Berlinale Announces Short Film Program

Organizers of the Berlin International Film Festival (or Berlinale) have announced the lineup for the 2025 Berlinale Shorts program. The selection features 20 shorts from 18 production countries, including 15 World Premieres. (See the full lineup at berlinale.de)

“This edition is rich in portraits of varying kinds, both in the documentary works and in the fiction and animated films. We encounter individuals who will stay with us for a long time,” says Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck, head of Berlinale Shorts.

To celebrate the festival’s 75th anniversary, Berlinale Shorts is also screening six gems from the festival archive. In the short film compilation “You and I Are Not Alone – Berlinale Shorts Revisited,” audiences can rediscover an array of films and filmmakers who have made an impact on past editions, including the enchanting mythical creatures of Japanese animator Akihito Izuhara’s hand-drawn Vita Lakamaya (2016).

In the land of Vita Lakamaya, resting is the most important pastime of all. A procession goes by. The year draws to a close. The creature sleeps.

Mother’s Child | Naomi Noir | Netherlands | International Premiere

Being a loving mother and full-time carer for her mentally and physically disabled son is Mary’s daily struggle. The authorities are anything but helpful and she is in danger of drowning in a sea of bureaucracy.

Stone of Destiny (Kámen Osudu) | Julie Černá | Czechia | World Premiere

The Stone of Destiny longs for freedom and wants to overcome its self-doubt. So it embarks on a journey and meets strange creatures in strange places. An animated musical.

Ordinary Life (Futsu no seikatsu) | Yoriko Mizushiri | Japan | France/Japan | World Premiere

A breath of air, a movement, a touch and, in between, a dissolution. Gestures of everyday life in variation, sensual, floating in pastel colors.

A group of animals live on a wild coastline and try to heal the ills caused by the contemporary world. A kind of rehab.