Amanda Nell Eu, Fernando Guzzoni, and Klaudia Reynicke Highlighted in 35 Exciting Projects at the Berlinale Co-Production Market

Berlin Film Festival Announces 35 Feature Film Projects for 23rd Co-Production Market

The Berlin Film Festival has revealed the 35 feature films selected for its 23rd Co-Production Market, scheduled for February 14–17. This year’s lineup emphasizes partially financed projects, offering a glimpse into the future of global cinema.

Among the notable entries is Lotus Feet, directed by Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu. Her debut feature, Tiger Stripes, won the Grand Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week in 2023 and was subsequently selected as Malaysia’s entry for the 2024 Oscars.

Other highlighted films include People Still Die of Love, a long-gestating romantic drama by Chilean director Fernando Guzzoni, which he started developing prior to his breakout success with Blanquita, an Oscar submission that won accolades at the Venice Horizons in 2022. Swiss-Peruvian director Klaudia Reynicke’s Il Dominio also stands out; her previous film, Queens, screened at Sundance and Berlin, earning a spot as Switzerland’s entry for the 2025 Oscars.

The Berlinale Directors section will showcase four new projects in their initial financing stages, highlighting filmmakers with prior successes at the festival. One such project is The Vacation by Hungarian director Dénes Nagy, who received the Silver Bear for Best Director in 2021 for Natural Light.

Additionally, the Rotterdam-Berlinale Express initiative features two projects: Beirut Baby by Lebanese directors Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, and The Dispute by American duo Andrea Ellsworth and Kasey Elise Walker, produced by Riley Keough’s U.S. production company, Felix Culpa.

The Talent Project Market, in collaboration with the Berlinale Talents initiative, will showcase emerging features by producer alumni, including Yulia Evina Bhara’s Watch It Burn, the latest effort from Makbul Mubarak following Autobiography, which he presented at the Talent Project Market in 2019.

Numerous awards will be granted during the event, including the €20,000 Eurimages Co-Production Development Award, the VFF Talent Highlight Award (€10,000), the ARTEKino International Award (€6,000), and the Gen Z Audience Award (€5,000), which recognizes projects appealing to young adults as selected by a jury of film students.

In addition to project support, the market will assist five independent production companies through its Company Matching program, which aims to facilitate structural networking. This year’s participants include X Filme Creative Pool from Germany, Elastica from Spain, Kino Produzioni from Italy, 2Brave Productions from Ukraine, and Bubbles Project from Brazil.

Over the past two decades, the Berlinale Co-Production Market has helped realize nearly 400 international co-productions, recently including Agnieszka Holland’s Franz and Teona Strugar Mitevska’s Mother, featuring Noomi Rapace.

Official Feature Project Selection 2026

(in alphabetical order by production company):

The Taste of Salt (dir: Deepak Rauniyar), Film and Music Entertainment, United Kingdom & Aadi Films, Nepal
Cura Sana (dir: Lucía G. Romero), Filmax, Spain
Lotus Feet (dir: Amanda Nell Eu), Ghost Grrrl Pictures, Malaysia
riot/girl (dir: Arman T. Riahi), Golden Girls Filmproduktion & Filmservices, Austria & Les Contes Modernes, France
Manatee (dir: Anna Roller), kalekone film, Germany & Totem Atelier, France
The Talas Affair (dir: Ivan Grbovic), micro_scope, Canada
Feral (dir: Nihaarika Negi), Moonweave Films, India & Mayana Films, Germany
The Black Goat (dir: Eduardo Casanova), Morena Films, Spain
Mum is in Puberty (dir: Ami-Ro Sköld), Onoma Productions, Sweden
People Still Die of Love (dir: Fernando Guzzoni), Oro Films, Chile & Hea Sas, Colombia
All in My Family (dir: Hao Wu), Q&A Entertainment, United States
Nativity (dir: Francisca Alegría), Quijote Films, Chile
Mercury Child (dir: Leonie Krippendorff), Razor Film Produktion, Germany
The Transmigration of Bodies (dir: Alonso Ruizpalacios), Saltalaliebre, Mexico
Karmic Knot (dir: Signe Baumane), Studio Locomotive, Latvia & Fabian&Fred, Germany
Sylvia (dir: Aida Begic), This and That Productions, Serbia
Life is Yours (dir: Emma Kawawada), Toei Company, Japan
Il Dominio (dir: Klaudia Reynicke), Turnus Film, Switzerland
Black As Snow (dir: Farhad Delaram), Unité, France

"Berlinale Directors" Projects:

Liberations (dir: Laurynas Bareisa), afterschool production, Lithuania
The Vacation (dir: Dénes Nagy), Campfilm, Hungary & Films de Force Majeure, France
The Last Frontier (dir: Rodrigo Moreno), Wanka Cine, Argentina & Les Films Fauves, Luxembourg

World Cinema Market Project:

Blue Card (dir: Mohammed Alomda), Station Films, Sudan & Mayana Films, Germany

Rotterdam-Berlinale Express:

Beirut Baby (dir: Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige), Abbout Productions, Lebanon & Haut et Court, France
The Dispute (dir: Andrea Ellsworth & Kasey Elise Walker), Felix Culpa, United States

Talent Project Market:

The Most Romantic Man in the World (dir: Simon Jaquemet), 8horses, Switzerland
Fabric of Grief (dir: Samantha Moore), Animate Projects, UK
Fear Zone (dir: Alina Simone), Cinemaria, USA
Apnea (dir: Lô Politi), Enquadramento Produções, Brazil
Watch It Burn (dir: Makbul Mubarak), KawanKawan Media, Indonesia
Claude (dir: Narcisse Wandji), Les Films d’Ebene, Cameroon
Porto Alegre (dir: Alvaro Gago), Ringo Media, Spain
Yesterday I Will Love You (dir: Guillermo Benet), Solita Films, Spain
Miss Pandora (dir: Jan Forsström), Tekele Productions, Finland
Acts of Kindness (dir: Ellen Ugelstad), Twentyone Pictures & Mantra Film, Norway