Contrary to rumors, Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” won’t be premiering at the Berlin Film Festival. A well-informed source tells me that it never intended to do the Berlinale, even though the film is in the can and ready to go.
The first instalment had a big splashy premiere at Venice in 2021, but Warner Bros will be keeping this one hidden until the week of release. It’s set to hit theaters on March 1st, 2024.
I don’t spitball the Berlin Film Festival that often, but I do want to report on some other intel I’ve been hearing about what might potentially show up inside next year’s lineup.
As far as world cinema goes, we’re most likely going to be seeing a lineup that includes Lav Diaz’ “Henrico's Farm,” Wang Bing’s “Youth: Part Two,” Tsai Ming-Liang’s “Abiding Nowhere”, Bruno Dumont’s “L’Empire” and Abderhamanne Sissako’s “Black Tea.”
If you’re looking for a major American title then look no further than Ethan Coen’s “Drive-Away Dolls” which will, in all likelihood, screen at Berlin before opening wide in the U.S. the following week. The film was originally supposed to do this year’s fall fests before its release got sadly delayed due to the actors strike.
As for Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.” As you know, it was supposed to open Venice this year, but got pulled last minute due to the strike. I haven’t heard anything that would lead me to believe a Berlin premiere is in the works for that film.
The 74th Berlin Film Festival will be taking place from February 14-25. This year’s jury will be presided by actress Lupita Nyong'o.