ART AND SOCIETY: THE PANORAMA SECTION
The Panorama section of the Berlinale offers a unique perspective on contemporary international cinema
February 07th, 2025
The Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival presents independent filmmakers from all over the world, offering a unique opportunity to look into contemporary international cinema that blends creativity with social significance. This year, it is presenting a total of 35 films from 28 countries.
Since 1999, the Berlinale’s jury has been awarding the Panorama Audience Award for the most popular feature film and documentary. Because of this, this section highlights the role of the audience, becoming a meeting place for everyone. Furthermore, Panorama also awarded queer film prizes in all sections.
The Panorama programme offers a broad range of genres and topics, such as queerness, feminism and politics. Section head Michael Stütz has highlighted this year’s outstanding cinematic production, which explores themes like “social fractures, battered bodies, and precarious health systems”.
This year’s Panorama places a significant emphasis on genre cinema, with psychological thrillers, political conspiracies, and horror playing a prominent role. While the international documentaries offer a look into history, memory and social challenges, the queer cinema reveals a “sense of adventure”.
The Panorama section offers a perspective into innovative cinematic strategies that cross borders and highlight different realities. To recall Stütz words “they cross boundaries and create free spaces to bring these stories to the screen and share them with us.”
References:
- - https://www.berlinale.de/en/2025/topics/panorama-2025.html
- - https://www.berlinale.de/en/festival/sections/panorama.html
