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Cinema releases you should not miss

📆 August 27th

• One Night Only - Allie and Owen meet in New York, where a new rule is in effect: sex for singles is allowed only one day a year! Perfect timing, because today is the big day… but what if there’s more to it than just a one-night stand?

• Prosecution - A courtroom drama about a young lawyer who takes on a seemingly hopeless case and soon finds herself questioning the truth behind it.

• Der Heimatlose (Trial of Hein) - After 14 years away, Hein returns to his home village on a remote island, only to discover that the close-knit community no longer recognises him. Suspecting him to be an impostor, they demand a trial to determine his true identity.

📆 September 3rd

• Diamonds - Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Özpetek brings together 18 of his favourite actresses in a heartfelt celebration of the women and muses he has worked with throughout his career.

• Fatherland - In 1949, German writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika embark on a road trip across a Germany in ruins, from US-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar. It’s a triumphant return to the silver screen for the Oscar winning director Paweł Pawlikowski.

• Christy - Sydney Sweeney plays Christy Martin in this biopic exploring the world of boxing, but also her internal struggles with her family, husband, and sexual identity.

• Strange River - While his parents reminisce about their youth, sixteen-year-old Dídac prefers to be alone and quiet. He’s suffering from heartbreak. But suddenly, he begins to see a mysterious boy over and over again.

• Preview: Fatherland (27.08): ARTE Sommerkino is hosting another preview screening of Paweł Pawlikowski’s film. The screening of Fatherland was canceled after the Q&A with the director a few weeks ago, but now it’s back at Potsdamer Platz.

• Michael Jackson: Moonwalker + Birthday Celebrations (29.08): DMP Cinema and BABYLON invite you to celebrate the music, movies and legacy of Michael Jackson on the big screen with a special MICHAEL JACKSON BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!

• Special Screening: Splitter im Kopf – Haftbedingungen in der DDR (30.08)

• Mongay-Special: Strange River (31.08): Director Jaume Claret Muxart portrays the Danube as a majestic bearer of ancient mysteries, captured lyrically and dreamlike on 16-mm film – a contribution to the canon of queer coming-of-age stories, full of longing and secrets. The screening includes a discussion with director Jaume Claret Muxart and actor Francesco Wenz in English.

• Berlin Premiere: Gentle Monster (02.09): Concert pianist Lucy (Léa Seydoux) moves to the countryside with her husband Philip (Laurence Rupp) and their son, where the filmmaker is slowly recovering from burnout. One day, the police arrive at their door to conduct a search of their home. The screening includes a subsequent Q&A featuring director Marie Kreutzer and actors Jella Haase and Laurence Rupp.

• Mongay-Special: KitKat Club - Kinks of Berlin (07.09): Freedom, diversity, and fetish – you’ll find it all at KitKat! The MonGay special is followed by a discussion in German with director Philipp Fussenegger, producer Cordula Kablitz-Post, and the cast and crew.

• Campus-Kino at the Stasi Headquarters (27.08): Campus-Kino is ending its annual programme with a free screening of Goodbye Lenin!

• 25 Years of Magic – Back to Hogwarts (29.08): Still a fan of Harry Potter despite J.K. Rowling’s upsetting and problematic views about the trans community, on August 29, 2026, the historic Stadtbad Oderberger Straße in Berlin will be transformed into an enchanting Harry Potter world.

• Fantasy Film Fest (02-09.09): Dive into four days of cinematic thrills with 50 films spanning horror, thrillers, sci-fi and fantasy from around the world.

• UFA Film Nights (26-28.08): Celebrate the film avant-garde of the 1920s with three silent-film classics, screened under the stars on Museum Island and accompanied by live music.

• Silent Film Festival (03-13.09): A celebration of the magic of silent cinema, with classic films brought back to life through live musical accompaniment.

One Night Only

After the incredible success of Anyone but You, director Will Gluck returns to cinemas with another romantic comedy, One Night Only. Its premise is almost dystopian: premarital sex has been outlawed in the United States for three years, except for one night a year. Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro lead this fast-paced, millennial-coded love story. Filled with hilarious and charming moments, One Night Only is a cute film to watch in cinemas on a Sunday afternoon. It doesn’t have an awful lot to say, but it has its moments, plenty of fun, unexpected cameos, and it ultimately delivers what it promises. (★★★+ / Francesco)

Diamanti (Diamonds)

Ferzan Özpetek’s elegant, deeply meta film, Diamanti (Diamonds) follows a group of actresses gathering in Rome to work on a new movie, where the boundaries between the production and their own lives gradually begin to blur. Diamanti is both theatrical and lyrical, shifting between the world of the film being made and the stories of the characters behind it. At times, it feels like style over substance, but that almost becomes part of its charm. More than a conventional story, Diamanti feels like Özpetek looking back at the women who have shaped his cinema and celebrating the actresses who have brought his world to life over the decades. (★★★+ / Serena)

F: Filmfriend and Apple TV have a gem of LGBTQ+ cinema available for free: God Own’s Country! Francis Lee is the writer and director of this emotional, raw love story between Josh O’Connor’s Johnny and Alec Secăreanu’s Gheorghe. Josh O’Connor delivers one of his best performances in this one! (Not by coincidence – it’s one of my favorite movies).

S: Tired of the usual dating-app encounters, Noa meets Steve by chance at the supermarket, a charming man who seems genuinely different from everyone else. But after a few dates and an invitation to spend the weekend together, what begins like the perfect romance soon takes a much darker turn. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan, Fresh turns the codes of a romantic comedy into a thrilling, darkly funny horror story, and it’s streaming on Disney+.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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Cinema releases you should not miss

📆 August 13th

• The End of Oak Street - We really can’t get enough of Anne Hathaway this year! Now she’s starring alongside Ewan McGregor in this mysterious sci-fi thriller about a family whose entire neighbourhood is suddenly transported somewhere unknown.

• Sunny Dancer - Fresh from Berlinale 2026, this warm coming-of-age comedy follows a teenage cancer survivor (Bella Ramsey) who finds an unexpected sense of belonging and friendship at a summer camp.

• Finding Connection - This intimate documentary explores what happens when people searching for emotional connection turn to AI.

• Nimrods: A Green Day Comedy (until 18th August) - Inspired by Green Day’s early years, this punk-fuelled coming-of-age comedy follows three teenagers who embark on a chaotic road trip after believing they’ve been invited to open for the band.

August 20th

• Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma - Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson star in Jane Schoenbrun’s wild, queer reimagining of a slasher movie franchise, where fiction, desire and reality begin to blur. It’s a wild journey you really need to join.

• A Sad and Beautiful World - A poetic Lebanese love story that follows a couple torn between building a future together and leaving a country they can no longer imagine a future in.

• Girls like Girls - Based on Hayley Kiyoko’s hit song, this tender coming-of-age romance follows a shy teenager who falls for a charismatic girl in small-town Oregon in 2006.

It’s Time for Freiluftkinos

If you want to know all about Freiluftkinos in Berlin, check out our guide.

ARTE Sommerkino

16.08 - Call Me By Your Name

17.08 – To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!

20.08 – The Invite

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg:

71.08 – A Sad And Beautiful World

21.08 – Good bye, Lenin

24.08 – I Swear

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

13.08 – The Odyssey

16.08 – Backrooms

20.08 – Sunny Dancer

Freilufkino Volskpark Friedichshain

19.08 – Project Hail Mary

23.08 – Der Himmel Über Berlin

25.08 – Into the Wild

• Preview: No Good Men (13.08): Shahrbanoo Sadat’s Berlinale opening film follows a female camerawoman in Kabul shortly before the Taliban’s return, followed by a panel discussion.

• Premiere: Noga (13.08): A portrait of Israeli pop star Noga Erez as she navigates war, personal upheaval and her life as an artist, followed by a Q&A.

• MonGay Special: To Wong Fu, Thanks For Everything! (17.08): Revisit the beloved queer classic on the big screen, with a live lip-sync performance by Berlin drag queen Toylette Papyr.

• Special Screening: Steckerlfishfiasco (19.08): The latest Eberhofer comedy comes to Berlin for a special screening with the film’s lead cast in attendance.

• The Florida Project and Lady Bird at the Filmrauschpalast (14-15.08): the independent cultural space Filmrauschpalast in Moabit welcomes guests at their cute and tiny open-air cinema with two cult classics (omU) by Sean Baker and Greta Gerwig! (Support independent cinemas)

• Berlin Premiere: Hiddensee (20.08): Annekatrin Hendel’s portrait of the Baltic Sea island explores its landscapes, history and people, with the director and crew in attendance.

• Fatherland (27.08): Don’t miss the preview of the new Paweł Pawlikowski’s film telling the story of Thomas Mann and his daughter, who are traveling across a Germany in ruin. It’s at the ARTE Sommerkino.

• Book Swap at Kino International (29.08): Kino International is hosting a special community book swap celebrating the connection between books and cinema. Bring a book you believe deserves to be shared!

Sunny Dancer

If you love coming-of-age movies, you need to see Sunny Dancer. It tells the story of Ivy (Bella Ramsey), a teenager in remission from cancer who reluctantly joins a summer camp for young adults affected by cancer. If you’re expecting a cheesy story full of tear-jerking moments, you’re in for a surprise.

This is not to say you won’t find touching and heart-warming moments, or even shed a few tears, but at its core, this is an incredibly joyous and uplifting film. What makes it so special is the way it manages to talk about illness without letting it define its characters, giving space instead to friendship, first love, awkwardness and all the messiness of being a teenager. It’s about reclaim a sense of normality, and finding joy in the middle of circumstances that are anything but normal. (★★★★ | Serena)

Nimrods: A Green Day Comedy

A chaotic road trip, a fake Green Day gig and a whole lot of nostalgia: Nimrods is inspired by the band’s early touring days, before their breakthrough album Dookie. Three friends from Kansas, whose band is called Analog Dogs, are tricked into believing they’ll be opening for Green Day on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles, setting off on a journey across the country.

It’s a fun and light-hearted comedy for everyone, but Green Day fans will get much more out of it, especially with all the classic songs scattered throughout. Make sure to stay after the credits for a final performance from Billie Joe and the band. It’s screening for one week only in selected cinemas, so check your local listings for showtimes. (★★★½ | Serena)

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

I really enjoyed Schoenberg’s I Saw the TV Glow a few years ago, but I was also a little lost at times during the second act. While the movie delivers a strong message – filled with plenty of Buffy references (!) – I felt it lacked a powerful and satisfying ending. With Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, writer-director Jane Schoenberg evolves their body of work into a true gem that also manages to stick the landing with its bloody epilogue.

