In THE HIDDEN FACE OF THE EARTH, Ali Benzekri sees Arnaud Alain create a film in which a photograph is no longer an object but a question. His work does not ask how to see again; it asks what it means to continue creating images to stay alive #Berlinale buff.ly/VJ8qwMm

Shahran Morshed finds a severed finger and a lot of sand in Mahde Hasan's SAND CITY, a poignant exploration of isolation, the human need for connection, and the small acts of survival that bind us to the world buff.ly/37upj75

E. Nina Rothe feels the blues in Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel's THE LONELIEST MAN IN TOWN, an Austrian gem that doesn’t need action or tricks to be bewitching #Berlinale buff.ly/we95J0z

Whether you’re a 'Freudian-Marxist' or someone who wonders why your partner brings their mommy issues into the bedroom, this #IFFR2026 interview by Anuradha Kodagoda with TELL ME WHAT YOU FEEL director Łukasz Ronduda is for you buff.ly/1DidO6V

Marc van de Klashorst takes the stage in Kai Stänicke's TRIAL OF HEIN, a bare bones drama about the perception of identity, the reliability of memory, and our suspicion of outsiders #Berlinale buff.ly/YKXbGEV

Cédric Succivalli examines the narrow boundary between noise and music in Nicolás Pereda's EVERYTHING ELSE IS NOISE, a lively, offbeat exploration of human connections, artistic ego and interpersonal dynamics #Berlinale

Nicol Latayan deals with sensitive subject matter in Ryan Machado's RAGING, a film that further solidifies Machado's distinct directorial voice, one rooted in emotional honesty #Berlinale buff.ly/mKZsjRV

Matthew Joseph Jenner celebrates the life of remarkable person in Anna Fitch and Banker White's YO (LOVE IS A REBELLIOUS BIRD), a complex portrait of an individual who gleefully marched to the beat of her own drum #Berlinale buff.ly/Jo2FZ3h

Matthew Joseph Jenner looks at is from both sides in Radu Jude and Adrian Cioflâncă's SHOT REVERSE SHOT, a striking piece of non-fiction filmmaking that resists categorisation #Berlinale icsfilm.org/festivals/be...

Matthew Joseph Jenner goes to a wedding in Sarmad Sultan Khoosat's LALI, an intriguing and self-assured satire that knows how to handle difficult and unwieldy themes with precision and unexpected flair #Berlinale

E. Nina Rothe finds something personal in the subtle politics of Eva Trobisch's HOME STORIES, a film that appealed to her cinematic sensitivity but also captured her heart with both hands and squeezed it tightly #Berlinale buff.ly/2SNTKag

Marc van de Klashorst feels claustrophobic in Mahnaz Mohammadi's puzzling ROYA, a film that takes us inside the battered mind of a political prisoner and shows how both psychological and physical terror can fragment memory #Berlinale

E. Nina Rothe applauds Angela Schanelec showing that, yes, films can be political through MY WIFE CRIES, a film that stands on its own in a sea of stories that feed us how to think #Berlinale buff.ly/868qRdr

Matthew Joseph Jenner engages in the act of observing people in Mohammad Shirvani's CESAREAN WEEKEND, a formally unorthodox work about the fragility of the human condition #Berlinale buff.ly/8g9vpcn

At the #Berlinale, Anuradha Kodagoda speaks with South Asian delegate Anu Rangachar about the hope for structural in regional cinema, the myth of ‘quota logic’, and how films from smaller industries are finding a place at the heart of global cinematic discussion buff.ly/M10CHt6

Ali Benzekri is bound up in Ralitza Petrova's LUST, a portrait of a woman whose opacity is neither romanticized nor solved #Berlinale buff.ly/JFHbjnU

Erwan Desbois finds a large array of political and artistic echoes and a brilliant depiction of a period in Marcelo Martinessi's NARCISO, a film whose visual beauty serves a narrative and dramatic purpose #Berlinale

Marc van de Klashorst deals with an awkward situation in Lance Hammer's triumphant return QUEEN AT SEA, which sees Juliette Binoche give one of her best performances to date #Berlinale

Marc van de Klashorst evades war in Patric Chiha's A RUSSIAN WINTER, which isn't his strongest effort, but leaves enough to admire as a portrait of human struggle in the face of worse options #Berlinale

Ali Ercivan wonders if art can change the world in İlker Çatak's YELLOW LETTERS, but wishes the director wouldn't have taken such a heavy-handed approach in conveying rightfulness #Berlinale buff.ly/3wGnNtK

Erwan Debois sees the cautionary message of Muriel d'Ansembourg's TRULY NAKED undermine the artistic and dramatic strength of a film with a captivating viewpoint on shared feminist consciousness #Berlinale icsfilm.org/festivals/be...

