Daniel Kasman

New adaptations by Lisandro Alonso, Chuko & Arie Esiri, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and Ryusuke Hamaguchi transform their subjects into something new. Double Freedom (Lisandro Alonso, 2026).

Dao (Alain Gomis, 2026) What is important to an artist is not always, and in fact may rarely be, what is important to those experiencing their art. Yet when asked about their movies, most filmmakers are prompted to do the audience’s work and interpret it for them. Rarely are directors asked to step beyond  “what it means” and describe what means something to them—which aspects of their art they hold in high regard, and why.

The festival is shrinking, and that may be a good thing. The Berlin International Film Festival is shrinking. Not in the number of films shown—in fact, like Toronto and Rotterdam, it would greatly benefit from judicious slimming—but in the grandeur of its selection. The “big” films at Berlinale—in terms of stars, major auteurs, visionary scope, fervid anticipation—seem fewer each year, as most vie, for promotional reasons, to premiere at Cannes or Venice. This is perfectly fine.