The movie mixes genres and relies on nostalgia, as well as using metafiction to deliver a series of complex subtexts and social messages. It’s a genuinely transformative film, though can also be enjoyed as a fun and sexy reimagining of the slasher genre. The writing and direction are first-rate. Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson’s performances will blow people away and their chemistry is stellar. In short, it’s one of the best movies of 2026 so far. (★★★★ + | Francesco)

S: When I think about movies that perfectly capture that feeling of being lost in adulthood, The Worst Person in the World feels like the perfect story. Joachim Trier’s bittersweet romantic drama stars Renate Reinsve as Julie, a woman in her late twenties navigating love, career and the uncertainty of figuring out what she actually wants from life. It’s funny, messy and deeply relatable, and it’s streaming on HBO Max.

F: As always Queer cinema is the answer. You need to watch the fictional biopic Tár (Apple TV). It’s a masterpiece with Cate Blanchett robbed of her third Oscar.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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Cinema releases you should not miss

📆 July 30th

• Spider-man: Brand New Day - The wait is finally over! After welcoming Tom Holland and Zendaya to Berlin last month, we are ready to experience the return of Spiderman on the big screen.

• The Invite - Olivia Wilde’s new film is a compelling exploration of love, relationships, and everything that happens beneath the surface. Read the full review below.

• Forbidden Fruits - Turn up the camp for this wild, colourful tale of friendship, self-discovery and forbidden desires.

• The Money Maker - A sharp comedy about ambition, money and the unexpected consequences of chasing success.

📆 August 6th

• You, Me & Italy - A sun-soaked romantic comedy about love, second chances and an unexpected trip to Italy. Read our review below.

• Nightborn - Fresh from Berlinale 2026 – this unsettling Finnish horror film follows a new mother who becomes convinced that there is something wrong with her baby.

• Everytime - An atmospheric and deeply poetic drama about grief, guilt and the memories that refuse to let go.

• The Musicians - Four virtuosos, four Stradivarius and one concert threatened by clashing egos in this charming French musical comedy.

It’s Time for Freiluftkinos

If you want to know all about Freiluftkinos in Berlin, check out our guide.

ARTE Sommerkino

30.07 – Fatherland premiere with Director Paweł Pawlikowski in attendance

31.07 – Mamma Mia!

03.08 – Barbie

06.08 – Legally Blonde

10.08 – Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg:

31.07 – The Devil Wears Prada 2

03.08 – The Secret Agent

09.09 – The Piano Tuner

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

04.08 – My Friend Totoro

06.08 – Diamanti

08.08 – La La Land

Freilufkino Volskpark Friedichshain

01.08 – British Shorts Summer Edition

04.08 – 22 Bahnen

09.08 – The History of Sound

• Fatherland (Vaterland) - Double Premiere (30.07): two chances to catch Paweł Pawlikowski’s new film during its Berlin premiere night. It’s at 7 p.m. at Delphi Filmpalast or at 9:15 p.m. under the stars at ARTE Sommerkino Kulturforum, both in the presence of the director and cast.

• Preview: Finding Connection (04.08): A thought-provoking documentary about people who form unexpected emotional bonds with AI, followed by a Q&A with director Florian Karner.

• Mongay Pink Special Screening (03.08): It’s Barbie time at the ARTE open air cinema! The evening includes a movie quiz with a poster of Pillion signed by Alexander Skarsgård on offer, and special popcorn and beverages if you show up in pink.🍿🩷

• Mongay-Preview (10.08): Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma at ARTE Sommerkino Kulturforum. You don’t want to miss this special screening of Jane Schoenbrun’s new film!

• Box Office Around the World (07–16.08): Travel the world through cinema with this open-air film series at the Humboldt Forum, showcasing international box-office hits over three summer weekends.

• Nimroads: A Green Day Comedy (11.–14.08): For four days only, catch this punk-fuelled road-trip comedy inspired by Green Day’s early years, following three friends chasing their big break.

• Free access Deutsche Kinemathek: Inventing Queer Cinema (30.7-2.08): In solidarity with the LGBTIQ* community, the Deutsche Kinemathek invites you to visit their exhibition about Queer cinema free of charge this weekend. Queer is louder than fear!

The Invite

With her third feature film, Olivia Wilde returns to her indie roots, shifting away from the big-budget and chaotic production of Don’t Worry Darling towards a dialogue-driven story with an authentic depiction of sex and relationships. Starring Wilde alongside Penélope Cruz, Seth Rogen, and Edward Norton, The Invite is great fun, moving at times and, above all, incredibly well written.

The film explores how relationships change and evolve, often becoming something entirely different from what the people in them expected. Its exploration of love and sexual attraction is wrapped in hilarious moments and surprising twists, brought to life by this excellent, potentially Oscar-worthy cast. Ultimately, it shows how differently we perceive and experience love. We all love in our own way. We all have different needs, and most of us need to learn how to communicate them before it’s too late.

If you loved Booksmart, you’re in for a fun ride! (★★★★ ½ | Francesco)

You, Me & Italy

If you’ve ever wondered what the Italian dream looks like to Americans, You, Me & Italy might be the answer. This sun-soaked romantic comedy follows Anna, a young woman who impulsively travels to Tuscany and ends up pretending to be engaged to a man she barely knows, only to fall for his charming cousin instead.

The film leans into the fantasy and clichés of the Italian countryside, from its sun-drenched villages and beautiful villas to the promise of a new life waiting just around the corner. While it fundamentally won’t reinvent the romantic comedy, there is genuine heart in its sweet love story about second chances. Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page are charming together, and the Tuscan landscapes are as beautiful as you would imagine. Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with escaping for 105 minutes into a light-hearted, cheesy fantasy. (★★★ | Serena)

F: Following the terrifying and tragic events at CSD Berlin, I strongly recommend watching more queer stories. Pride (available on Prime Video) is the perfect film to watch at home on the sofa with some snacks. It follows a group of lesbian and gay activists who raise money to support families affected by the 1984 British miners’ strike. Queer is louder than fear!

S: My pick is How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Netflix), a tender yet surprisingly cynical Thai family drama about a young man who starts caring for his terminally ill grandmother in the hope of inheriting her fortune. As their relationship grows, the film balances warmth and humour with a sharp portrait of family greed, expectations and the complicated ways we show love. Keep a box of tissues next to you.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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💟 TikTok

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Cinema releases you should not miss

📆 July 16th

• The Odyssey – Nolan adapts Homer’s classic in this 2-hour-and-52-minute epic, following Odysseus (Matt Damon) as he reflects on his past while making his way home to Ithaca.

• Was haben wir gelacht – this documentary tells the story of women in German television who had to fiught to carve out a space for themselves: Maren Kroymann, Hella von Sinnen, Bettina Böttinger, and many others.

• Mongay: We’ll find happiness – Saad, a young Moroccan illegal immigrant, is planning a perilous journey to Canada with Reza, his Iranian lover.

📆 July 23rd

• H is for Hawk – After losing her beloved father, Helen finds herself saved by an unlikely friendship with a stubborn hawk named Mabel. Through the bond, Helen rediscovers the beauty of being alive.

• Toy Story 5 – In this new sequel of the Toy Story saga, Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and the rest of the toys face a new challenge when they find themselves competing with modern technology for the attention.

• Good Vibes Only – Twenty years of marriage and not a single orgasm. One day, Fanny confides this well-kept secret to her husband, Thomas. But instead of being hurt or offended, the engineer eagerly takes on the challenge.

It’s Time for Freiluftkinos

If you want to know all about Freiluftkinos in Berlin, check out our guide.

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg:

16.07 – Sorry, Baby

19.07 – No Other Choice

20.07 – Sinners

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

3.07 – Lesbian Space Princess

5.07 – Call Me By Your Name

8.07 – The Sheep Detectives

Freilufkino Volskpark Friedichshain

18.07 – La Boum - Die Fete

20.07 – Backrooms

24.07 – Obsession

ARTE Sommerkino

19.07 – La Piscine

23.07 – I Saw the TV Glow

24.07 – The Drama

The Odyssey Review: Nolan’s Adaptation Is an Epic Reflection on What War Takes Away ⭐⭐⭐⭐ +

Adapting a poem as vast as The Odyssey is no small feat. Homer’s epic is packed with myths, metaphors, monsters, and unforgettable characters. Yet The Odyssey (2026) finds a compelling way into the classic, allowing its characters to embody the grief, trauma, and longing that linger long after war is over.

Anne Hathaway’s Penelope is the heart and soul of the film, but she is far from its only standout. Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong’o, and Samantha Morton all deliver impressive performances as Telemachus, Calypso, Helen of Troy, and Circe, respectively. Matt Damon is solid as Odysseus, though the character occasionally feels less layered and complex than he should be.

So, after months of online speculation, the breaking news is: The Odyssey is an entirely different beast from what many expected. It is unmistakably a mainstream blockbuster, but one that fully embraces the themes that have kept Homer’s poem alive for millennia: grief, empathy, homesickness, friendship, and, above all, what it means to be human.

The Best Way to See The Odyssey

The Odyssey is the first feature film ever shot entirely with IMAX film cameras, making it a true big-screen experience. If you want to see it as close as possible to how Christopher Nolan intended, your best bet in Berlin is the IMAX screen at UCI Luxe Mercedes Platz. If that's not an option, a 70mm screening at Delphi Filmpalast is another excellent way to experience the film.

• Studio Ghibli Pop-up Store: open until July 18th, you can find plenty of gadgets and memorabilia about Miyazaki’s movies. It’s in Schloßstrasse 25, Berlin.

• The Deutsche Kinemathek’s Inventing Queer Cinema: (until 13.09) it celebrates histories of resistance and solidarity through films and photography installations, as well as documents, objects, and archival materials.

• Premiere: Good Vibes Only: (20.07) at Cinema Paris with the director Reem Kheerici in attendance.

• Special Screening: To My Sisters: (24.07) – at Delphy Lux in the presence of Director Faek Falak.

• Mel Brooks 100!: (from 09.07) – It celebrates the work of the exceptional comedian and filmmaker and all his friends at Babylon Cinema. Plenty of movies directed by him to watch.

• Berlin Short Film Festival: (16-17.07) - A celebration of cinematic creativity and innovation at Babylon Cinema.

• Bjørn Melhus – LOST IN INFINITY: (17.07-23.06) – This summer, silent green dedicates a major solo exhibition to the artist Bjørn Melhus. LOST IN INFINITY unfolds as an immersive overall installation conceived specifically for the Betonhalle at silent green with artist talks, screening, etc.

