Category Archives: Blog

TEDDY TODAY: 22nd of February 2024

Today there won’t be any new film premiers, but don’t worry! All of your new favourite movies will have several reruns and will be screened today in Berlins most beautiful cinemas :)

RERUNS:

An Odd Turn (Un movimiento extraño)
22.02. / 18:00 Kino Betonhalle@silent green
22.02. / 18:30 Colosseum 1
22.02. / 19:30 Cubix 7

Baldiga – Unlocked Heart (Baldiga – Entsichertes Herz)
22.02. / 21:30 Cubix 8

Betânia
22.02. / 10:00 Cubix 5

Cidade; Campo
22.02. / 15:30 Zoo Palast 2

detours while speaking of monsters
22.02. / 19:30 Kino Arsenal 2

Fin (Huling Palabas)
22.02. / 10:00 HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium

Goodbye First Love (Jing guo)
22.02. / 19:30 Cubix 7
22.02. / 21:00 Sinema Transtopia

Grandmamauntsistercat
22.02. / 19:30 Kino Arsenal 2

I Don’t Want To Be Just A Memory
22.02. / 19:30 Cubix 7
22.02. / 19:30 Kino Arsenal 2

Invincible summer (Un invincible été)
22.02. / 19:30 Cubix 7

I Saw the TV Glow
22.02. / 18:45 Cubix 5

Reas
22.02. / 22:00 Kino Arsenal 1

Teaches of Peaches
22.02. / 18:30 Cubix 9

The Visitor
22.02. / 21:30 Cubix 5

Uli
22.02. / 09:30 Filmtheater am Friedrichshain
22.02. / 19:30 Cubix 7

Winners (Sieger Sein)
22.02. / 11:00 Cineplex Titania

You Burn Me (Tú me abrasas)
22.02. / 22:15 Cubix 7

Young Hearts
22.02. / 19:00 HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium

Yuck! (Beurk !)
22.02. / 10:00 Zoo Palast 2

Here they are! The artists of the 38. TEDDY AWARD

It’s time to introduce our great acts for the award ceremony on 23 February. The Rope Duo Two on the Rope will take us up high and singer LUNA and actress Mina-Giselle Rüffer will take us into the depths of emotion. All performances reflect human existence uniquely, and we are delighted to welcome them as part of the 38th TEDDY AWARD.

LUNA

LUNA’s lyrics make you feel like you’re secretly reading along in someone’s diary – except that it’s allowed. The artist takes us with her as she navigates her way through her 20s and the big and small questions of life. Her music is one thing above all: damn personal.

She has long since proven that she is more than just a TikTok hype: She has a club tour behind her, has been on the road as a support act for LEA, has received various awards and prizes (for example the 1LIVE crown as “Best Newcomer Act”, “Durchstarter*in des Jahres” at the New Music Award or the Musikautor*innenpreis).

Outside and within her music, LUNA has been committed to issues that are close to her heart since day one: mental health or the visibility of people belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, which she does with sensitivity and extreme openness when it comes to revealing her own feelings to a wide audience.

The numbers and successes, but above all the strong bond with her fanbase, speak for themselves: LUNA is here to stay. She continues to let us peek into her emotional world and gives visibility to people who have felt unseen all their lives.

Mina-Giselle Rüffer

Mina-Giselle Rüffer made her debut at the age of ten in Neele Vollmar’s children’s film “Rico, Oscar and the Deep Shadows”, followed by numerous roles in series and films. For her outstanding portrayal of Nora in the fifth season of “Druck” she was honoured with the Grimme Award 
 
Currently she is playing the lead role in the young adult horror series “Unnoticed – Was wir fürchten”, which deals with the topic of sexual identity and the highly topical issue of bullying in schools and thus the victimisation of children and young people. Mina-Giselle lives in Berlin. 

