UK talent is out in force at Berlinale 2026

As the Berlin International Film Festival opens its doors, we’ve set up camp in the German capital with plenty to shout about – it’s a banner year for UK film at the Berlinale, with an impressive range of UK films and UK-backed co-productions set to screen across the programme.

Our Snr Festival Consultant Catherine Bray talks through what's in store.

From ambitious features and documentaries to bold new TV series and fresh shorts playing in a range of strands, the UK presence at this year’s Berlinale promises to be wide-ranging, distinctive and deeply exciting, spanning a wide range of tones and perspectives, from intimate character studies to more expansive cinematic visions.

We had the pleasure of screening Everybody Digs Bill Evans, directed by Grant Gee and produced by Janine Marmot, which is playing in the Festival's Competition section, as part of our Festival Selector Screenings, and we’re eager to see Gee’s latest embraced in Berlin.

Also in Competition following successful British Council selector screenings, are Dust, directed by Anke Blondé, and Animol, directed by Ashley Walters and produced by Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor and Tom Hawkins, which screens in Perspectives. Adolescence star Ashley Walters' debut as a director may also sound familiar - we picked it as one of our GREAT 8 titles back in Cannes last year.

Queen at Sea, directed by Lance Hammer, is another hotly anticipated UK title in Competition, starring Juliette Binoche and Tom Courtenay, while Sunny Dancer, directed by George Jaques and produced by Ken Petrie, will open Generations. (And we cant help noting we also spotted George Jaques early too, as a GREAT 8 select in 2024 for his debut Black Dog).

Documentary filmmaking is strongly represented across the festival this year too. Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon, directed by Finlay Pretsell and produced by Sonja Henrici, will offer audiences a chance to engage with the work and thinking of the influential artist Douglas Gordon through a cinematic lens. Meanwhile Tutu, directed by Sam Pollard, traces the rise of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with previously unseen footage.

Strong women are front and centre across the whole Berlinale this year (with 41% of films in the programme directed by women), and the UK is doing its bit to help boost those numbers both in front and behind the camera. The Moment, directed by Aiden Zamiri and starring Charli xcx, comes to the Berlinale fresh from its Sundance world premiere, while The Education of Jane Cumming, directed by Sophie Heldman and produced by Paul Welsh, excavates an explosive landmark court case in queer history.

We’ve been eagerly anticipating the European premiere of Lady, directed by Olive Nwosu and produced by Alex Polunin, John Giwa-Amu and Stella Nwimo. Nwosu's debut follows a successful run at shorts - including the extraordinary Egungun, made as part of our More Films For Freedom commissioning programme in partnership with BFI NETWORK.

Together, these films reflect the breadth of contemporary UK storytelling and the strength of collaboration across borders.

Adding further weight to the UK’s international presence is Rosebush Pruning, directed by Karim Aïnouz and produced by Viola Fügen, Michael Weber, Simone Gattoni and Annamaria Morelli. Aïnouz’s work consistently resonates on the international festival circuit, and we’ll be keen to see how this latest project is received.

Rounding out the UK-backed selection is A Prayer for the Dying, produced by Tristan Goligher (another UK producer having a busy Berlin with the aforementioned Queen at Sea).

We’re also itching to see some television premiering on the big screen. This year’s series offers include Mint from Charlie Regan (Scrapper), Lord of the Flies from Marc Munden and The Story of Documentary, from Mark Cousins.

And finally, congratulations to all the UK filmmakers who have a short screening at Berlin this year! Across sections from Generation to Panorama and Forum Expanded, UK shorts this year include Churra by Evgenia Arbugaeva, The Thread by Fenn O'Meally, WE DEH HERE by Maybelle Peters, Riding Time by Roopa Goginenia and Farhaan Mumtaz, Abracadabra by Amay Mehrishi, and Under the Wave Off Little Dragon by Jian Luo.

You can find out more on the whole spread of UK productions and co-productions in our Berlin 2026 catalogue

And if you want to get ahead of who from the UK might be on screen in future Berlinales, have a close look at the selected UK Berlinale Talents