S: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is an intense, claustrophobic drama that follows a mother pushed to her emotional limits while caring for her seriously ill child. Led by an incredible, Golden Globe-winning performance from Rose Byrne, the film will make you look at motherhood in a very different way. Its lingering sense of anxiety and unease stays with you long after the credits roll. You can find it on HBO Max.

F: For the LGBTQ+ community, Heartstopper Forever (Netflix) is one of the most anticipated films of the summer. Bringing the beloved story to a close after a wonderful three-season run, the new movie based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels – follows Nick and Charlie as they face the ultimate test of first love: navigating their relationship while Nick prepares to leave for university and Charlie embraces a new sense of independence at school.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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💟 TikTok

💟 Youtube

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📆 July 2nd

• Tuner - Featuring sound design by Oscar-winner Johnnie Burn (the mastermind behind The Zone of Interest), this stylish thriller follows a piano tuner with hypersensitive hearing who discovers his gift makes him an exceptional safecracker.

• Minions & Monsters - The yellow chaos agents accidentally unleash monsters on the world and must become unlikely heroes in this gleefully animated adventure about fame and saving the planet.

• Dry Leaf - Part mystery, part road movie, Alexandre Koberidze’s meditative epic follows a father searching for his missing photographer daughter across rural Georgia, turning the journey into a poetic portrait of everyday life.

• 23 000 Leben - Based on true events, this stirring drama follows a group of young Berlin activists who buy a rescue ship to save refugees in the Mediterranean, only to confront difficult questions about law, morality and civil disobedience.

📆 July 9th

• Moana (Vaiana) – Live action of the Disney Pixar’s Moana, it follows the adventurous teen, who takes to the seas to save her people. Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia are the main stars.

• Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day - Adapted from Virginia Woolf’s second novel, this charming period drama follows an aspiring astronomer in Edwardian London as she questions marriage, convention and the life expected of her.

• Wise Women - Spanning five countries and cultures, this moving documentary shines a light on the often-invisible work of midwives and the women who guide new life into the world every day.

• In a Whisper - Set against the backdrop of contemporary Tunisia, Leyla Bouzid’s Berlinale competition entry follows a Paris-based woman who returns home for her uncle’s funeral and uncovers long-buried family secrets.

• Backrooms – Based on an internet phenomenon, the movie directed by Kane Parsons has been defined as one of the most innovative horror films of the year. A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom, leading to an endless network of interconnected rooms where time bends.

It’s Time for Freiluftkinos

If you want to know all about Freiluftkinos in Berlin, check out our guide.

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg:

3.07 – I Swear
4.07 – Hamnet
8.07 – The History of Sound

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

3.07 – Lesbian Space Princess
5.07 – Call Me By Your Name
8.07 – The Sheep Detectives

Freilufkino Volskpark Friedrichshain

5.07 – Gelbe Briefe
10.07 – Notting Hill
13.07 – Marty Supreme

ARTE Sommerkino

4.07 – Sinners
10.07 – The Secret Agent
11.07 – Project Hail Mary

• Special Nolan Revisited: You can revisit Christopher Nolan’s filmography at Yorck Kinos – Inception, Dunkirk, Tenet and more (from July 3rd).

• Twilight: New Moon at Bis(s) zu Abspann at Odeon (8.07)

• Special: Taxi Driver: (July 2-8) – Experience the 4K-restored version of Scorsese’s classic in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary.

• Preview: Home Stories: (07.07) – Be among the first to see Eva Trobisch’s tender Berlinale drama about identity and self-invention, followed by a Q&A with the director and cast.

• MonGay Preview: Was haben wir gelacht: (13.07) – This sharp and entertaining documentary revisits German television of the ‘90s and 2000s through the women who fought to make space for female comedy, followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.

• Lakeside Film Festival: (July 3-5) – Escape the city for a magical weekend of movies, music and camping at this open-air festival that transforms a hidden lake near Berlin into four cinema screens under the stars.

• Creative Hub Berlin: Live Interview, Project Pitches & Networking: (09.07) – A must for film and media professionals, this industry event brings together creatives for live interviews, project pitches and networking opportunities designed to spark new collaborations.

S: Summer isn’t only about sunshine and slow days – it also carries a sense of melancholia and nostalgia, along with the quiet ache of knowing that some moments can never be relived. Aftersun, streaming on MUBI, tells the story of an eleven-year-old girl looking back on a holiday with her young father, capturing that feeling perfectly: a tender, sun-drenched memory infused with love, loss, but mostly, everything left unsaid. It will wrap you in the warmth of summer and then quietly break your heart.

F: If I think about when I fell in love with Nolan, Memento is the answer. This 2000 neo-noir psychological thriller, written and directed by Nolan, stars the handsome Guy Pearce as a man trapped in a maze of fractured memories and disorienting timelines. Not only is it the perfect sofa watch, but it’s also a true cult classic. (Apple TV)

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

💟 Instagram

💟 TikTok

💟 Youtube

After greeting fans outside the historical cinema and posing for photos, the trio took time to answer our questions about the new season, their characters’ journeys, and the future of Westeros.

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We first asked Harry Collett about the viral news surrounding George R. R. Martin distancing himself from the show. Harry’s answer was brief but clear: “To be honest, I just turn up and act. I’m not involved in any of that. That’s all I’ll say.” When asked about Jace’s journey in Season 3 and the challenges of playing him, Harry explained that his character’s motivation goes deeper than ambition:

“I think it’s less about power with him and more about protection. He just wants to win this war, because he wants to sit on the throne one day. He is thinking about power and the future of the realm. He is 100% more determined to get what he wants.”

For Harry, Season 3 also brings a welcome change of pace: “I get to go into a battle and get out of the office – the painted table room. It’s a different challenge because it’s a different location.”

We asked Clinton Liberty about the political dimension of House of the Dragon and whether the show reflects the world we live in today. For him, the show offers something different:

“I feel like it’s more a form of escapism from the craziness that is going on right now. We provide a platform for people to escape from that, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Speaking about Addam’s arc, Clinton teased a season of self-discovery:

“He has a lot to learn about himself, with his internal conflict. When you expose yourself to a new environment, you learn new things about yourself. Throughout Season 3, he learns more about himself and what he stands for, because until you are put in a certain position, you don’t really know who you are.”

@lostinkinoWe asked Clinton Liberty, “Where is your character headed in season 3” Full interview out in our newsletter soon! 💌 He was in Berlin for the House of the Dragon season 3 premiere with @HBO Max De at Kino International @Game of Thrones @Clinton Liberty Have you seen the season premiere? Liberty delivers an amazing performance. #houseofthedragonedit #houseofthedragon #clintonliberty #gameofthrones #hbomax

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Abubakar Salim, meanwhile, told us that Season 3 will push Alyn into unfamiliar and difficult territory: “I think this season is going to be extremely raw and emotional. A lot is going to happen, and it’s going to be crazy.”

For Abubakar, Alyn’s story is about survival when familiar rules no longer apply:

“He is being forced into a very uncomfortable position, and we see him adapt and work within that space. Alyn is used to routine, but now he is forced out of this comfort zone and has to try to survive… A big challenge for me with Alyn is being in that uncomfortable position and [figuring out] how to react to that. The writers did a very good job of developing the character while paying respect to him. Charting that journey has been a challenge.”

Season 2 of House of the Dragon spent too long promising fire without ever quite delivering it. It often felt like a prelude: the stakes never seemed high enough, and the much-anticipated Battle of the Gullet never arrived.

As the new, third season begins, the Dance of the Dragons is no longer a looming threat but an open, ongoing war. Rhaenyra and Alicent’s factions are mobilizing their forces, alliances are being tested, and the conflict is rapidly escalating – fought on land, at sea, and in the skies.

“Salt and Sea, Fire and Blood” delivers one of the most intense hours of television the franchise has produced in years. The 25-minute Battle of the Gullet sequence is both a naval engagement and a dragon battle: a chaotic collision of fire and sea that looks spectacular on screen. The visuals are breathtaking, but what truly makes the episode work is its pace. Characters move quickly, their decisions come at great personal cost, and the war now feels genuinely unpredictable.

Has House of the Dragon finally found its rhythm? The first episode certainly suggests so – a promising sign of what this season may still have in store.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox.

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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Cinema releases you should not miss

📆 June 18th

• The Death of Robin Hood – Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last.

• The Love that Remains – A family drama that depicts a couple’s separation in a quiet coast town in Iceland and its effect on all of them.

• Slackers – a German drama about two aimless Berlin teens thrust into a politically charged world after a summer prank goes wrong.

📆 June 25th

• Obsession – A music store employee uses a supernatural trinket to make his longtime crush fall in love with him, only for her affection to quickly morph into a terrifying, violent obsession.

• Resurrection – A sci-fi odyssey where a nameless hero journeys through time and space to rescue human dreams from oblivion in a world of eternal life.

• Power Ballad – From the director of Once and Sing Street comes a musical comedy-drama where a former wedding singer sets out to reclaim credit after a fading boy-band star steals his song and turns it into a massive hit.

• Supergirl – Superman’s cousin, Kara Zor-El, embraces her own superpowers to protect Earth from alien and human threats. It’s time to go back to Kansas.

Freiluftkinos – It’s Time for ARTE Sommerkino Kulturforum

From June 17th, Yorck welcomes audiences back in Potsdamer Platz for their ARTE Sommerkino Kulturforum. From Pillion to One Battle After Another and The Devil Wears Prada 2, there’s plenty to look forward to – just book your tickets and enjoy the warm summer nights.

If you want to know all about Freiluftkinos in Berlin, check out our guide.

House of the Dragon Day - June 19th

• House of the Dragon Premiere: HBO is preparing a full day of surprises for the third season of House of the Dragon with an exclusive premiere event at Berlin’s iconic Kino International on June 19th, 2026. Fans can gather at a dedicated fan pit area outside the movie theatre to welcome the stars, experience the Westeros atmosphere, and catch a sneak peek of the upcoming season. The Lost in Kino Team will be on the Black Carpet to interview the cast!

• House of the Dragon Bonfire: To keep the Westeros excitement burning, Warner Bros Deutschland is also hosting “Dracarys: The Dragon Fire,” a massive midsummer bonfire event at Berlin’s RAW-Gelände. Fans are invited to gather around the roaring flames to celebrate the season three launch, recreate the fiery power of the Targaryen dragons, and enjoy a night filled with themed music, activities and surprises. All about it on our social media accounts.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Event

Do you want to see Tom Holland and Zendaya together on the red carpet? The superstar duo is coming to Berlin’s Uber Platz on June 22nd for a massive fan event packed with surprises, spectacular photo ops, and a live Q&A panel. While the tickets for the fan pit areas are completely sold out, the main venue gates open to everyone at 12:00 PM to experience the red carpet, and can still have the chance to see the two superstars in person. We will be there for you! Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, or Youtube for more!