Two on the Rope

Brace yourselves as they take you on an unforgettable journey of passion, love, and heartbreak, high up in the air!
Their awe-inspiring performance will tug at your heartstrings, as they portray the invisible bond between two people, weaving their hearts together in a mesmerizing display of trust and emotions. But what happens when this bond is suddenly torn apart? Can love endure without it, or is it lost forever in a sea of loneliness?
With breathtaking heights and gravity-defying acts, “Two on the Rope” will leave you spellbound, as they merge the moments of parting and new beginnings into a beautiful dance of emotions. It’s a moment of truth that will make your soul search for answers, and your heart yearn for the lost song.

Would you like to experience the 38th TEDDY AWARD ceremony live? Then click here and get your tickets!

TEDDY TODAY: 21st of February 2024

Dear queer independent film lovers, today there is is another packed program waiting for you. Additionally there are various film premieres of up-and-coming international hits. Otherwise we as always have a list of reruns of films that already premiered below.

We wish you a lively and queer cinema experience today, tomorrow and for the rest of the Berlinale!

INTERVIEWS:

Fin (Huling Palabas)

In the summer of 2001, 16-year-old Andoy searches for his long-lost father in the most unlikely of places: on VHS tapes. When two movie-like characters appear in his small hometown, his reality begins to falter.

🎥 21.02 / 18:30 Cineplex Titania
🎥 22.02 / 10:00 HKW – Miriam Makeba Auditorium
🎥 23.02 / 15:45 Cubix 8

Find out more about Ryan Machado and the film here!

Young Hearts

Fourteen-year-old Elias increasingly feels like an outsider in his village. When he meets Alexander, his new neighbour of the same age, Elias is confronted with his burgeoning sexuality.

🎥 22.02 / 19:00 HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium
🎥 24.02 / 18:45 Cubix 8

Want to know more about Anthony Schatteman and the film “Young Hearts”? Click here!

Cidade; Campo

Two tales of migration, memories and ghosts. After a disaster floods her land, Joana moves to São Paulo and tries to restart her life. Following the death of her father, Flavia moves to his farm in the country with her wife Mara.

🎥 22.02 / 15:30 Zoo Palast 2
🎥 23.02 / 9:45 Cubix 8

You can find more information about the film and Juliana Rojas right here!

I Saw The TV Glow

Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show – a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the TV, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

🎥 21.02 / 21:30 Cubix 8
🎥 22.02 / 18:45 Cubix 5
🎥 24.02 / 18:30 Cubix 9
🎥 25.02 / 21:30 Cubix 8

More insights are available right here!

An odd turn

Buenos Aires, 2019. Lucrecia, who works as a museum security guard, foresees a sharp rise in the dollar’s value with her pendulum and falls in love with the employee of a currency exchange office.

🎥21.02/ 21:30 HKW – Safi Faye Saal
🎥22.02/ 18:00 Kino Betonhalle @Silent Green
🎥22.02/ 18:30 Colosseum
🎥22.02/ 19:30 Cubix 7
🎥23.02/ 13:30 Cineplex Titania
🎥24.02/ 21:30 Cubix 9

Want to know more about the film, click here!

Grandmamauntsistercat

Created from archival materials from communist Poland, the film tells the story of a multispecies matriarchal family through the eyes of a child grappling with the reproduction of ideological and representational systems.

🎥 22.02 / 19:30 Arsenal Cinema 2

More information about Grandmamauntsistercat right here!

PREMIERES:

Baldiga – Unlocked Heart (Baldiga – Entsichertes Herz)

Directed by: Markus Stein
2023, Germany, 92′

Filmstill Baldiga – Entsichertes Herz (Baldiga – Unlocked Heart) ©  Schwules Museum Berlin, Leihgabe Aron Neubert

West Berlin, 1979. Jürgen Baldiga, son of a miner from Essen, has just arrived in the city and decides to become an artist. Working as a
rent boy and cook, he writes poems and a diary. After learning that he has HIV in 1984, he discovers photography. He intends his
images to stop time and capture reality. They reveal his friends and lovers, wild sex, life on the street and the camp queens from the
SchwuZ gay club who become his adopted family. Oscillating between despair and desire, rebellion and the will to survive, Baldiga
becomes a chronicler of the queer West Berlin subculture in the face of his own imminent demise. When he died at the age of 34 in
1993, he left behind thousands of photographs and forty diaries – a unique artistic legacy.
Using poetic diary excerpts, stark images and memories from companions, Baldiga – Entsichertes Herz depicts not only a ground
breaking photographer but also an AIDS activist and committed fighter against the stigmatisation of gay people’s lives.

