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\n\tAs the first major movie market of the year, Berlin\u2019s EFM is a barometer of indie industry sentiment and international purchasing power. Much is made of one-off deals out of Sundance, but the volume of global pre-sales signed at Berlin\u2019s Grand Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, and Adlon hotel suites every February dwarfs even the biggest domestic deals.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe package business \u2014 movie ideas with a script, director, and talent attachments seeking financing \u2014 will again be the source of the real heat in the chilly German capital. New projects with Sydney Sweeney, Charlie xcx, Chris Hemsworth, Brie Larson, Ethan Hawke, and Zoe Saldana are among the biggest and buzziest ahead of EFM 2026.<\/p>\n
\n\tBut this year\u2019s Oscar race underscored the growing strength of international films. Titles such as Sentimental Value<\/em>, It Was Just an Accident,<\/em> and Sirat<\/em> (with 13 Oscar nominations between them) have broken out of the arthouse niche, combining awards traction with eight-figure box office returns. That momentum plays directly to Berlin\u2019s strengths in the finished film business. <\/p>\n\n\tAs THR<\/em>\u2018s annual hot list of Berlin\u2019s buzziest market titles attests, a surprising number of movies in the official competition, across all genres \u2014 from Japanese anime to political documentaries \u2014 arrive without U.S. deals in place, suggesting this year\u2019s Berlin could also be a source of bidding wars and domestic pick-ups.<\/p>\n\n
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\n\n\n\u20181949\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Gerald Matzka\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Pawe\u0142 Pawlikowski<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Sandra H\u00fcller, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Hanns Zischler<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> An awards-season favorite in the making, the new period drama from Oscar-winner Pawlikowski (Ida<\/em>, Cold War<\/em>) features an all-star German cast, including Anatomy of a Fall<\/em>\u2018s Sandra H\u00fcller, in the timely true tale of Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (H\u00fcller), who, in 1949, embark on a road trip across war-ravaged black Germany, from Frankfurt in the American zone, to Soviet-controlled Weimar.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> The Match Factory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018A New Dawn\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: A New Dawn Film Partners\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Yoshitoshi Shinomiya<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> The global anim\u00e9 boom \u2014 see Demon Slayer<\/em> ($779 million in global box office) and KPop Demon Hunters<\/em> (Oscar contender and cultural juggernaut) \u2014 should have buyers flocking to Shinomiya\u2019s feature-length debut, after working as an assistant director on 2016\u2019s $400 million global smash Your Name<\/em>. The plot follows a boy living in an abandoned fireworks factory racing to launch a mythical firework invented by his vanished father before the factory shuts down.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Charades<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018A Prayer for the Dying\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Lukasz Bak\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Dara Van Dusen<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Johnny Flynn, John C. Reilly<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ <\/strong>An impressive cast gives this auteur Western, from debut director Van Dusen, crossover appeal. Flynn plays a Civil War vet whose dream of a new frontier life in Wisconsin becomes a nightmare when an epidemic threatens to destroy everything.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES <\/strong>Anton, New Europe Film Sales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Blasphemous\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Dia Dipasupil\/Getty Images; Brian Bowen Smith; Michael Buckner\/Penske Media\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Luke Piotrowski <\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Karen Gillan, Josh Hutcherson, Clive Owen<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> One of the very few big genre projects heading to Berlin this year, this supernatural thriller, the directorial debut of Hellraiser<\/em> and She Rides Shotgun<\/em> screenwriter Piotrowski, should scare up plenty of pre-sales business among the market\u2019s top-tier commercial buyers. The film is pitched as a mix of The Exorcist<\/em> and Training Day<\/em>, focused on a rookie priest (Hutcherson) and his devout mentor (Owen) transporting a possessed young woman (Gillan) for an exorcism, when she excapes and all hell breaks loose.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> North.Five.Six.\/CAA Media Finance<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Bodyman\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Billy Kidd\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Gary Fleder<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Nick Jonas<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> A contained, high-concept action-thriller designed for maximum commercial lift, this latest package pairs pop-crossover star Jonas with genre veteran Fleder (Homefront<\/em>, Reacher<\/em>). Set over a single explosive Christmas at a remote estate, the film centers on a longtime bodyguard (Jonas) who becomes the unexpected heir to a billionaire\u2019s private military company, triggering a lethal scramble for power among the tycoon\u2019s spurned heirs. <\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> A Higher Standard (worldwide)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Cupid\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Rene & Radka\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Tate Taylor<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Catherine Zeta-Jones<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> A sleek, contained psychological thriller built around a star turn, this latest package casts Zeta-Jones as an unorthodox marriage counselor whose therapeutic weekend retreat slides rapidly into manipulation and menace. Directed by Taylor (The Girl on the Train<\/em>), from a script by the Van Dyke brothers (Don\u2019t Worry Darling<\/em>), Cupid<\/em> offers commercially-minded buyers a global star and a darkly commercial hook.