11/02/2019 - Following the last announcements for the main sections, which included André Téchiné’s new film, Zhang Yimou is withdrawn from the race for the Golden Bear

UPDATE (11/02/2019): The festival has announced that the Zhang Yimou film One Second is to be withdrawn from the Competition, officially due to "technical difficulties encountered during post-production". However, certain sources speculate that the recently stricter Chinese censorship processes could be the reason for this last-minute change. The film is to be replaced with Yimou's Hero, winner of the Alfred Bauer Prize at the 2002 Berlinale, this time as an out-of-competition screening.
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The programmes for the Competition and Berlinale Special sections of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival (7-17 February 2019) have been finalised. A total of 17 titles (including seven helmed by female directors) will vie for the Golden Bear. Six more will screen out of competition. Altogether, they represent 25 countries, and 20 of the films chosen will be unveiled as world premieres. These features include the latest works by French veteran André Téchiné and Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou.

Three additional movies have been invited to join Berlinale Special: Jean Michel Vecchiet's documentary Peter Lindbergh - Women Stories [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Germany), Ritesh Batra's Photograph [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (India/Germany/USA) and Cordula Kablitz-Post's music documentary You Only Live Once - Die Toten Hosen on Tour [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Here is the complete list of films selected for the 2019 Berlin Competition and Berlinale Special:

Competition

Synonyms [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nadav Lapid
film profile] – Nadav Lapid (France/Israel/Germany)
One Second - Zhang Yimou (China)
The Kindness of Strangers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lone Scherfig
film profile] - Lone Scherfig (Denmark/Canada/Sweden/Germany/France), opening film
The Ground Beneath My Feet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Kreutzer
film profile] - Marie Kreutzer (Austria)
The Golden Glove [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fatih Akin
interview: Jonas Dassler
film profile] - Fatih Akin (Germany/France)
By the Grace of God [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: François Ozon
film profile] – François Ozon (France/Belgium)
I Was at Home, but [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Angela Schanelec
film profile] - Angela Schanelec (Germany/Serbia)
A Tale of Three Sisters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emin Alper
interview: Emin Alper
film profile] - Emin Alper (Turkey/Germany/Netherlands/Greece)
Elisa & Marcela [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Isabel Coixet (Spain)
Out Stealing Horses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hans Petter Moland
film profile] - Hans Petter Moland (Norway/Sweden/Denmark)
God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Labina Mitevska
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile] ­- Teona Strugar Mitevska (Macedonia/Belgium/Slovenia/Croatia/France)
Mr. Jones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnieszka Holland
film profile] - Agnieszka Holland (Poland/UK/Ukraine)
Piranhas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roberto Saviano
film profile] - Claudio Giovannesi (Italy)
System Crasher [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nora Fingscheidt
film profile] - Nora Fingscheidt (Germany)
So Long, My Son - Wang Xiaoshuai (China)
Öndög - Wang Quan'an (Mongolia)
Ghost Town Anthology ­- Denis Côté (Canada)

Out of Competition

Farewell to the Night [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: André Téchiné
film profile] – André Téchiné (France/Germany)
Vice - Adam McKay (USA)
Amazing Grace - Alan Elliott (USA)
Varda by Agnès [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnès Varda
film profile] - Agnès Varda (France)
The Operative [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Yuval Adler (Germany/Israel/France/USA)
Marighella - Wagner Moura (Brazil)

Berlinale Special

Peter Lindbergh - Women Stories [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Jean Michel Vecchiet (Germany)
It Could Have Been Worse – Mario Adorf [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Dominik Wessely (Germany)
ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch - Jennifer Baichwal (Canada)
The North - Gregory Nava (USA)
Brecht [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Heinrich Breloer (Germany/Austria)
Watergate - Charles Ferguson (USA)

Berlinale Special Gala

Photograph [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Ritesh Batra (India/Germany/USA)
You Only Live Once - Die Toten Hosen on Tour [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Cordula Kablitz-Post (Germany)
Who You Think I Am [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juliette Binoche
film profile] - Safy Nebbou (France)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Chiwetel Ejiofor (UK/USA)
Kids in the Spotlight [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Alice Agneskirchner (Germany)
Gully Boy - Zoya Akhtar (India)