SCREENING TIMES:

21.02. / 18:45 Haus der Berliner Festspiele

Teaches of Peaches

Directed by: Philipp Fussenegger, Judy Landkammer
2024, Germany, 102′

Filmstilll Teaches of Peaches © Avanti Media Fiction

Filmed during the “Teaches of Peaches Anniversary Tour” in 2022, this documentary seamlessly weaves together exclusive archival
gems with dynamic tour footage to capture the transformative journey of Canadian Merrill Nisker into the internationally acclaimed
cultural powerhouse that is Peaches. From the inception of the stage show to the rigorous rehearsals and riveting performances, the film
provides an intimate look at the inner workings of the tour. As a feminist musician, producer, director and performance artist, Peaches
has spent over two decades challenging gender expectations, solidifying her status alongside pop and music industry icons. Her fearless
originality has called social norms into question, dismantled stereotypes and confronted patriarchal power structures. Through biting wit,
she advocates for LGBTQIA+ rights and tackles issues of sexual and gender and identity, leaving an indelible mark on popular culture.

SCREENING TIMES:

21.02. / 21:30 Zoo Palast 1

Uli

Directed by: Mariana Gil Ríos
2023, Colombia, 17′

Filmstill Uli © David Correa

While their parents are away, eight-year-old Rafaela stays at home in the care of her 15-year-old sister, Laura. When Laura decides to
go visit a boy she likes, Rafaela has to tag along. But then Laura and the boy lock themselves in his room. Rafaela waits, gets bored and
finally begins to explore the house. She has a unique encounter with Uli, a queer young woman, and her pet. A film about the feeling of
strangeness and the possibility of finding freedom in an unfamiliar place.

SCREENING TIMES:

21.02. / 09:30 Zoo Palast 1

You Burn Me (Tú me abrasas)

Directed by: Matías Piñeiro
2024, Arentina, Spain, 64′

Filmstill Tú me abrasas (You Burn Me) © Películas mirando el techo

Tú me abrasas is an adaptation of “Sea Foam”, a chapter from Cesare Pavese’s “Dialoghi con Leucò” published in 1947. The ancient
Greek poet Sappho and the nymph Britomartis meet beside the sea and have a conversation about love and death. Sappho is said to
have thrown herself into the ocean from lovesickness. Britomartis apparently tumbled off a cliff and into the water while fleeing from a
man. Together, the two discuss the stories and images that have emerged around them to try and understand, at least for a moment, the
bittersweet nature of desire. The film adapts not only the text but also footnotes and gaps in the story. For example, the fact that, in 1950,
a desperate Pavese committed suicide in a hotel room with this book by his side. Or that Sappho’s poems have survived only in
fragments. Or that sea foam is historically and scientifically associated with fertility and bacteria, that is, with life itself. “Everything dies in
the sea and comes back to life”, says Britomartis. Tú me abrasas introduces new readings and translations that go beyond the myths by
Pavese and Sappho.

SCREENING TIMES:

21.02. / 12:00 Akademie der Künste

RERUNS:

All Shall Be Well
21.02. / 10:00 Cubix 5

An Odd Turn (Un movimiento extraño)
21.02. / 21:30 HKW 2 – Safi Faye Saal

Between the Temples
21.02. / 18:30 Cubix 5

Cidade; Campo
21.02. / 12:30 Colosseum 1

Fin (Huling Palabas)
21.02. / 18:30 Cineplex Titania

Goodbye First Love (Jing guo)
21.02. / 15:00 Kino Betonhalle @silent green

I Saw the TV Glow
21.02. / 21:30 Cubix 8

Invincible summer (Un invincible été)
21.02. / 18:45 Cubix 8

Songs of Love and Hate
21.02. / 18:45 Cubix 8

The Devil’s Bath (Des Teufels Bad)
21.02. / 09:30 Verti Music Hall
21.02. / 22:00 Verti Music Hall