And some others:

• The Left Berlin Film Club: Queer Cinema for Palestine 2026 (19.06): A global film event that will show 6 short films in Refuge dedicated to the work of queer, Palestinian and allied artists.

• Special Midsommar director’s cut and flower wreaths (20.06): Get ready to experience Ari Aster’s horror film in the extended director’s cut. Before, you’re invited to join a flower wreath making workshop in collaboration with Modulor.

• Mongay-Preview: The Activist: in presence of Director Romas Zabarauskas & crew (22.06) - A tense, politically charged crime full of twists and turns and erotic tension.

• Special Ingeborg Bachmann - Jemand, der einmal ich war: in the presence of actress Sandra Hüller (25.06) - On the 100th birthday of the author, the special screening of the film will be followed by a discussion with Hüller, who portrays Ingeborg Bachmann, and Director Regina Schilling.

• Studio Ghibli Pop-up store: Experience the magic of Studio Ghibli and take a piece home with you. The Pop-up store will be open until July 11 at Schloßstraße 25, 12163 Berlin.

The Man I Love (written by our guest writer, Nora – The Cultural View)

Ira Sachs’ The Man I Love is a film about the complexities of life in all its beautiful and poetic forms, but it occasionally teeters on the brink of pretentiousness. Filled with dialogues and rather short in length, its epilogue feels somewhat abrupt and unsatisfying. Still, the film is elevated by a truly outstanding lead performance by Rami Malek, who is both boisterous and vulnerable at the same time. [Excerpt]

Coward (written by our guest writer, Nora – The Cultural View)

Lukas Dhont’s Coward is deeply moving right up to its ending, and carried by the two performances of newcomers Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, who jointly received the Best Actor Prize at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Although the love story follows some of the conventions of a typical gay romance, Coward takes its time exploring masculinity and gender performativity. The result is uncomfortably realistic. [Excerpt]

F: The Half of It (Netflix) is a coming-of-age drama starring Leah Lewis, Daniel Diemer, and Alexxis Lemire. Alice Wu writes and directs the tender story of Ellie Chu, a closeted Chinese-American high school student who helps her friend Paul to write love letters to his crush, Aster, only to fall for her herself in the process. Another highly recommended sofa gem for Pride month!

S: Am I OK? (Netflix) is a warm and quietly moving film about self-discovery at any age. Following a woman who comes to terms with her sexuality in her thirties, it’s funny, tender, and refreshingly free of clichés – a reminder that it’s never too late to learn something new about yourself.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox.

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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Cinema releases you should not miss

📆 June 4th

• Masters of the Universe – He-Man, the strongest warrior of Eternia, and his friends Teela and Gwildor have declared war on Skeletor and they are the only hope for the universe.

• The Good Boy – A married couple abduct a 19-year-old criminal and try various methods to rehabilitate him.

• Scary Movie 6 – Two friends find themselves caught up in mayhem involving killers, monsters and supernatural creatures once again.

📆 June 11th

• Disclosure Day – What if you found out we weren’t alone? Suppose someone could prove it to you: Would you be afraid? Spielberg returns with a story about aliens.

• Little Amélie and the Character of Rain – Amélie grew up as a little Belgian girl in Japan. Alongside her friend Nishio-san, she experiences a childhood full of discoveries and miracles.

• Truly Naked – Alec grows up in a household centered around his family’s porn production business. Moving to a coastal town, he falls for Nina and discovers an emotional intimacy that cannot exist on camera.

Freiluftkinos – It’s Time for Outdoor Cinemas

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg:

• 9.06 – Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-wai)

• 12.06 – Sentimental Value

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

• 6.06 – Dirty Dancing

• 14.06 – It Was just an Accident

Freiluftkino Volskpark Friedichshain

• 9.06 – Pillion

• MonGay Special: Paris is Burning is a 1990 documentary and classic filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s. It chronicles the ball culture of New York City and the African-American, Latino, gay and transgender communities involved in it. Not to miss! (15.06)

• Zebra Poetry Film Festival: when films transcend the boundary between film and poetry, works of image, word, and sound.

• Italy Short Film Days: The first festival fully dedicated to Italian short films in the city, taking place over four evenings (June 4–7) across three independent cinemas in Berlin. There are only a few tickets left!

• CinemAperitivo: La strada: Watch one of Fellini’s masterpieces at Babylon in Rosa Luxemburg Platz, and enjoy an aperitivo and discussion with fellow audiences (7.06)

• We’re going up up up! Rollberg Kino is hosting a special KPop Demon Hunters Sing-Along (10.06)

• Summer Cinema at the Kulturforum: Yorck’s Sommerkino begins on June 17th screening some of the cinematic highlights of the last few months: À voix b‘asse (Mit leiser Stimme kicks off the season, followed by some audience favourites movies like Sentimental Value and The History of Sound (Pride at Freiluftkino).

• Smash Cut Presents: The Improvised Movie (11.06): A unique blend of cinema and live comedy, featuring CCB’s top improv artists creating and performing a fully unscripted, feature-length movie based entirely on audience prompts.

Masters of the Universe Premiere in Berlin

We were at the red carpet of Masters of the Universe. Charismatic and gorgeous, Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes arrived at 18:30 and greeted the fans who were there since 16. We got to see plenty of Nicholas's little smirks.

F: It’s Pride Month, so only LGBTQ+ movies will be included in my Sofa Gems section! We all love Josh O’Connor, who’s starred in a run of incredible movies in the last couple of years. But do you remember one of his first movies, the tender gay drama God’s Own Country? (Rent it now on Apple TV.) Francis Lee’s debut explores the wild attraction between a young sheep farmer in Yorkshire (O’Connor) and a Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu).

S: I never thought I’d see RuPaul in a T-shirt that says “Straight is Great,” but that’s the absurd magic of But I’m a Cheerleader, the cult queer comedy from the 90s, which follows bubbly cheerleader Megan as she’s sent to a conversion camp, only for her to break free from the camp’s rigid roles, fall for the rebellious Graham, and proudly embrace her true self. Find it on Prime Video.

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox.

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

🎬 Share Lost in Kino with another film buff:

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Cinema releases you should not miss

🗓️ May 20th

• Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu – all about Mando’s mission to bring in an Evil Empire leader, who has escaped and gone into hiding (with the support of Grogu!)

🗓️ May 21st

• Mother Mary – a secret and hold frictions resurface when a pop star tries to rekindle her relationship with her estranged best friend.

• The North – a Dutch drama following two friends hiking 600 kilometers through the Scottish Highlands.

• Primavera (Vivaldi und Ich)– a coming-of-age journey where music and memory intertwine while a young woman reconnects with herself through Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

🗓️ May 28th

• I Swear (Verflucht Normal) – a moving true story following activist John Davidson’s lifelong journey with severe Tourette’s syndrome.

• Passenger – a supernatural horror about a young couple on a road trip who witness a fatal accident. They end up being relentlessly pursued by a mysterious, inescapable entity.

• It Takes Two to Tango (Ticket ins Leben)– a French romantic comedy about a former star who, after a breakdown, sets off on a train journey that unexpectedly changes his outlook on life.

Freiluftkinos – It’s Time for Outdoor Cinemas

Freiluftkino Kreuzberg:

• 20.05 – Pillion

• 25.05 – Call Me By Your Name

Freiluftkino Hasenheide

• 27.05 – Flow

• 02.06 – The Secret Agent

Freilufkino Volskpark Friedichshain

• 20.05 - Bugonia

• 22.05 - Hamnet

• MonGay Special: Sandbag Dam & Freier Fall (Kino International – 21:30) – a coming-of-age Croatian movie and a classic of queer cinema with a policeman (Max Riemelt) falling in love with another man.

• Red Carpet Masters of the Universe – Wanna see Nicholas Galitzine? He will be with Camila Mendez at the Uber Arena for the Berlin’s Masters of the Universe premiere on May 28th, at 18:00. Be there at 17:00!

• Special screening Paris, Texas – an absolute classic by Wim Wenders: a deep exploration of a broken relationship. Travis wanders out of the desert and must reconnect with society, himself, his life, and his family.

• Doxumentale - Berlin’s festival for documentary storytelling in all forms — bringing together films, podcasts, readings, and immersive media to spark dialogue on today’s most pressing social and cultural issues.

🇮🇹 Italy Short Film Days Berlin

The Italy Short Film Days Berlin is the first festival fully dedicated to Italian short films in the city, taking place over four evenings (June 4–7) across three independent cinemas in Berlin. It brings together filmmakers, actors, and audiences for screenings, networking events, aperitifs, and informal industry encounters in a vibrant, collaborative atmosphere.

Created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of TaxiDrivers, the film criticism magazine, the festival features actress Valentina Lodovini as its godmother, who will be present throughout all four nights. With 30 Italian short films in competition and a closing awards evening, it’s a unique opportunity to discover new voices in cinema, connect with Italian filmmakers, and celebrate contemporary short film culture in Europe’s creative heart. You can check the full screening program and grab your tickets here.

Our newsletter co-creator Serena is part of the festival’s organization and one of the jury members, making this year’s edition especially close to us ❤️. We would love to share it with you as a celebration of Italian cinema, creativity, and community.

❎ XPOSED Queer Film Festival

• 29.05 at Il Kino – Iván & Hadoum: Nisay, an actress haunted by loss, returns to Cambodia and to Thida — a love once forbidden. Bound by the weight of family and society, their passion survives only in memory and performance, until it must fade away. (17)

• 29.05 at Il Kino – Bouchra: Bouchra (35), a Moroccan filmmaker in New York, is paralyzed by the fear of the blank page. (19)

• 30.05 at Il Kino – A Song without a Home ((სიმღერა სახლის გარეშე): After 11 years confined to her family home, Adelina, a young trans woman, flees a Georgian village for Vienna in search of the freedom to be herself. (19)

David Lowery at the London Q&A of Mother Mary — Curzon Soho. Photo taken by Francesco Bacci

S: Who doesn’t love Saoirse Ronan? While she’s known for so many iconic roles, you should check out this hidden gem by Nora Fingscheidt. The Outrun is a raw and deeply moving story of healing, addiction, and reconnection with nature. It follows a young woman who returns to Scotland’s wild Orkney Islands after rehab and slowly rebuilds herself through solitude and direct contact with the surrounding nature.

