Berlinale 2025: premieres and co-production market selections
With the dust still yet to settle on IFFR 2025, our attention turns to the Berlinale which this year showcases several key projects supported by the Hubert Bals Fund and CineMart, from competition screenings to co-Production market selections.
World premieres
O último azul by Gabriel Mascaro – Competition
Gabriel Mascaro’s near-future drama O último azul follows 77-year-old Tereza’s journey through the Amazon. Supported in development, through the NFF+HBF scheme with Dutch co-producer Viking Film and introduced at CineMart 2017, the film marks Mascaro’s return after August Winds (IFFR 2015), Neon Bull (IFFR 2016) and Divine Love (2019).
Winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
Winner of the Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Jury Award
The Settlement by Mohamed Rashad – Perspectives
Mohamed Rashad’s fiction debut The Settlement is a thriller following two brothers investigating their father’s death in an accident. Supported for development, through HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support and first presented at CineMart 2021, the film is a fierce critique of labour conditions on the margins of Alexandria.
Co-production market selections
Two projects take part in the Rotterdam-Berlinale Express, continuing their journey onto Berlin after having been featured at CineMart 2025.
Meat by Rioghnach by Ni Ghrioghair
A post-feminist cannibal folk horror, Meat depicts a folkloric revolt during Ireland’s Great Famine. Produced by Deirdre Levins (Fantastic Films), the project offers a bold, genre-driven exploration of history and power.
Four Seasons in Java by Kamila Andini
Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini (The Mirror Never Lies, The Seen and Unseen) presents the HBF-backed journey of a woman’s search for peace after being unjustly convicted of murdering a young man in self defence. The project won the VIPO Award at CineMart 2025.
Lënd by Katy Léna Ndiaye
Senegalese filmmaker Katy Léna Ndiaye (On a le temps pour nous, IFFR 2020) investigates the plight of a fishing village struggling against rising sea levels in Lënd, supported in development by the HBF in 2023 and now continuing its development at the Berlinale with as part of the Official Feature Project Selection 2025.