The Visitor
21.02. / 22:00 Kino International

Towards the Sun, Far From the Center (Al sol, lejos del centro)
21.02. / 15:00 Kino Betonhalle @silent green

Yuck! (Beurk !)
21.02. / 09:30 Filmtheater am Friedrichshain

TEDDY TODAY: 20th of February 2024

Which movie is premiering today? Which cinema is showing my favorite film? You can find this information and much more here.

INTERVIEWS:

Uli

Rafaela accompanies her older sister on a visit to a boy. As the two older ones retreat, Rafa begins to explore the house. She meets queer girl Uli and her pet, and has the opportunity to find freedom in an unfamiliar place.

Premiere: 21.02/ 09:30 Zoo Palast 1

🎥22.02/ 09:30 Filmtheater am Friedrichshain
🎥22.02/19:30 Cubix 7
🎥23.02/ 10:00 Zoo Palast 2
🎥24.02/ 12:30 Filmtheater am Friedrichshain
🎥25.02/ 19:00 Kino International

You can find more information about Mariana Gil Ríos and the film “Uli” right here!

PREMIERES:

An Odd Turn (Un movimiento extraño)

Directed by: Francisco Lezama
Argentina, 2024, 22′

© 36 caballos

Buenos Aires, 2019. Lucrecia, who works as a museum security guard, foresees a sharp rise in the dollar’s value with her pendulum. When she suddenly loses her job, she receives an unexpected severance payment and falls in love with the employee of a currency exchange office.

SCREENING:

20.02/ 21:30 Cubix 9

Fin (Huling Palabas)

Directed by: Ryan Machado
Philippines, 2023, 97′

© Theo Lozada

In every movie he watches, 16-year-old Andoy creates narratives that could help him find answers to the questions that have always bothered him: Who is he and who is his father? The truth remains elusive; none of his imaginings come true. But then two characters appear in Andoy’s hometown who themselves seem to have come out of a movie: Ariel, a hairdresser who attracts young men with his inexplicable charm, and Isidro, a mysterious, long-haired man who owns a VCD player. Andoy finds himself entranced by them both. But the deeper he becomes entangled in their twisted lives, the more his reality begins to falter. Andoy must decide whether to end his years of searching for his father with a bang or with a whimper.

SCREENINGS:

20.02/ 19:00 HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium

Invincible Summer (Un invincible été)

Directed by: Arnaud Dufeys
Belgium, 2024, 19′

© Pepin Struye

A hot summer evening. Home alone by the pool, 16-year-old Clément is bored to death. Determined to lose his virginity, he swipes through guys’ profiles on Grindr, lies about his age, and arranges to hook up with 24-year-old Naël. As the time draws near, Clément rushes things. But it is only through the discovery of a body that is completely different from Naël’s that Clément truly grows up.

SCREENINGS:

20.02/ 13:30 Kino International

I Saw the TV Glow

Directed by: Jane Schoenbrun
USA, 2024, 100′

© A24

Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show – a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the TV, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

SCREENINGS:

20.02/ 21:00 Zoo Palast 1

Songs of Love and Hate

Directed by: Saurav Ghimire
Nepal, Belgium, 2024, 17′

© Saurav Ghimire

Prem, the charismatic host of a popular radio show offering advice on matters of the heart, is himself plagued by heartache. He seeks solace in the rugged mountains. As he goes through his own emotional upheaval, desperate calls from listeners asking him for advice echo through the wilderness. Both Prem and his audience try to navigate their way through the treacherous terrain of love. A gripping tale of emotional turmoil and self-discovery.

