Films starring Saoirse Ronan and Justice Smith are set for Berlin Film Festival‘s Panorama section.
Panorama announced its first 11 titles on Thursday, seven of which are world premieres. The lineup includes Nora Fingscheidt’s “The Outrun,” which stars Ronan as an antihero who must embark on a journey to find herself. “After years of excess in London, she seeks silence and self-reflection in her Scottish homeland,” the film’s logline reads.
Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, “I Saw the TV Glow” — which stars Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine and Danielle Deadwyler, among others — is also part of the program. In a press release, the festival called the film “one of the most idiosyncratic and fascinating works of the year, effortlessly crossing boundaries of genre, gender and trauma in this eye- and soul-opening trip.”
The annual Panorama Audience Award will be presented on Feb. 25. Berlin Film Festival is set to take place beginning Feb. 15, and its full lineup will be revealed in January.
See below for the full list of Panorama titles.
“All Shall Be Well” — Hong Kong, world premiere
Directed by Ray Yeung, starring Patra Au Ga Man, Maggie Li Lin Lin, Tai Bo, Leung Chung Hang, Fish Liew Chi Yu
When her partner Pat unexpectedly dies, Angie is left to worry about the flat in which the couple lived together for over 30 years. Supported by her chosen family, Angie begins a later-life journey into emancipation.
“Andrea lässt sich scheiden (Andrea Gets a Divorce)” — Austria, world premiere
Directed by Josef Hader, starring Birgit Minichmayr, Josef Hader, Thomas Schubert, Robert Stadlober, Thomas Stipsits
Rural policewoman Andrea wants to end her marriage and become a detective inspector in the city. After a birthday party, her drunken soon-to-be ex-husband runs out in front of her car. In a state of shock, Andrea commits a hit-and-run.
“Betânia” — Brazil, world premiere
Directed by Marcelo Botta, starring Diana Mattos, Tião Carvalho, Caçula Rodrigues, Nádia D’Cássia, Ulysses Azevedo
After losing her husband, 65-year-old midwife Betânia is persuaded by her daughters to leave her remote village. She moves near the sand dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses in northern Brazil and ventures a new beginning.
“Faruk” — Germany/Turkey/France, world premiere
Directed by Aslı Özge, starring Faruk Özge, Derya Erkenci, Gönül Gezer
Faruk, who is over 90 years old, increasingly becomes the protagonist in the film his daughter is making about the impending demolition of his block of flats in Istanbul. A story about gentrification and a complex father-daughter relationship.
“I Saw the TV Glow” — USA, international premiere
Directed by Jane Schoenbrun, starring Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler
Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show – a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the TV, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.
“Ještě nejsem, kým chci být (I’m Not Everything I Want to Be)” — Czechia/Slovakia/Austria, world premiere
Directed by Klára Tasovská, starring Libuše Jarcovjáková
After the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková strives to break free from the constraints of the repressive Czechoslovakian regime and embarks on a long journey towards freedom.
“Jia ting jian shi (Brief History of a Family)” — People’s Republic of China/Denmark, European premiere
Directed by Lin Jianjie, starring Zu Feng, Guo Keyu, Sun Xilun, Lin Muran
In China following the aftermath of the one-child policy, the fate of a well-off family becomes mysteriously intertwined with that of their son’s enigmatic new friend. Suppressed emotions, unmet expectations and unspoken secrets come to light.
“The Outrun” — U.K./Germany, European premiere
Directed by Nora Fingscheidt, starring Saoirse Ronan, Paapa Essiedu, Stephen Dillane
After living life on the edge in London, Rona attempts to come to terms with her troubled past. She returns to the wild beauty of Scotland’s Orkney Islands – where she grew up – hoping to heal.
“Les Paradis de Diane (Paradises of Diane)” — Switzerland, international premiere
Directed by Carmen Jaquier and Jan Gassmann, starring Dorothée de Koon, Aurore Clément, Roland Bonjour, Omar Ayuso
Immediately after the birth of her child, Diane abandons her boyfriend and baby in a Zurich hospital and disappears into a Spanish city she does not know on the Mediterranean. But the changes her body is going through remind her of what she is fleeing from.
“Pendant ce temps sur Terre (Meanwhile on Earth)” — France, world premiere
Directed by Jérémy Clapin, starring Megan Northam, Catherine Salée, Sam Louwyck, Roman Williams, Sofia Lesaffre
Siblings Elsa and Franck were very close. Since Franck disappeared during a space mission three years ago, Elsa has struggled to move on with her life. Until one day she is contacted by an unidentified life form…
“Yo vi tres luces negras (I Saw Three Black Lights)” — Colombia/Mexico/France/Germany, world premiere
Directed by Santiago Lozano Álvarez, starring Jesús María Mina, Julián Ramirez, Carol Hurtado, John Alex Castillo
A wise old man embarks on his final journey, entering the Colombian jungle to find a place to die. But the paramilitary soldiers who control the area endanger his peaceful transition to the realm of the dead.
