If the confines of your home are closing in on you but you can’t shake off the fear of Berlin’s coldest winter in over a decade, then keep reading because the city is offering an abundance of one of our favourite in-door activities.
Berlinale 2026
Get ready, because the 76th Berlin International Film Festival returns in February. Under the steady hand of the festival’s director, Tricia Tuttle, the Berlinale strikes a balance between a public celebration of cinema and a buzzing industry driver. Red-carpet films may catch the headlines, but just as influential are the European Film Market, the Co-Production Market and Berlinale Talents that quietly decide the films we’ll be talking about for months, sometimes years, to come. This year also brings a moment of well-earned celebration: Michelle Yeoh will receive the Honorary Golden Bear at the opening ceremony, recognising her effortless leaps between borders and genres. The festival remains engaged with the cultural and political conversations of the moment, which means the programming stretches wide. The Panorama selection’s bold filmmaking, experimentally minded Forum and Forum Expanded, emerging voices of Perspectives, youth-focused Generation strand and Berlinale Shorts and Classics bring a huge range of cinema. This year’s retrospective, Lost in the 90s, explores the restless energy of a decade defined by reunification, shifting identities and artistic reinvention – a thematic thread that runs through the whole festival.
- Various locations, Feb 12-22, details.
Berlin Critics’ Week
Berlin Critics’ Week is part of, but independent from, Berlinale season, and it’s the place where things get lively. This week of screenings and spirited debates is designed to make the public rethink, not just the films they watch, but how and why they watch them. Rather than offering a round of polite Q&As, Critics’ Week digs into the big questions. Who decides what gets made? Who decides what gets seen? Who’s writing about all of it? Born out of a desire to shake up the usual festival chatter, Critics’ Week traces its origins back to a manifesto written in 2014 by a group of bold film critics who wanted to push criticism into more daring, more honest territory. Their call for an open space dedicated to passionate debate became reality in 2015. Every year since, the event is a vibrant hub for conversation, challenge and discovery. Everyone from Claire Denis to Tilda Swinton have been on-site. Expect films that spark arguments, discussions that wander off the beaten path and a gathering of international guests who aren’t afraid to disagree loudly, warmly and intelligently.
- Hackesche Höfe Kino, Rosenthaler Str. 40 -41, 10178 Berlin, opening Akademie der Künste, Feb 9-17, details.
Berlin Independent Film Festival
The Berlin Independent Film Festival sits right at the beating heart of Europe’s independent filmmaking scene – a place where big ideas thrive on tiny budgets and the spirit of indie cinema feels wonderfully alive. Running in parallel with the Berlinale, BIFF crackles with the same industry energy that floods the city each February, drawing in filmmakers who want to be close to the action without getting lost in the red carpet roar. Workshops, informal meet-ups and late-night networking sessions give directors, producers and cinematic dreamers the chance to swap marketing wisdom, trade hard-earned EFM tips and help each other navigate the joys and jolts of indie production. BIFF presents a lineup that celebrates creativity, resourcefulness and a genuine love of the craft. Don’t spend all your time in the Berlinale ticket waiting room this February – there are plenty of weird and wonderful gems waiting for you here.
- Kino Moviemento, Kottbusser Damm 22, 10967 Berlin, Feb 06-08, details
Introduction to the Library at Deutsche Kinemathek
The Deutsche Kinemathek, one of Europe’s great guardians of cinema’s past, stands as a reminder that film history isn’t something that should be kept behind glass; it’s a living, breathing story constantly being told. Since January 2025, the institution has been based at its new home in the E-Werk, where it offers a rich programme of film- and television-related activities, among which are virtual screenings, guided walks, retrospectives and Q&A events. The Kinemathek has started hosting monthly introductory sessions to its film archive library, held on the first Thursday of each month for up to four participants. Guests can explore the archive’s diverse collections, learn about its research opportunities and spend time in its work and viewing areas. Anyone who would enjoy a cosy afternoon surrounded by beautiful images, evocative texts and the quiet pleasure of cinematic discovery will feel at home.
- Deutsche Kinemathek, Mauerstraße 79, 10117 Berlin, First Thursday of every month, details.
Guadalajara International Film Festival
After 40 years of showing regionally groundbreaking films, the FICG is celebrating internationally in Berlin’s very own BABYLON Cinema. ‘FICG comes to Berlin’ is its first screening abroad and will include a curated selection of Latin American films from the festival’s recent editions, building a new cultural bridge between Ibero-America’s finest contemporary filmmakers and Berlin’s cinephiles. From confronting agoraphobia and fatherless family affairs to revisiting Mexico’s revolutionary Avándaro rock festival and the 1968 student massacre, this cinematic rollercoaster will send you straight to Mexico. So don’t miss out on the cultural trip of a lifetime.
- BABYLON Cinema, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, 10178 Berlin, Jan 28 – Feb 8, details
Late Night Cult Movies
On the last Friday and Saturday of the month, the Kino im Planetarium shows carefully selected cult classics for just €7 per ticket. February’s film will be Hannes Stöhr’s Berlin Calling. Come watch a DJ’s musical fanaticism be accentuated and obstructed by love, loss, drugs, and madness – an all too familiar yet persistently enthralling Berlin tale.
- Zeiss-Großplanetarium Kino, Prenzlauer Allee 80, 10405 Berlin, Feb 27 – 28, details
BABYLONALE, Happy Birthday To Ernst Lubitsch & RIP David Lynch
BABYLON Cinema is coming in hot with yet another event: its unique BABYLONALE. Seven classics including Chaplin’s Modern Times, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, and F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu will be accompanied by a live orchestra playing the films’ tunes below the screen. It is a levitating experience that transports you back to the silent film era where all film screenings came with an orchestra sucking you deep into the cinematic world.
If that isn’t enough time-travel, BABYLON is celebrating what would have been Ernst Lubitsch’s 134th birthday with a selection of his best works. Take a look here to catch this celebrated filmmaker’s historical gems.
Lastly, in remembrance of his greatness, BABYLON is creating a special opportunity for the beloved David Lynch’s artistic mind to be seen on the big screen. Some of his most respected and naturally mind-boggling works will be shown in the coming weeks. So if you’re looking for a dose of cinematic psychedelia, look no further.
- BABYLON Cinema, Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 30, 10178 Berlin, Feb (All Month), details