SCREENINGS:

20.02/ 13:30 Kino International

The Devil’s Bath (Des Teufels Bad)

Directed by: Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Germany, 2024, 121′

© Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion/ Heimatfilm

Upper Austria in 1750. A fish pond reflects the overcast sky. A deep, dark forest swallows the sunlight. On a hilltop, the corpse of a hanged woman is displayed. As an example. A warning. An omen? The deeply religious and highly sensitive Agnes regards the dead woman with pity. But also with longing: she feels like a stranger in the world of her husband Wolf, whom she has just married. It is an emotionally cold world consisting of work, chores and expectations. Agnes increasingly withdraws into herself. Her internal prison becomes ever more oppressive, her melancholy more overwhelming. Soon, her only way out seems to be a shocking act of violence.

SCREENINGS:

20.02/ 18:30 Berlinale Palast

Yuck! (Beurk !)

Directed by: Loïc Espuche
France, 2024, 13′

© Ikki Films & Iliade et Films

Yuck! Couples kissing on the mouth are gross. And the worst thing is, you can’t miss them: when people are about to kiss, their lips go all pink and shiny. Little Léo laughs at them, just like all the other kids at the campsite. But he has a secret he won’t tell his friends: his own mouth has actually begun glistening. And, in reality, Léo desperately wants to give kissing a try, too.

SCREENINGS:

20.02/ 09:30 Zoo Palast

RERUNS:

Betânia
20.02. / 21:15 Cubix 5

Between the Temples
20.02. / 12:30 Cubix 9

Cidade; Campo
20.02. / 19:30 Kino International

Cuckoo
20.02. / 21:30 Colosseum 1

Cura sana
20.02. / 18:45 Cubix 8

Goodbye First Love (Jing guo)
20.02. / 13:30 Cineplex Titania

I’m Not Everything I Want to Be (Ještě nejsem, kým chci být)
20.02. / 18:30 Cubix 5

Langue Étrangère
20.02. / 09:15 Haus der Berliner Festspiele
20.02. / 21:00 Verti Music Hall

Reas
20.02. / 19:00 Cubix 7

Sex
20.02. / 18:30 Colosseum 1

Towards the Sun, Far From the Center (Al sol, lejos del centro)
20.02. / 13:30 Cineplex Titania

Young Hearts
20.02. / 10:00 HKW 1 – Miriam Makeba Auditorium

TEDDY TODAY: 19th of February 2024

Six films are on our list of premieres today. Have you already picked your favourites?

INTERVIEWS:

I´m Not Everything I Want To Be

After the suppression of the Prague Spring in 1968, photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková strives to break free from the constraints of the repressive Czechoslovakian regime and embarks on a long journey towards freedom.

🎥 19.02 / 21:30 Cubix 8
🎥 20.02 / 18:30 Cubix 5
🎥 24.02 / 22:00 Zoo Palast 2

Get more information about the film right here!

Al sol, lejos del centro

Santiago in the shimmering summer heat. High-res images undergo a digital zoom which transforms spaces into surfaces and houses into textures. In between, there are the small gestures of everyday urban life. And two women in search of a place for their love.

PREMIERE: 19.02 / 21:30 Cubix 9

🎥 20.02 / 13:30 Cineplex Titania
🎥 21.02 / 15:00 Cinema Betonhalle@Silent Green
🎥 23.02 / 21:30 HKW 2 – Safi Faye Hall
🎥 24.02 / 15:30 Cubix 9
🎥 25.02 / 18:30 Colosseum 1

Get more insights about the film and the director right here!

Sex

Two chimney sweeps living in monogamous, heterosexual marriages both end up in situations that challenge their views on sexuality and gender roles.

🎥 19.02 / 12:45 Cubix 5
🎥 19.02 / 18:00 Kino Zukunft
🎥 20.02 / 18:30 Colosseum 1
🎥 24.02 / 12:00 Haus der Berliner Festspiele
🎥 25.02 / 13:15 Cubix 5

Find more information about Dag Johan Haugerund and his film right here!

PREMIERES:

Between the Temples

Directed by: Nathan Silver
2024, USA, 117′

Filmstill Between the Temples ©  Sean Price Williams

The world of a Jewish cantor in the midst of a crisis of faith is turned completely upside down when his primary school music teacher comes back into his life as his new, later-life Bat Mitzvah student.

