed Kamal, Omar Rozeik, Fayza Shama, DOP: Abdelsalam Moussa, NED/EGY/QAT 2024, 109 Min., Arabic Original with English Subtitles – German Premiere
FRI February 14
7 pm
Back to the Class Issue
The film night devoted to our thematic focus: the debate takes up the topics of the opening conference and applies them to the creative medium of films. What blind spots does cinema have when it comes to class relations? And can social status be made visible at all?
Guests include: Friedl vom Gröller, Vika Kirchenbauer, Adriano Valerio
EMERGENCY EXIT
(USCITA DI SICUREZZA)
D: Friedl vom Gröller, C: Angela Crupano, AUT 2024, 5 Min., German Original with English Subtitles – German Premiere
COMPASSION AND INCONVENIENCE
D: Vika Kirchenbauer, C: Laurie Young, Mmakgosi Kgabi, Olympia Bukkakis, Leah Marojević, DOP: Rita Macedo, GER 2024, 30 Min., English Original with English Subtitles
THE VAMPIRES OF POVERTY
(AGARRANDO PUEBLO)
D: Luis Ospina, Carlos Mayolo, C: Carlos Mayolo, Jaime Cevallos, Fabián Ramírez, Javier Villa, DOP: Eduardo Carvajal, Jacques Marchal, COL 1978, 28 Min., Spanish Original with English Subtitles
CASABLANCA
D: Adriano Valerio, C: Fouad Miftah, Daniela Brandi, DOP: Diego Romero Suarez-Ilanos, Jonathan Ricquebourg, FRA/ITA 2023, 63 Min., Arabic, Italian, French Original with English Subtitles
SAT February 15
7 pm
Family Fatale
Film program with JJ Lin’s HIPPOPOTAMI and Skinner Myers’ BEFORE YOU FADE AWAY INTO NOTHING, followed by a debate in our new format Tunnelblick, in which we invite filmmakers of a specific craft. We will be discussing the two films of this evening from the perspective of editing.
Guests include: JJ Lin, Skinner Myers, Ramon Zürcher
In cooperation with: Goethe Institute Beijing, US Embassy Berlin
HIPPOPOTAMI
D: JJ Lin, C: Zhang Zhiyong, Wang Zixi, Xu Ge, Wang Zhenhua, DOP: Li Chen, CHN/HKG 2025, 13 Min., Chinese Original with English Subtitles – European Premiere
BEFORE YOU FADE AWAY INTO NOTHING
D: Skinner Myers, C: Skinner Myers, Nican Robinson, John Myers Jr., Matthew Gibson III, DOP: Matthew Halla, USA 2025, 105 Min., English Original – World Premiere
SUN February 16
7 pm
Myth Mayhem
Film program with Daphné Hérétakis’ WHAT WE ASK OF A STATUE IS THAT IT DOESN’T MOVE and Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco’s AOQUIC IEZ IN MEXICO! MEXICO WILL NO LONGER EXIST!. The debate will take place in our Steilvorlage format. Here, people from different fields, disciplines and/or arts come together to discuss the evening’s films and the connecting points between them.
Guests: Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco, Daphné Hérétakis, Rocío Mesa, Robin Vanbesien
WHAT WE ASK OF A STATUE IS THAT IT DOESN’T MOVE
(AFTO POU ZITAME APO ENA AGALMA INE NA MIN KINITE)
D: Daphné Hérétakis, C: Naya Ferentinou, Maria Mitsora, Grigoria Metheniti, Hélène Chalastanis, DOP: Robin Fresson, Daphné Hérétakis, GRE/FRA 2024, 32 Min., Greek Original with English Subtitles
AOQUIC IEZ IN MEXICO! MEXICO WILL NO LONGER EXIST!
(¡AOQUIC IEZ IN MEXICO! ¡YA MÉXICO NO EXISTIRÁ MÁS!)
D: Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco, C: Marcela Vásquez, Lizzeth Tecuatl Cuaxiloa, Los Cogelones, Estefani Victoria Feria García, DOP: Annalisa D. Quagliata Blanco, MEX 2024, 80 Min., Náhuatl, Spanish Original with English Subtitles – German Premiere
MON February 17
7 pm
Caught in the Act
Film program with Lilliya Scarlett Reid’s BITS, Joel Potrykus’ VULCANIZADORA and Bernardo Zanotta’s TRAGEDY. This debate will also take place in our Steilvorlage format. Here, people from different fields, disciplines or arts come together to talk about the films of an evening – and how they relate to each other.
