Wim Wenders Is Jury President For Berlinale 2026
The Berlin International Film Festival, otherwise called Berlinale, has announced German director, author, and photographer, Wim Wenders, as lead for the International Jury of the 76th Berlinale. “Wim Wenders is one of the most influential voices in international cinema. For six decades, he has made films that move and delight us with their humanity and sense of wonder. His insatiable curiosity and deep mastery of film language are evident in every work, whether he is exploring the gifts of other artists or illuminating our own search for meaning and connection. To say we are proud of this homegrown polymath is an understatement, and we cannot wait to see where jury president Wim Wenders leads our jury in picking the Golden and Silver Bear winners of the 76th Berlinale,” said Berlinale Director, Tricia Tuttle. Wim Wenders: “It never hit me to even remotely think about being jury president in my hometown until Tricia Tuttle asked me. And then I realised: Wow! That’ll be a whole new way to see films at the Berlinale, for once watch each and every one in the Competition and discuss them all in-depth with a group of intelligent and movie-loving people.
How good can it get? I’m grateful to Tricia to invite me to this rare experience.” Wim Wenders’ career spans six decades. Most recently, Wenders impressed audiences and critics with Perfect Days (2023), which earned an Oscar nomination, and with the 3D documentary Anselm (2023) about artist Anselm Kiefer. Wim Wenders is among the most significant representatives of New German Cinema and has been a global presence since the 1970s. His work, both fiction and documentary, has inspired generations of filmmakers and captivated audiences worldwide. With his early films such as The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty (1972), Alice in the Cities (1974), and The American Friend (1977), he shaped a new cinematic language and redefined the image of German film. In 1971, he co-founded Filmverlag der Autoren, a key institution for New German Cinema, and in 2003 he was one of the founding members of the German Film Academy. Wenders created milestones of international cinema. His adventurousness in exploring new cinematic expressions – as seen in his work in the 3D dance film Pina, which premiered in the Berlinale Competition in 2011 and won Best Documentary at the German Film Awards – underscores his distinctive style and insatiable artistic curiosity. Wenders has long been closely connected to the Berlinale: He has presented numerous works in the festival programme and was honoured in 2016 with the Berlinale’s Honorary Golden Bear for his outstanding achievements in film and cinema. The 76th Berlinale will take place from February 12 to 22, 2026. The International Jury, chaired by Wim Wenders, will decide on the Golden and Silver Bears in the Competition. The Award Ceremony will be on February 21, 2026.
My Fathers Shadow Out, Tunisia’s Oscar Entry Makes Shortlist
NIGERIA’S first film in competition at the 2025 Cannes International Film Festival but United Kingdom entry for the best international film category of the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars, My Fathers Shadow, by Akinola Davies Jnr, didn’t make the short list of the best international film category of the Oscars when the final nomination list was released during the week. But Tunisia’ official entry, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza-set drama, The Voice of Hind Rajab, made the shortlist for the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. It’s the only film by an African country on the shortlist. The film chronicles the tragic events surrounding the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab, who was killed in January 2024 along with four cousins, her aunt and uncle, and two paramedics who tried to save her after their car came under Israeli fire while fleeing Gaza City. The incident occurred three months into Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, launched after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, which have claimed the lives of more than 61,000 Palestinians. The film has had its world premiere in competition at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and according to the official synopsis, the film begins on January 29, 2024, when Red Crescent volunteers receive a desperate emergency call. On the other end is a six-year-old girl trapped in a car, pleading for rescue as gunfire rages outside. The Red Crescent team does everything in their power to reach her in time. Her name is Hind Rajab. Ben Hania, an Oscar-nominated director known for her hybrid documentary, The Man Who Said His Skin, and the critically acclaimed Four Daughters described the shortlisting as a profound recognition, not for him, but for Hindi’s voice, which demanded to be heard by the world. The final list of five nominees for the 98th Academy Awards will be announced on January 18, 2026.
Entries Still Open For Coal City Film Festival 2026
THE Coal City Film Festival have announced call for entries for its 6th Edition scheduled for March 26 to 28, 2026. The theme for the 2026 edition is ‘Local Stories. Global Screens’ and the festival founder Uche Agbo announced on the festivals social media handles that the festival is looking out for authentic, powerful, and boundary-breaking stories from filmmakers around the world. Late bird submission is until December 31. Films can be submitted via FilmFreeway: www.filmfreeway.com/coalcityfilmfestivalofficial