SCREENING TIMES:

19.02. / 15:30 Zoo Palast 1

Cidade; Campo

Directed by: Juliana Rojas
2024, Brazil, Germany, France, 119′

Filmstill Cidade; Campo © Cris Lyra / Dezenove Som e Imagens

Two tales of migration between the city and the countryside. After devastating floods in her hometown, rural worker Joana moves to São
Paulo to find her sister Tania who lives with her grandson Jaime. Joana struggles to thrive in this “working city”. Entering the world of
precarious employment, she applies for a job at a cleaning company. There, Joana gradually bonds with her colleagues whose collective
struggle for better working conditions brings new meaning to her life. Meanwhile, her deepening relationship with young Jaime
reawakens memories of her missing son. In the second part of the film, following the death of her estranged father, Flavia moves to his
farm with her wife Mara. The two women struggle to make a fresh start in the wilderness. Living in the abandoned house, Flavia
discovers unknown aspects of her father’s life. The couple suffers a shock when facing the harsh realities of rural daily life. Flavia begins
to suspect that there is something in the woods surrounding the house. Nature forces the couple to confront old memories and ghosts.

SCREENING TIMES:

19.02. / 16:30 Akademie der Künste

Cura sana

Directed by: Lucía G. Romero
2024, Spain, 18′

Filmstill Cura sana © ESCAC Films

Spain during the Noche de San Juan festival. Two sisters, 14-year-old Jessica and 8-year-old Alma, are once again on their way to pick
up food stamps from the Caritas charity. The violence they have both experienced over the years at the hands of their father has turned
Jessica into an angry, self-destructive teenager with a thick protective skin. She even subjects her little sister to her harsh, hostile
behaviour. But during the course of their journey together, Jessica realises that she does not want to turn out like her father. She must
learn to treat Alma with love instead of violence.

SCREENING TIMES:

19.02. / 13:30 Kino International

Goodbye First Love (Jing guo)

Directed by: Shuli Huang
2024, USA, 13′

Filmstill Jing guo (Goodbye First Love) © Shuli Huang

He pays him a visit in Frankfurt during his work trip to Europe. He talks about their time in Beijing, back in 2015. He listens, sometimes
answers, unblurring those seemingly important details which do not matter any longer. Worn-out joy and fresh weariness. This might be
the last time they meet.

SCREENING TIMES:

19.02. / 21:30 Cubix 9

Langue Étrangère

Directed by: Claire Burger
2024, France, Germany, Belgium, 105′

Filmstill Langue Étrangère © Les Films de Pierre

Fanny, a 17-year-old schoolgirl from France, goes on a language exchange trip to Germany. In Leipzig, she meets her pen pal Lena who
is the same age as her and who is eager to become involved in political activism. In order to impress Lena, the rather shy and withdrawn
Fanny invents a different life for herself – but she quickly becomes trapped in her deceit.

SCREENING TIMES:

19.02. / 18:30 Berlinale Palast

Towards the Sun, Far From the Center (Al sol, lejos del centro)

Directed by: Luciana Merino, Pascal Viveros
2024, Chile, 17′

Filmstill Al sol, lejos del centro (Towards the Sun, Far From the Center) © Luciana Merino & Pascal Viveros

Santiago in the shimmering heat of summer. High-resolution images undergo a digital zoom process which transforms spaces into
surfaces and houses into textures. In between, there are the small gestures of everyday urban life. And two women who are searching
for a place for their love.

SCREENING TIMES:

19.02. / 21:30 Cubix 9

RERUNS:

Betânia
19.02. / 18:30 Cubix 5

I’m Not Everything I Want to Be (Ještě nejsem, kým chci být)
19.02. / 21:30 Cubix 8

Love Lies Bleeding
19.02. / 09:15 Haus der Berliner Festspiele
19.02. / 12:45 Cubix 9

Sex
19.02. / 12:45 Cubix 5
19.02. / 18:00 Kino Zukunft

Winners (Sieger Sein)
19.02. / 12:30 Zoo Palast 1