F: Ira Sachs is getting rave reviews at Cannes for The Man I Love, but you shouldn’t miss his previous film – a gem available on MUBI – Peter Hujar’s Day. It’s an intense and claustrophobic conversation between the famous American gay photographer Peter Hujar and journalist Linda Rosenkrantz. Ben Wishaw and Rebecca Hall deliver two unforgettable performances.

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Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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How did we find out about this? This is exactly why you should subscribe. We’re always tracking film events, premieres, and red carpets – we tipped you off for Peaky Blinders, Michael, and Pillion – and next time, you could be there too.

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The venue for The Mandalorian and Grogu launch was Uber Eats Music Hall on Warschauer Straße, dressed up for the occasion with Star Wars props, while fans in Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, and other galactic costumes gathered outside. I waited near the press pen and the main entrance, watching for the moment the stars would arrive. At events like this, you need a good eye, a bit of patience, and a sense of where people might appear. And then there he was: Pedro Pascal.

Charming, handsome, and incredibly kind to fans and journalists alike. Pascal’s arrival caused exactly the kind of uproar you’d expect. He soon joined Sigourney Weaver and the director, Jon Favreau, to greet the crowd, pose for photos, and speak to the press before heading inside.

@lostinkinoPOV: Shocked by Pedro Pascal’s Beauty! Wanna see Pedro during the next red carpet? 👀 Subscribe to the newsletter 💌 to be always up to date with premieres and red carpets 💅🏼 Link in BIO! Recap out soon💅🏼 #themandalorian #themandalorianandgrogu #pedropascaledit #pedropascal

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Before the screening, the cast and director took part in a Q&A. Pedro Pascal spoke warmly about what Star Wars means to him growing up:

“I’m so grateful that it is a big-screen experience, because it’s the kind… I had as a kid growing up. It’s the reason that I’m here, movies like that. Everything is making me cry. I can’t thank you enough again, Jon It’s the kind of action-adventure movie I’d see as a kid and [would] live in my imagination for the rest of the summer. I see Jon’s love for movies in this movie. It’s just a love letter.”

Jon Favreau added:

“I was born in 1966, so I was the perfect age to see the first Star Wars in 1977. I had no idea what to expect. The blockade runner [goes past, and then] the Star Destroyer passes over my head – and kept going. And from that moment, my life was changed.”

Sigourney Weaver said:

“As soon as it starts, you are like, ‘Woooo, where am I? This has never happened to me before in a movie theatre.’”

Pascal also thanked Berlin, calling the visit “exciting” and “really amazing.”

Then, in true premiere fashion, green confetti exploded, free T-shirts were launched into the crowd, and the green carpet came to an end. The Mandalorian and Grogu is out in cinemas from May 20th!

That’s all!

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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Cinema releases you should not miss

🗓️ May 7th

• Nuremberg – In 1945, an American psychiatrist is tasked with determining if high-ranking Nazi prisoners, specifically Hermann Göring, are mentally fit to stand trial for their war crimes.

• Love Me Tender – A former lawyer is stuck in a legal battle with her ex husband over their son – a story of sexual and intellectual self-determination.

• Roya – An Iranian teacher imprisoned in Tehran is faced with the choice between make a forced televised confession or remaining imprisoned.

• Do You Love Me – A documentary about Lebanon’s audiovisual memory. 70 years of film, TV, home videos, and photography told by citizens, filmmakers and artists.

🗓️ May 14

• The Sheep Detectives – It is set to be one of the biggest surprises of the year: funny, heartwarming, and entertaining. The story is about a herd solving the murder of their beloved shepherd (Hugh Jackman) with the help of his lawyer (Emma Thompson).

• Palestine 36 – Set in 1936 Palestine, it follows a young man who joins a massive grassroots rebellion against British colonial rule and the displacement of Palestinian communities.

• The North – A Dutch drama following two friends hiking 600 kilometers through the Scottish Highlands.

• Merrily We Roll Along – A live recording of the 2024 Tony Award-winning Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s musical, filmed at the Hudson Theatre in New York City.

🗓️ May 20

• The Mandalorian and Grogu – After the fall of the Galactic Empire, the New Republic enlists Din Djarin and his apprentice Grogu to rescue Rotta the Hutt in exchange for information from the Hutt clan on a New Republic target. It’s based on the Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian with Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver.

• Special screening: Nuremberg – Based on the Nuremberg Trials during which 22 Nazi leaders were tried for their crimes between November 1945 and October 1946 — chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Michael Shannon) works with an American psychiatrist (Rami Malek).

• MonGay: Naked Reading by Alexander Cheves and Pink Narcissus – Wanna join a naked reading and watch the restoration of a classic by James Bidgood? The LGBTQI+ author Cheves will read from his book My Love Is a Beast: Confessions as well as from new works. The approximately 20-minute reading will be held in English and will take place before the film – Pink Narcissus. (OV - Kino International, Monday May 11th at 21:30)

• Premiere: The North with Director Bart Schrijver – It’s a Dutch drama following two friends hiking 600 kilometers through the Scottish Highlands.

• On May 19th and 20th at Hump! – Film fest you can enjoy short films that celebrate pleasure as well as all bodies, genders, kinks, and creative storytelling.

• XPOSED Queer Film Festival – Taking place from May 21st to 31st, XPOSED returns for its 20th edition. Aquarium, Babylon Kreuzberg, City Kino Wedding, Il Kino, and Movimiento will host a lineup of new international LGBTQI+ feature and short films, including Whipping Hair!, A Song Without a Home, and many more.

• Movie2Menu events – The perfect experience if you’re both a cinephile and a foodie: while watching a movie, you will enjoy 10 culinary moments served at the exact second they appear on screen, allowing you to literally taste the world of the film. On the menu this month: Ratatouille and Pulp Fiction.

Yes, we told you about Pedro Pascal arriving in Berlin for The Mandalorian and Grogu (as with many other red carpets) and we were there! Pedro was as charming and dreamy as ever. He was joined on the green carpet by Sigourney Weaver, and director Jon Favreau. Fans at Uber Arena were on fire as it was also Star Wars (May 4th). Our recap and more videos are coming out soon! 🍿

May 4th also marked the German premiere of the British biopic I Swear (Verflucht normal) at Berlin’s Cinema Paris. This moving true story follows activist John Davidson’s lifelong journey with severe Tourette’s syndrome, and the screening featured a live Q&A with director Kirk Jones.

Berlin is full of accessible film events just like these; make sure to subscribe 💌 so you never miss out!

S: Lately, I’ve really been in the mood for heartwarming stories, which is why I’m especially looking forward to Remarkably Bright Creatures, arriving on Netflix on May 8th. Based on the bestselling novel by Shelby Van Pelt, the film stars Sally Field and Lewis Pullman. It follows Tova, a widow working at a small-town aquarium, who forms an unlikely bond with a giant Pacific octopus. What begins as an unexpected friendship gradually opens the door to healing, connection, and a long-buried mystery.

F: Lilies Not for Me (available on Prime Video) is set in 1920s England and follows a gay novelist and his psychiatric nurse. They form an unlikely friendship through a series of doctor-prescribed “dates.” It’s a beautifully shot, heartbreaking historical drama led by two amazing performers, Fionn O’Shea and Erin Kellyman, with Dark’s Louis Hofmann playing the love interest in one of the flashbacks. A Queer recommendation! 🏳️‍🌈

Cinema news, film recommendations, film + bookish events every two weeks, straight to your inbox:

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that London is the place to be for a movie premiere. Leicester Square regularly transforms into a red-carpet circus with hundreds of fans lining the barriers, hoping for selfies, autographs. and a glimpse of their favourites on the red carpet. The real question is: how do you get in? Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are your best friends here, helping you track down the all-important wristband collection point – the magic ticket that gets you access to the event.

I got up at 8 a.m., reached Leicester Square by 8:30 am, and queued for almost two hours – just in time to collect one of the last of the hundreds of blue The Devil Wears Prada 2-imprinted wristbands. This was Tuesday morning, the day before the premiere and the first of many queues The second queue was the one I joined at 1:30 p.m. the next day, in one of the alleys near Leicester Square’s Vue cinema. Waiting for several hours to enter the fan pen is not exactly glamorous, but it does have its perks: you quickly bond with the fanboys and fangirls stuck there with you.

After security checks, we were led to the spot we had been promised. The red carpet for TDWP2 was enormous, so much so that it was difficult to see what was happening on the opposite side, where Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci made their arrivals.

Our side of the carpet was mostly taken over by influencers and YouTubers posing awkwardly in front of a photo-op set. To quote Miranda Priestly, “details of your incompetence do not interest me.” There was not too much to see at first, apart from a slightly confused Vanessa Williams heading towards Vue – and the neighboring Burger King! – with her The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical co-star Matt Henry.

But then the magic happened.

As some fans began to leave early, convinced the chance of an autograph had faded, I stayed… and was rewarded, as the stars of the film headed over. Hathaway. Blunt. Tucci. They had to move quickly, as the audience inside the Vue was waiting, but they were warm, charming, and generous with all of us who were there to meet them along the red carpet.

And the TDWP2 celebrations didn’t end there. After the film screening, the night continued nearby at the National Gallery, where the after party was held. Fans had their own waiting area outside there too. Security had handed out Runway wristbands earlier in the day. Model and influencer Callum Harper was there (he also has a cameo in the film), director David Frankel signed autographs and chatted with fans, fashion goddess Donatella Versace, podcaster Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden all joined the event.

@lostinkinoPOV: Anne Hathaway signs autographs for The Devil Wears Prada 2 Subscribe to the newsletter💌for a full recap💅🏼 #devilwearsprada #thedevilwearsprada2 #ildiavolovesteprada #annehathaway #redcarpet

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Eventually, the main cast arrived, posed for photos, mingled, and then headed back to their hotel. Some fans even ran toward the rumored hotel near Trafalgar Square, hoping for one last glimpse.

That’s all!

Lost in Kino is a newsletter 💌 created by Serena, who is a film and TV content creator and writer, and Francesco, a journalist, content creator & researcher writing about Queer culture.

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It’s finally time to head back to the cinema to see Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt reprise their iconic roles. But there’s plenty more to catch: the satirical queer film Rosebush Pruning starring Callum Turner, Pamela Anderson, and Jamie Bell. You can sing and dance along while watching Jaafar Jackson stepping into his uncle’s shoes in Michael; or immerse yourself in the grim tale Rose, featuring an outstanding Sandra Hüller. That’s all!