Eren Odabaşı creates art as he reviews Geneviève Dulude-de Celles' NINA ROZA, a film whose real strength lies in the delicate, inventive, and emotionally resonant way the director brings its story to the screen #Berlinale buff.ly/m7T9Ldy

Marc van de Klashorst focuses on the humanity of small inter-personal connections Xinyang Zhang's PANDA, a difficult film to pin down, but definitely a showcase for a new and unique voice in Eastern cinema #Berlinale buff.ly/KkDu2sR

Matthew Joseph Jenner finds a poignant meditation on life, memory, and loneliness in Sebastian Brameshuber's LONDON, a powerful existential odyssey about finding salvation on the open road #Berlinale

John Lynn chases dreams in Lorenzo Ferro and Lucas Vignale's THE RIVER TRAIN, A highly artistic first film that pushes cinematic boundaries and puts its directors on the map #Berlinale

Abby Laing sees a central performance that makes Adrian Goiginger's FOUR MINUS THREE it a moving portrayal of grappling through life after a great loss, even if the film doesn’t tread any new ground in the grief subgenre #Berlinale

Morris Yang does not take center stage in Ana Urushadze's SUPPORTING ROLE, a tale of ceaseless regeneration and metamorphosis that rides an idiosyncratic but charming enough wavelength #IFFR2026 #IFFR buff.ly/r3iWmXN

Matthew Joseph Jenner contemplates the nature of humanity in Janaína Marques' I BUILT A ROCKET IMAGINING YOUR ARRIVAL, a unique and challenging work that both entices and bewilders in equal measure #Berlinale buff.ly/F3TUaMk

E. Nina Rothe stands firmly in the thick Flemish clay in Anke Blondé's DUST, an unorthodox grand film with a soul all of its own #Berlinale

E. Nina Rothe implores you to watch Faraz Shariat's PROSECUTION, a tense and beautiful story that stays with the viewer long after the film has finished screening #Berlinale

Morris Yang sees the motions but not the charisma of wuxia in Shao Pan's NANGONG CHENG, a film that progressively struggles to justify its artificially engineered dictum of moral restraint #IFFR2026 #IFFR buff.ly/WTbbwEo

John Lynn sees a filmmaker willing to take formal risks and upend cinematic conventions in André Novais Oliveira's IF I WERE ALIVE, a film grounded in everyday Brazilian life and Afro-Brazilian culture #Berlinale

Marc van de Klashorst finds himself in the middle of a custody battle in Mees Peijnenburg's A FAMILY, and sees two fantastic young actors navigate the inner turmoil of their characters as victims of this tug-of-war #Berlinale buff.ly/HIHZKs2

John Lynn examines how identity, politics, and love can coexist on screen in Ian de la Rosa's IVÁN & HADOUM, in which de la Rosa establishes himself as a director deeply attentive to how identity shapes life #Berlinale buff.ly/sYs6pHu

Marc van de Klashorst is delighted by Xu Zao's debut feature LIGHT PILLAR, a delightful, small animated drama about loneliness and the perils of the online world #Berlinale

Cédric Succivalli navigates the minefield of a friendship under pressure in Fernanda Tovar's SAD GIRLZ, a timely and harrowing story of a bond that is fractured but not destroyed #Berlinale

John Lynn works his socks off in Kilian Armando Friedrich's I UNDERSTAND YOUR DISPLEASURE, in which Friedrich introduces himself as an important new voice in realist and contemporary European cinema #Berlinale buff.ly/2dzcVUF

E. Nina Rothe is in the Swiss Alps for Dominik Locher's ENJOY YOUR STAY, an entertaining, beautifully shot and wonderfully acted film that perhaps lacks nuances in its telling of a tale of abused women #Berlinale

Matthew Joseph Jenner delves into Chilean history in Juan Pablo Sallato's THE RED HANGAR, a fascinating and disconcerting morality tale about a man who believes that violence is necessary #Berlinale

Marc van de Klashorst finds himself in a Mexican forest in Joaquin del Paso's migrant drama THE GARDEN WE DREAMED, a film of visual and especially aural splendor that needed a little more surprise #Berlinale

Marc van de Klashorst sees tradition and modern life clash in Leyla Bouzid's queer drama À VOIX BASSE, a perfect marriage between a story with a relevant social message and the work of somebody who remembers she is working in a visual medium #Berlinale

E Nina Rothe sees a fantastic Hiam Abbass in Danielle Arbid's ONLY REBELS WIN, a film that is an easy watch, with many courageous cinematic moves #Berlinale

It's done! The 23rd ICS Awards winners have been announced, and The Secret Agent did really well! Read all winners, runners-up, and nominees in this article: buff.ly/8Joz7Da