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Upgrade (international), CAA Media Finance (U.S.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Doctor Caligari\u2019s Cabinet of Wonders\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Theo Wargo\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> John Erick Dowdle<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Michael Shannon<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> A modern reimagining of one of cinema\u2019s foundational horror texts, this psychological chiller taps directly into the current appetite for elevated, IP-driven genre, from commercial leaning buyers. Dowdle (As Above So Below<\/em>, No Escape<\/em>) puts a contemporary spin on The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari<\/em>, casting Nuremberg<\/em> and Man of Steel<\/em> actor Shannon as a traveling mesmerist whose mind-controlled sleepwalker leaves a trail of brutal murders across small-town America. <\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Anton (international), Anton \/ CAA Media Finance (North America)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Fonda\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Taylor Hill\/FilmMagic, Dominik Bindl, Samir Hussein\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Justine Triet<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Mia Goth, Andrew Scott, Frank Dillane, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> The English-language debut of boundary-pushing Palme d\u2019Or winner Triet (Titane<\/em>), described as a psychological thriller set in a seemingly idyllic but tightly enclosed setting, promises The Substance<\/em>-style cross-over appeal for arthouse buyers. <\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> mk2 Films<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Full Phil\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Chi-Fou-Mi-Productions\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Quentin Dupieux<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Woody Harrelson, Kristen Stewart<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> Dupieux (Yanick<\/em>, The Second Act<\/em>, Daaaaaali!<\/em>), the absurdist clown king of French cinema, has locked in an A-list cast for this English-language excursion, with Harrelson playing a wealthy American industrialist who organizes a luxury trip to Paris for his estranged daughter (Stewart) in a bid to reconnect. Described as \u201cEmily in Paris<\/em> in hell,\u201d it promises some high-end laughs for arthouse and specialty buyers worldwide. <\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Studiocanal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Gerron\u2019s Last Film\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Tim P. Whitby\/Getty Images, Taylor Hill\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Simon Curtis<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Josh Gad<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> Adulthood<\/em> and Frozen<\/em> star Gad takes on a rare tragicomic role in this Holocaust biopic from Woman in Gold<\/em> director Curtis, playing Kurt Gerron, one of the most famous Jewish actors and directors in pre-Nazi Germany who, unlike his friends Marlene Dietrich and Fritz Lang, refused to leave the country when Hitler came to power. A prestige play with solid awards-season potential. <\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Rocket Science (international), CAA Media Finance\/WME independent (domestic)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Hello & Paris\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Taylor Hill, Jamie McCarthy\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Elizabeth Chomko<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Javier Bardem, Kate Hudson<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> A prestige rom-com play with clear theatrical and streaming upside, this package pairs Oscar winner Javier Bardem with two-time nominee Kate Hudson, marking Hudson\u2019s first project since her recent Oscar nod for Song Sung Blue<\/em>. Written and directed by What They Had<\/em> filmmaker Elizabeth Chomko the project leans into proven commercial comps (Sleepless in Seattle<\/em>, When Harry Met Sally<\/em>) while offering international appeal through a Paris-set, transatlantic love story. <\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> 193<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Josephine\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Greta Zozula\/Courtesy of Sundance\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Beth de Ara\u00fajo<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Mason Reeves<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> Indie European buyers come to Berlin searching for serious movies about serious subjects. Much like this feature, fresh from Sundance [where it won the U.S. Dramatic Competition, the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award], about the aftermath for a young girl (Reeves) and her parents (Tatum and Chan) after the child witnesses a violent sexual assault.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Goodfellas (international), WME Independent\/CAA Media Finance (North America)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Keep Her Quiet\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Stephane Cardinale \u2013 Corbis\/Corbis, Kate Green ,Mike Marsland\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTORS<\/strong> Franz B\u00f6hm, Suli Kurban<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Zar Amir, Jonathan Pryce, Amir El-Masry<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> Holy Spider<\/em> actress Amir plays an investigative journalist in this inspired-by-a-true-story tale of the reporters who exposed the Chinese government\u2019s brutal treatment of their Uyghur minority. Just the sort of high-brow thriller boutique international buyers are hungry for.<\/p>\n\n\tSALES<\/strong> Beta Cinema<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\u2018Kockroach\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Pablo Cuadra, Frazer Harrison,Taylor Hill\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t<\/p>\n
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\n\tDIRECTOR<\/strong> Matt Ross<\/p>\n\n\tSTARS<\/strong> Chris Hemsworth, Taron Egerton, Zazie Beetz<\/p>\n\n\tBUZZ<\/strong> Black Bear is targeting deep-pocketed global buyers, as well as studios and streamers, with this glossy New York crime saga pitched in the lineage of Goodfellas<\/em> and