Cinema releases you should not miss

🗓️ April 22th – 23rd

• Michael – it follows the early life and career of Michael Jackson, tracing his rise from child star to global pop icon. We were at the global premiere and fan celebration in Berlin, check out our videos on Instagram and TikTok

• Rosebush Pruning – a dark satirical drama exploring a wealthy, dysfunctional family whose buried tensions begin to surface. You can also enter a competition to win tickets for a special screening with director Karim Aïnouz.

• We, the Inheritors – a documentary that follows a family confronting questions of legacy, privilege, and inheritance.

• Babystar: a coming-of-age drama centered on a teenage influencer who begins to question her identity within her parents’ social media-driven world.

🗓️ April 30th

• The Devil Wears Prada 2 – As Miranda Priestly nears the end of her career amid the decline of traditional magazine publishing, she reunites with Andy Sachs to face off against her former assistant, Emily, now a high-powered executive for a luxury group.

• Rose – a historical drama starring Sandra Hüller as a 17th-century woman living as a man to secure freedom and property during the 30-year war in Germany.

• MonGay Special: Selena – Jennifer Lopez portrays Selena, the legendary Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. A collaboration between MonGay and Furiosa, organizers of queer Latino parties. Alongside the screening, Furiosa will host a supporting program featuring a DJ set and moderated activities, including a “Best Dresscode” competition and a raffle. The prize will be a Latin American product basket provided by the supermarket Latino Point, which will also be present on-site and support the event. (April 27th)

• Premiere: Rose – At this year’s Berlinale, Sandra Hüller was awarded the Silver Bear for her impressive performance in the historical drama Rose. Yorck Kino celebrates the film’s premiere with a Q&A session featuring director Markus Schleinzer and lead actors Caro Braun and Godehard Giese, hosted by Knut Elstermann. (April 29th)

• Premiere: I Swear – Based on the true story of John Davidson, I Swear tells the story – with sensitive humor and warmth – of how he finds his way despite his Tourette’s syndrome, exclusion, and a lack of understanding, ultimately becoming one of the most well-known advocates for Tourette’s awareness. The premiere will be followed by a discussion with director Kirk Jones. (May 4th)

• Premiere: The Mandalorian and Grogu at Uber Arena. Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, and Jon Favreau will be in Berlin to present the movie! Be there at 6:00 pm (May 4th)

• Premiere: Primavera – In his feature film debut, award-winning theater and opera director Damiano Michieletto weaves together the biography of the world-famous composer Antonio Vivaldi with the story of a young orphan who finds inspiration in music to take control of her own life. Following the premiere of Primavera, presented in cooperation with the Italian Embassy, there will be a Q&A with the director. (May 7th)

• C/O Berlin Screenings: Iñárritu’s Bardo, False Chronicle of A Handful of Truths (April 22nd)

• Babylon also has two interesting programmes focused on Italian cinema: Babylon Torino @ Berlino & Babylon: Luchino Visconti in the first week of May.

S: I was in Berlin for the world premiere of Michael, the highly anticipated biopic about Michael Jackson, and the atmosphere felt more like a global fan gathering than a traditional film event. Universal Pictures turned the Uber Eats Music Hall into an immersive space open all weekend, where fans from all over the world showed up dressed in iconic looks, danced, and stepped into recreated moments from his music videos. On premiere night, seeing the cast led by Jaafar Jackson and members of the Jackson family made it clear this wasn’t just about a film, but about celebrating a legacy that still feels incredibly alive.

As for the film itself, Michael focuses on the early years of Jackson’s career – from the Jackson 5 to the rise of the “King of Pop” – with a strong emphasis on his relationship with his father, played by a brilliant Colman Domingo. Jaafar Jackson and Juliano Krue Valdi (playing the young Michael) are genuinely impressive in portraying him and channeling his energy. That said, the film leans into celebration, avoiding the more complex parts of his story. It’s very much a tribute to his musical genius and cultural impact, and in that sense, it really feels like something made for the fans.

But that choice also comes with limitations. The film builds toward the Bad tour and stops there. It’s now widely known that the ending was reworked from an earlier version that would have extended further into his life, including the abuse allegations that have long shaped the public perception of the artist. You can feel that shift: the final act, as it stands, lands with less emotional weight than what comes before. This does not take away from the experience, but it does leave the sense that this is only part of a larger story – one that, if continued, could offer a more complex and layered portrait of Michael Jackson’s life. Still, as a cinematic and musical experience, it truly belongs on the big screen.

F: Michael is clearly a biopic which is mostly celebrating the King of Pop, his legacy, and rise to fame. It doesn’t offer a particularly strong psychological exploration of either the Jackson family or Michael Jackson himself, who emerges more as an artist than as a fully fleshed-out person. Still, Michael is a fun two-hour ride: well shot, packed with iconic musical moments, and very well acted. It’s a technical achievement and an enjoyable enough film to catch in the cinema. A star is born: Jaafar Jackson!

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The next two weeks are also killing it with re-releases of cult classics, including Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, the nostalgic It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, and new indie and Queer releases like Allegro Pastell and The History of Sound.

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Cinema releases you should not miss

🗓️ April 9th

• Wanda – Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film in Venice 1970, Wanda is the only feature film by Barbara Loden and tells the story of a woman who wanders seemingly aimlessly through rural Pennsylvania.

• The History of Sound – Hermanus’ film starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor is the tender love story of two star-crossed lovers navigating the challenges of the First World War.

• The Wizard of the Kremlin – After the collapse of the USSR, reality TV producer Vadim Baranov becomes the spin doctor for the KGB agent, Vladimir Putin.

• It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley – Jeff Buckley was a magnificent artist with a truly stunning voice. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley is a documentary tracing the life of this enigmatic star up to his shocking death at the age of 30.

🗓️ April 16th

• Kill Bill - The Whole Bloody Affair (Tarantino Action) – The Bloody Affair is comprised of both Volumes of Kiill Bill, plus material missing from the US and international versions. It’s time to revisit this journey of revenge.

• Allegro Pastell – In the summer of 2018, novelist Tanja Arnheim and web designer Jerome Daimler have a seemingly ideal long-distance relationship in the heat of Berlin. The two hyper-reflective millennials are shaken by an unexpected realization.

• Four Minus Three – Barbara and her partner Heli are professional clowns, living out their dream of an alternative, joy-filled life with their two children, laughing at what doesn’t work out. But when a tragic car accident takes Heli and the children, Barbara is left alone.

🗓️ April 22nd

• Michael – Michael is the portrait of the King of Pop. His music inspired a generation, and this biopic starring Jaafar Jackson (his nephew) chronicles Jackson’s life from the Jackson 5 era to his death in 2009.

Special BFI Flare 2026 – Our 3 Recommendations

Lunar Sway – Nick Butler directs this queer coming-of-age story that blends drama, comedy, and thriller with Lynchian imagery and atmosphere. Set in the desert of British Columbia, it follows Cliff, a man adrift in post-breakup grief, and his fraught relationship with Marg, who claims to be his birth mother. Butler’s elusive, dreamlike visuals hold the tonal shifts together, confidently aligning with Dmitry Lopatin’s stunning cinematography and the haunting score by Adrian Ellis and Walker Grimshaw. Noah Parker brings real nuance and vulnerability to Cliff, and Liza Weil is once again brilliant in the mysterious, unconventional role of Marg. Strange, symbolic, and somehow chaotically coherent, Lunar Sway is well worth seeking out. (★★★★)

Out Laws – A moving and important documentary from directors Lexi Powner and James Lewis, Out Laws follows Friedel Dausab, a gay Namibian man fighting for the legal recognition of same-sex couples, alongside fellow activists Rosanna Flamer-Caldera and Raven Gill from Sri Lanka and Barbados. A true work of passion and rigorous research, Out Laws makes a powerful case that the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights is far from over – and that post-colonial societies are still paying a devastating price for crimes committed by English settlers centuries ago. Essential viewing. (★★★★★)

Madfabulous –Celyn Jones’ sumptuous costume drama transports us to the Welsh countryside of the late 19th century and into the orbit of eccentric queer protagonist Henry Paget, the 5th Marquess of Anglesey. It’s all beautifully shot and designed, and Ruby Stokes, Rupert Everett, and Callum Scott Howells are all tremendous fun to watch. That said, for a story about a flamboyant, rule-breaking queer figure, it’s curiously bloodless – romance, transgression, and desire are conspicuously absent. More spectacle than spark, but a handsome watch nonetheless. (★★★ ½)

• Berlin is ready to celebrate the theatrical release of the King of Pop’s biopic, Micheal, with a full weekend of events on April 10th, 11th, and 12th. The international premiere kicks things off on Friday at Uber Eats Music Hall, where you can even catch a glimpse of the cast on the red carpet (Try to be there at 5pm)!

• On Saturday and Sunday, fans can join the free Michael Global Fan Experience: book a time slot to step inside the magic, with immersive photo ops, interactive installations, and an up-close look at authentic costumes from the film, all celebrating the legacy of Michael Jackson. Tickets for the Michael Jackson party and the conversation with cast & crew are currently sold out, but keep an eye on the page – you never know.

• MonGay – You can’t miss Mongay’s queer movies in April: Nolasco’s Only Good Things on April 13th (Kino International 21:30) and Rosebush Pruning on April 19th and 20th (Kino International & Babylon Kreuzberg 21:30). Rosebush Pruning director, Karim Aïnouz will join the screening during SunGay and MonGay for a Q&A at Kino International and Babylon Kreuzberg.

• Fetch Specials – a real millennial classic: the mother-and-daughter comedy, Freaky Friday, will be screened on April 22nd (Odeon 20:00)

• The Human Rights Film Festival Berlin showcases international documentaries every year, focusing on human rights and the people who defend them. This year, the festival takes place from 10-18 April.

• Achtung Berlin presents current work by Berlin and Brandenburg filmmakers from 15–22 April in several Berlin cinemas.

F: In less than a month, Miranda Priestly makes her long-awaited on-screen comeback! The iconic The Devil Wears Prada is available on Disney+, and it is a gem of pop culture that I can’t get enough of. It’s the perfect comfort movie.

S: With The Drama hitting cinemas, weddings are very much in the spotlight. If you want more, Netflix’s Something Very Bad is Going to Happen is the perfect – deeply unsettling – watch: an eight-part horror series that turns pre-wedding jitters into a full-blown nightmare, exploring the terrifying possibility that you might not truly know the person you’re about to marry – and what happens when you say “I do” to the wrong one.

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Expectations were already high. The screening took place at one of Berlin’s most historic and beautiful cinemas, which had reopened only a month earlier after years of renovation. Berlin’s queer and kinky scene is thriving, so when news broke that Harry Lighton’s ‘dom-com’, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, was coming to the city, tickets sold out within an hour. I managed to grab one just in time, hoping I might at least catch the red carpet since I couldn’t cover it in London.

