The Berlinale's 75th selection of hard-hitting films

The Berlin Film Festival is known for its political nature and this year’s edition is no exception, with elections in Germany casting a shadow over proceedings and calls for a boycott over the event’s attitude towards Palestinians in Gaza. Film critic Emma Jones takes us through some of the highly topical productions that are screening, from a Ukrainian documentary about how children are experiencing life in wartime to an Israeli film about actor David Cunio, who was taken hostage on October 7, 2023. Timothée Chalamet, Jessica Chastain and Robert Pattinson have all been on the red carpet in Berlin for premieres of their new films. We also check out a couple of the French features making their debut in the German capital, as Marion Cotillard gives a glacial turn as a Garbo-esque actress in “The Ice Tower”.