Guests include: Joshua Burge, Lilliya Scarlett Reid, Bernardo Zanotta
BITS
D: Lilliya Scarlett Reid, C: Betsey Brown, Jon Gries, Morgan Krantz, DOP: Nico van den Berg, USA 2024, 21 Min., English Original
VULCANIZADORA
D: Joel Potrykus, C: Joshua Burge, Joel Potrykus, Bill Vincent, Melissa Blanchard, DOP: Adam J. Minnick, USA 2024, 85 Min., English Original – German Premiere
TRAGEDY
(TRAGÉDIA)
D: Bernardo Zanotta, C: Laís Freitas, Julio Zanotta, NED/FRA/BRA 2025, 15 Min., Portuguese Original with English Subtitles – International Premiere
TUE February 18
7 pm
Unsigned
Film program with Zhu Xin’s ALL QUIET AT SUNRISE and Oskar Weimar’s I WANT TO BE A HOUSE. The debate will take place in the format Reaktionszeit – a discussion between our guests about the evening’s film program, in which the filmmakers present are initially allowed only to listen. Later, they will have the opportunity to respond.
Guests: Narges Kalhor, Julian Warner, Oskar Weimar, Zhu Xin
ALL QUIET AT SUNRISE
D: Zhu Xin, C: Wang Ke, Chen Yan, Wang Yinjie, DOP: Zhang Wei, CHN 2025, 101 Min., Chinese Original with English Subtitles – World Premiere
I WANT TO BE A HOUSE
(NATAKA KUA NYUMBA)
D: Oskar Weimar, C: Rose Nganga, Ane Kariri, Vincent Tonui, KEN 2025, 31 Min., Swahili Original with English Subtitles – World Premiere
WED February 19
7 pm
Pastime
Film program with Radu Jude’s SLEEP #2 and Diane Severin Nguyen’s IN HER TIME (IRIS’ VERSION). The debate will take place in the format Wunschdenken, in which our invited filmmakers choose with whom they would like to talk about their film.
Guests: tbc
SLEEP #2
D: Radu Jude, ROU 2024, 62 Min., o. D. – German Premiere
IN HER TIME (IRIS’ VERSION)
D: Diane Severin Nguyen, C: Li Meixian, DOP: Xie Junqian, Diane Severin Nguyen, US 2025, 67 Min., Chinese Original with English Subtitles – World Premiere
THU February 20
7 pm
Private Eyes
Film program with Sofia Bohdanowicz’s MEASURES FOR A FUNERAL, followed by a debate in the Halbwissen format. In this format, the moderator has not seen the evening’s films – and will depend on the precise descriptions of the films by our invited guests.
Guests include: Sofia Bohdanowicz, Valerie Dirk, Barbara Morgenstern, Sonya Vseliubska
MEASURES FOR A FUNERAL
D: Sofia Bohdanowicz, C: Deragh Campbell, María Dueñas, Melanie Scheiner, Mary-Margaret O’Hara, DOP: Nikolay Michaylov, CAN 2024, 142 Min., English Original – German Premiere
THU February 20
4 pm
SPECIAL SCREENING
In the context of a Special Screening, we have invited Frédéric Jaeger – Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Berlin Critics’ Week from 2015 to 2020 – to the festival. In his feature film debut, three young people from Berlin attempt to break with their everyday lives, reinvent themselves, and rethink their love lives while on vacation in the Canary Islands.
Guests include: Frédéric Jaeger
ALL WE EVER WANTED
D: Frédéric Jaeger, C: Charity Collin, Mehmet Sözer, Michael Ifeandu, DOP: Maximilian Andereya, GER 2024, 80 min., German Original with English subtitles
Read the announcement at wochederkritik.de
Press contact: Elisabeth Mohr, presse@wochederkritik.de
The Berlin Critics’ Week flyer (PDF)
Announcement for the opening conference
Ticket sale for the opening conference
Berlin Critics’ Week is an event organized by the German Film Critics Association and funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds and the Rudolf Augstein Foundation. The opening conference will be held in cooperation with the Film and Media Art section of the Akademie der Künste. This year’s thematic focus of the conference was developed in collaboration with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Travel for guest directors has been made possible by the support of the US Embassy in Berlin, the Goethe-Institut Cairo, and the Goethe-Institut Beijing.