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@frantz_movietalkPillion Cast reunited on the red carpet 🏍️ #pillion #pillionmovie #alexanderskarsgård #alexanderskarsgårdedit #gaytiktok🏳️‍🌈

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Well, both the power of manifestation and my patron saint – Carrie Bradshaw, naturally – were on my side. Not only did I get to interview two lovely cast members, bikers Ross McRae and Jack Genevois, a few months ago, I also made it into the red-carpet press pit on the night itself.

Alexander, who plays handsome biker Ray, was as charismatic, charming, and impossible to ignore, wearing a magenta-purple Dior top and a hypnotizing smile. He spoke generously about the experience of making the film and confessed that he feels emotional now the Pillion promotional tour is drawing to a close. Harry Melling, who plays introvert Colin in the movie, was equally thoughtful, speaking about the film’s dom/sub dynamic and the ways it is more layered and emotionally complex than many viewers might expect.

@lostinkinoPOV: Alexander Skarsgård being adorable on the red carpet of Pillion in Berlin #redcarpet #alexanderskarsgård #alexanderskarsgardedit #pillion #movietok

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The most interesting quote came from the genius behind the camera, director Harry Lighton, who said: “We really need more submission for men within certain communities. Within the gay community, there is a flood of men who are keen to be submissive, and maybe we need more dominance. I think that within the wider straight culture, submission would be a very beneficial thing for straight men to learn.”

Then it was time to head upstairs. After a brief introduction by the host, the cast took to the stage, and were met by an enthusiastic audience that was clearly more than ready for the film. Pillion is many things, including, as Harry Melling put it, a story about “what it means to give.” Alexander described it in three words: “sweet, romantic, and tender.”

The screening was followed by a Q&A session that revealed some fascinating details, from what Lighton called Ray’s now-iconic “slutty little glasses”, to Alexander Skarsgård’s thoughts on the cleverness of the script – how it kept Ray mysterious for both the audience and himself, while gradually revealing surprising vulnerabilities.

Audience questions ranged widely, touching on everything from the film’s themes to the books Ray is seen reading (Karl Ove Knausgård’s My Struggle series of autobiographical novels). And just like that, the premiere was over, and the cast headed to an afterparty at a queer late-night bar in Kreuzberg.

It was a fitting end to a promotional tour that began in Cannes last May. Pillion remains one of the standout films of the past year: wild, sexy, and vividly alive. It’s an unexpectedly sweet love story that explores Colin’s journey of sexual discovery in a frank, often funny, and authentic way. Lighton masterfully depicts queer desire and the pursuit of connection, giving Ray and Colin complex identities, without overlooking the representation of BDSM and biker subcultures.

I couldn’t help but wonder: when will we see another film quite like it, one capable of generating this same sense of excitement?

Pillion is now showing in German cinemas. Do not miss it!

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Pillion and Peaky Blinders: Two Berlin Premieres to Remember

Pillion at Kino International: We attended the Pillion premiere and shared the highlights on our social media – featuring a radiant Alexander Skarsgård in Dior, an elegant Harry Melling, and a charming Harry Lighton in a striking black kilt. A full recap of the evening will be out soon!

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man: We also caught the red carpet for the highly anticipated Netflix film set to conclude the Peaky Blinders saga, with creator Steven Knight and director Tom Harper in attendance, alongside fan favourites Cillian Murphy and Rebecca Ferguson. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

All the Cinema Releases you should Not Miss:

📆 March 26

• Pillion - Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling are the main stars of this ‘Dom-Com’ which centers on the relationship between an impossibly handsome and dominant biker, Ray, and his new partner, Colin (Melling), an introverted man.

• Blue Moon - Richard Linklater’s film is a biographical drama set over a single evening in 1943. It follows lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke, Oscar-nominated for the role) as his career and health decline while his former partner Richard Rodgers finds success without him.

• A Useful Ghost - You never expect a haunted vacuum cleaner to be the heart of a love story…but this Thai film does exactly that. After his wife Nat dies, March is reunited with her ghost inside a vacuum cleaner, clinging to their strange bond as others reject it.

• With Hasan in Gaza - Kamal Aljafari’s documentary is built from rediscovered tapes filmed in Gaza in 2001. What began as a search for a former prison mate becomes a journey across the region with a local guide, Hasan, revealing fragments of everyday life that now feel like a place lost to time and destruction.

📆 April 2

• The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - The animated adventure brings the world’s most famous plumber back to the screen with Chris Pratt as Mario, joined by Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Keegan-Michael Key, and new voices like Brie Larson and Donald Glover.

• The Drama - The highly anticipated A24 film stars Zendaya and Robert Pattinson as a happily engaged couple whose wedding week is thrown off course by an unexpected revelation.

• Siri Hustvedt - Dance Around The Self - Considered one of the most important voices in contemporary American literature, Siri Hustvedt candidly shares her inner world, her art, and her unique way of thinking in this documentary directed by Sabine Lidl. Among the many themes explored, the film also highlights her deep personal and artistic bond with her late husband, writer Paul Auster.

• Enzo - In this French coming-of-age drama, a teenager rejects the expectations of his wealthy parents and takes an apprenticeship on a construction site. There, he meets his Ukrainian colleague Vlad, who awakens new feelings in Enzo.

  

  Credits: A24 / Weltkinofilmverleih

• The Greek Film Festival in Berlin will take place once again at Kino Babylon from March 25th to March 29th, 2026. The focus is on supporting and showcasing emerging Greek filmmakers in Germany. The upcoming 11th edition of the festival will present a multifaceted, timeless program that highlights the best of the country’s new cinematic productions on the big screen.

• For the 21st time, the 11mm – International Football Film Festival brings football to the place where it unfolds its very own magic: the cinema. From March 26th to 30th, the Colosseum Berlin on Schönhauser Allee will become a meeting place for stories of triumphs and tragedies, legends and underdogs. The festival kicks off with the rousing documentary A Summer in Italy – World Cup 1990.

• Special Preview: Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self with director Sabine Lidl at Kino International. After having its world premiere in the Panorama section of the 76th Berlinale, the film explores Siri Hustvedt’s journey from her first novel to becoming a leading voice in contemporary literature.

• Special Preview: Allegro Pastell. The film adaptation of Leif Randt’s best-selling novel will be screened as a preview ahead of its nationwide cinema release, followed by a discussion with director Anna Roller and the author.

F: With Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale canceled by Hulu before it even saw the light of day, now is the perfect time to rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer – both the original 1992 movie and the iconic TV series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (all seven seasons are available on Disney+). It’s a binge worth taking in celebration of Buffy’s incredible legacy!
To support the cause, rewatch Buffy, leave comments about Btvs on Hulu’s social media, and don’t stop being loud!

S: If you’re in the mood for something that feels in conversation with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and leaning into the strange power of television and identity, check out the A24 horror-drama I Saw the TV Glow. A lonely teen becomes obsessed with a mysterious late-night show that blurs reality and fantasy. The film is available on multiple platforms, including Apple TV and Prime Video.

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All the cinema releases you should not miss.

🗓️ March 12

• The Testament of Ann Lee – Mona Fastvold directs and writes this incredible biopic/musical/historical drama starring the outstanding Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee – a religious leader of a group of shakers in 18th century Great Britain and United States. (Also out in 70mm for a week)

• Nouvelle Vague - Richard Linklater revisits the birth of the French New Wave, recreating the making of Breathless and the Rebellious Spirit that changed cinema forever.

• Mein neues alters ich - Eine Reise in das Mysterium der Manopause - In this documentary, director Louise Unmack Kjeldsen investigates the science, stigma, and unanswered questions surrounding menopause, a life stage still surprisingly under-researched despite affecting millions of women.

🗓️ March 19

• Is This Thing On? – Directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Will Arnett and Laura Dern, it’s a dramedy about divorce, reinvention and the unexpected discovery of stand-up comedy. A cozy film to watch - especially if you loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Just remember: Midge Maisel did it in the 50s...and in heels!

• Project Hail Mary - Ryan Gosling is a science teacher who awakens in space with no recollection of how he got there. As his memory starts to return, he will uncover his mission.

• La Grazia - The latest film from Italian director Paolo Sorrentino explores grief, political responsibility and the ethics of euthanasia, circling around a haunting question: “Who do our days belong to?”

🗓️ March 26

• Pillion - Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling are the main stars of this “dom-com.” Colin (Melling), a timid man is swept off his feet when Ray (Skarsgård), an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive. [At MonGay on March, 23rd]

Where to Watch This Year’s Oscar-Nominated Films

Catch these Oscar nominees in cinemas while you still can:

• Bugonia

• Hamnet

• Marty Supreme

• The Secret Agent

• Sentimental Value

• Irish Film Berlin returns for its fourth annual festival, taking place over St Patrick’s Week from 13–18 March. Held at the Babylon cinema, the 2026 edition presents a curated selection of Irish feature films, documentaries, animation and short films, spanning from the 1980s to the present day. This year, the festival intertwines two themes – Dublin and music – into an eclectic programme, including a retrospective on Oscar-winning Irish actor Cillian Murphy.

• On the 15th, 16th and 17th March, at Lichtblick Kino, check out the 4th edition of the Vierte Welle Film Festival, featuring feminist and queer short films. An event dedicated to celebrating and promoting diversity, inclusion and gender equality in the film industry.

• At Kino International on March 20th – the iconic cast Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling and director Harry Lighton – will participate to the German premiere of Pillion. Check the Yorck website for tickets and be at the Kino International’s red carpet at around 19 (the movie starts at 20:30)

• On March 12th, still at Kino International, the new Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Men premieres in a private event, with festivities from 18 — fans can try gathering outside for a possible glimpse of Cillian Murphy.

Francesco & Serena’s Sofa Gems

F: Luca Guadagnino’s Queer is available on MUBI! Based on the 1985 novella by William S. Burroughs, the film is set in Mexico during the 1950s and focuses on the American expatriate (an excellent Daniel Craig) who becomes infatuated with a younger man (a magnetic and charming Drew Starkey). It’s a very complex film with so much symbolism, sex, and a visionary ending – one to (re-)watch!

S: Die My Love, now streaming on MUBI, is a raw and unflinching look at motherhood from Scottish director Lynne Ramsay. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson play a couple expecting a child who move to a remote house, where Grace faces severe postpartum depression. Her desperate attempts to stay visible as her identity unravels go unnoticed by those around her, making the story even more devastating. Lawrence is magnetic, and Ramsay’s direction mirrors Grace’s fractured inner world — an intense, unforgettable watch.

