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THE FESTIVAL

Around the World in 14 Films is a cinematic world tour and a cinematic review of the year in one. As a festival of festivals, the film festival presents 14 outstanding works of young world cinema over ten days at the end of each year in the form of a cinematic world tour that takes you around the globe. The 14 works form the core of the festival and come from different countries and cultures around the world, from South America to Mexico and North America to Africa, through parts of Europe to Russia to the Middle East and the Far East. The program is supplemented by special screenings, thematic series and a German film of the year. All festival entries were previously discussed and awarded at the leading film festivals in Cannes, Locarno, Rotterdam, San Sebastián, Sundance, Toronto and Venice. The films are being shown for the first time in Berlin and are presented live by artists, directors, actors and personalities from cinema, culture, fine art, theater and politics as sponsors.

2006

The Berlin independent film festival AROUND THE WORLD IN 14 FILMS is founded by Bernhard Karl, Nikola Mirza and Kathrin Bessert. The festival shows 14 films from around the world, as well as an outstanding German film of the year in the Berlin cinema BABYLON.

2007

After a very successful start, the program is being expanded and, in addition to the "14 Films Around the World", will show further highlights as "specials".

2008

The idea of having a film sponsor personally present each film has proven to be a great success. For example, Valeska Grisebach is presenting his second film “Fireworks Wednesday” together with Asghar Farhadi. The idea of presenting great directing talent before they become famous worldwide has also worked very well here.

2009

Romuald Karmakar and star DJ Riccardo Villalobos, who present their film “Villalobos” to us, are causing a sensation and reaching a whole new audience.

2010

Wim Wenders and Karim Ainouz, Romuald Karmakar and Andrej Ujica, and star guest Jeanne Balibar ensure exciting dialogues.

2011

Susanne Bieger takes over the guest & festival management. The former director of the Quinzaine and the Locarno Festival Olivier Père shows his favorite Romanian film with us.

2012

International guests from the USA, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Russia and China present their films to us in person.

2013

The Thalia cinema in Potsdam will be a new additional festival cinema. We will open in BABYLON Berlin with Asghar Farhadi and in THALIA Potsdam with the Coen brothers.

2014

Russian director Andrej Zvyagintsev opens the festival together with film sponsor Ulrich Matthes. Star director Joanna Hogg is a guest. Federal President Joachim Gauck attends the presentation of the Ukrainian documentary "Maidan", in the presence of director Sergey Loznitsa and film sponsor Andres Veiel.

2015

The new festival cinema and new co-main sponsor will be the Cinestar cinema in the KulturBrauerei. We will open in the presence of star actor Vincent Lindon, who will bring his Cannes hit “La Loi du Marché” and film sponsor Nicolette Kiebitz.

2016

Edward Berger presents “Personal Shopper” together with actor Lars Eidinger and director Olivier Assayas.

2017

As the film sponsor of “Ava”, Helene Hegemann meets the great young French director Lea Mysius and the actress Noée Anita.

2018

Susanne Bieger and Bernhard Karl share the management and program curation roles. The event will open with our long-time film sponsor Maria Schrader and the Polish producer Eva Puszczynska from “Cold War - The Latitude of Love”.

2019

The opening with “A Hidden Life”, presented by Maria Schrader and actor August Diehl, will take place in several halls due to extremely high demand.

2020

In the Corona year 2020, we put together a wonderful reduced program, but in November, shortly before the festival began, we found out that we could not take place.

The festival will nevertheless award the newly born BASIS Berlin Postproduction Award for best directing to Jasmina Zbanic and her work "Quo Vadis Aida?"

2021

The Yorck Kino Group will be an additional partner cinema. The films will be shown there in addition to the KulturBrauerei. The festival opens in the middle of the ongoing pandemic, with the necessary seating distance in the cinema, with Edward Berger as film sponsor and star guest Renate Reinsve from Norway and "The Worst Person In The World".

2022

A French “double blow” opens the festival with Mia Hansen-Løve on the first evening and Guslagie Malinda as the German premiere on the second evening as the leading actress of “Saint Omer”.

2023

Karim Ainouz opens the festival as film patron of Alice Rohrwacher. Agnieszka Holland presents the German premiere of “Green Border” together with film patron Maria Schrader. “The Boy and the Heron” by Hayao Miyazaki ensures packed halls and record attendance.

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