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February 26

• The Moment (It’s Brat-spring – and this is a mockumentary starring Charli xcx)

• Marty Supreme (Timothée Chalamet might win his first Oscar for his role as Marty Supreme)

• Scream 7 (Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and the original creator Kevin Williamson return for a classic thrilling ride)

• Father Mother Sister Brother (Venice Golden Lion directed by Jim Jarmusch)

• David Lynch Retrospective: Mulholland Drive

March 1

• David Lynch Retrospective: The Straight Story

March 5

• Yellow Letters (Gelbe Briefe) (Golden Bear at Berlinale)

Credits: A24 / Paramount

• Don’t miss two movies of the Boulevard Noir series at Yorck cinema – two classics of the genre noir: Abel Ferrara’s King of New York (26.02 - 20:30) and Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity (12.03 - 20:30)

• The weekly MonGay will feature two classics not to be missed: Andrew Haigh’s Weekend (March 2, 21:30 – Babylon Kreuzberg) and a preview of Harry Lighton’s dom-com Pillion! (March 9 - 21:30 Kino International)

• Check out this free David Lynch exhibition. From January 29 to March 22, the Pace Gallery in Schöneberg is featuring a curated selection of Lynch’s paintings, sculptures, watercolours, early short films, and Berlin photographs, offering a fascinating look at the artist behind the films.

• Kino International reopens its doors after two years of renovation. With over 60 years of cinema history, this architectural gem kicks off its new chapter with Marty Supreme, a bold character-driven highlight of this year’s awards season.

1. The Testament of Ann Lee

   A powerful biopic with much to say, wonderful songs, and an unforgettable Amanda Seyfried.

2. YO (Love is a Rebellious)

   Dealing with grief in a mindblowing and artistic way – YO is a beautiful homage to an incredible woman.

3. Narciso
   Martinessi’s film is a brilliant and gothic story of sexual liberation and queer desire amid the rise of repression and authoritarianism in Paraguay.

4. The Education of Jane Cumming

   A wonderful exploration of ambiguous desire, community, & discrimination.

5. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

   A funny, heartwarming, and analog crime thriller and New York-centered film with John Turturro.

6. Siri Hustvedt - Dance Around the Self
   A portrait of an excellent writer sharing an honest and resonant message about storytelling, life, and death.

7. Where To?
   Set in Berlin, it’s a delicate and powerful story of dialogue and empathy among a Palestinian Uber driver and a troubled Israeli kid.

8. We are All Strangers

   Father and son: an ambitious family drama that spans two generations from Singaporean director Anthony Chen.

9. Sunny Dancer

   Bella Ramsey leads this coming-of-age story about cancer-survivors teenagers that goes well beyond sentimentality.

10. The Weight

    Ethan Hawke stars in a stark Great Depression survival tale, where a desperate father undertakes a difficult journey to reunite with his child.

F: Caught Stealing, on Netflix, is the latest film from Darren Aronofsky. Austin Butler stars as Hank, a bartender in New York’s Lower East Side, who finds himself caught up in a series of dangerous and unfortunate events. It’s a thriller packed with twists and turns, and a fast-paced love letter to late-1990s New York. If you’re a fan of Butler, you’ll love this movie. He gives it his all. After a few mediocre outings (I’m looking at you, The Whale), Aronofsky is back on form with a well-written and skillfully directed movie.

S: Acht Berge / The Eight Mountains is a moving meditation on friendship and identity, adapted from Paolo Cognetti’s Premio Strega-winning novel. Alessandro Borghi and Luca Marinelli play two lifelong friends, very different men, each on their own journey of self-discovery. At its heart lies the question of whether life is defined by the peaks we climb or the paths we wander. A film for every traveller. Available on MUBI.

Lost in Kino is your guide to cinema releases, films and bookish events in Berlin — highlighting what’s worth seeing on screen and beyond. Subscribe to the newsletter:

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🐻 Spotlight Berlinale

🎬 Our 12 Must-See Films

1. Siri Hustvedt – Dance Around the Self (Panorama) – It’s a portrait of the brilliant Siri Hustvedt, American novelist, poet, and essayist, who shared part of her life with fellow American writer Paul Auster.

2. The Moment (Panorama) - A mockumentary centered on a rising pop star as she navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut.

3. Rose (Competition) – In the early 17th century, somewhere in Germany, a mysterious soldier arrives in an isolated Protestant village. It is the true and twisted tale of a swindler (played by Sandra Hüller), who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and deceived a village.

4. Rosebush Pruning (Competition) – Directed by Karim Aïnouz, the film is a dark satirical thriller centred around a wealthy, dysfunctional family in a secluded Spanish villa that promises to expose buried secrets and generational conflicts. The cast is stellar, including Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Elle Fanning, and Jamie Bell.

5. Wo Men Bu Shi Mo Sheng Ren (We are All Strangers) (Competition) - A drama from the Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen, the final one of his “growing up” trilogy after Ilo Ilo and Wet Season. It’s a story set in modern Singapore exploring class inequalities and the meaning of family.

6. 575 Castro St. (Teddy 40 - Short) – It focuses on the interplay of light and shadow on the walls of the Castro Camera Store, a location for Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-winning feature film Milk.

7. Where To? (Perspectives) – In the endless Berlin nights, Hassan, a 55-year-old Palestinian Uber driver, shuttles night owls from one party to the next. Estranged from his eldest daughter, who is determined to marry her German boyfriend, Hassan often finds himself driving the streets without any sense of purpose.

8. The Weight (Berlinale Special Gala) – Oregon, 1933. Samuel Murphy is torn from his daughter and sent to a brutal work camp. Warden Clancy tempts him with early release if he smuggles gold through the deadly wilderness. How far will Murphy go to see his child again? The cast includes Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe.

9. The Only Living Pickpocket in New York (Berlinale Special Gala) - John Turtutto plays a veteran pickpocket in this crime thriller written and directed by Noah Segan. After a theft goes awry, he is set on a journey through the streets of his city.

10. The Education of Jane Cumming (Panorama) - Set in 19th-century Edinburgh and based on true events, this historical drama directed by Gaby Dellal follows the story of two female teachers whose lives are upended by an accusation from one of their students.

11. Josephine (Competition) – Josephine and her father Damien are on the way to the park to play football together when they see a jogger being sexually assaulted by a stranger in Golden Gate Park. Because of this traumatic experience, she begins to act out violently to protect herself.

12. At the Sea (Competition) – Amy Adams is Laura, who returns to her family’s beach home after a long rehabilitation. She needs to readjust to her old life without her career, which gave her identity.

🎟️ 4 Tips to Score Berlinale Tickets

Tickets for the Berlinale are now on sale. They’re released daily, on a rolling basis, three days in advance for each festival day. The scramble for tickets can be a little daunting, whether it’s your first attempt or your hundredth, so here are some pro tips to help you maximise your chances of seeing your favourite film (and, hopefully, a star).

1. Do your homework early. Decide what you’re keenest to see in advance, and make sure you’re online the moment tickets drop at 10 am sharp.

2. Set yourself up for a smooth checkout. Create an account on the Berlinale website and log in ahead of time, so you’re not doing it mid-purchase.

3. Don’t lose hope if tickets sell out immediately. Wait a few minutes…more tickets often appear.

4. Keep checking for last-minute releases. Extra tickets are made available on the website daily, so it’s worth keeping an eye out.

Most importantly: take a punt. While it’s tempting to book films purely because you recognise the cast or director, don’t be afraid to try something unfamiliar. One of the best things about the Berlinale is discovering films and filmmakers you might never come across otherwise. Go to that random Serbian documentary screening. You might surprise yourself!

Credits: Warner Bros / A24

🗓️ What’s New in Kino: Cinema Releases you should not Miss

February 12

• ‘Wuthering Heights’, directed by Emerald Fennell. Starring: Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie, Alison Oliver, Ewan Mitchell.

• Das Beste liegt noch vor uns (Il sol dell’avvenire), directed by Nanni Moretti. Starring: Nanni Moretti, Margherita Buy, Silvio Orlando.

• Once Upon a Time in Gaza, directed by Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser. Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi.

February 19

• Dust Bunny, directed by Bryan Fuller. Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Sophie Sloan, Sigourney Weaver.

• Cold Storage, directed by Jonny Campbell. Starring: Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, Liam Neeson.

• The Moment, directed by Aidan Zamiri. Starring: Charli XCX, Rosanna Arquette, Alexander Skarsgård.

• Dead of Winter, directed by Brian Kirk (II). Starring: Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca.

🌟 Film Events

• *Get ready for the red carpet for The Moment, on February 14th at Zoo Palast, with Charli XCX, Alexander Skarsgård, and Kylie Jenner – and, hopefully, a surprise appearance by Timothée Chalamet? Be there at 8 pm; the screening starts at 9:30 pm.

  There will also be a red carpet for Rosebush Pruning on February 14th at Berlinale Filmpalast. The movie begins at 7 pm, so we’d advise you arrive at 5:30 pm.

• If you need a break from the festival buzz, we recommend checking out this excellent, free David Lynch exhibition: running till March 22nd, the Pace Gallery in Schöneberg is featuring a curated selection of Lynch’s paintings, sculptures, watercolours, early short films, and Berlin photographs – offering a fascinating look at the legendary filmmaker.

🛋️ Francesco & Serena’s Sofa Gems

F: Twinless is my favorite movie of 2025. James Sweeney directs, produces, writes, and stars as Dennis, a smart yet problematic gay man who forms an unconventional friendship with Roman (played by the incredible Dylan O’Brien). Roman is still grieving his twin brother, Rocky, who was killed in a car accident. Dennis and Roman meet at a support group for twinless siblings, where they connect… but all is not as it seems. Twinless is a millennial-coded queer dramedy that you should absolutely check out – on streaming platforms including Prime Video or Apple TV.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is the perfect choice for a cozy movie night at home, to be enjoyed with a hot cup of tea and a snug blanket. The British period drama, which became a global TV hit, comes to an end (probably!) with this film, and you don’t want to miss it.

S: Eternity. There’s nothing like a romcom on Valentine’s Day. Elizabeth Olsen stars as Joan, who’s caught in a love triangle set in a very unusual place: the afterlife. When she passes away, Joan has one week to decide who she wants to spend eternity with: her first love (played by Callum Turner), who died in the war decades ago, or her husband of 65 years (Miles Teller). It’s a fun, surprisingly thoughtful watch that sneaks up on you with its unexpected tenderness. You can find it on Apple TV from February 13.