Content Notes
The Berlinale is a film festival with a diverse, independent and risk-taking programme. At the same time, the festival wants to create a space where a collective cinema experience and respectful exchanges can take place.
Addressing societal conflicts has been a key part of the festival’s mission since its inception. The films in the programme enable us to experience the fact that our reality is formed, shaped and produced, how this is undertaken - and therefore also that and how it can be changed. The examination of contentious issues on an artistic level in the films can and is intended to inspire our audiences and explore boundaries. For this reason, some films may contain elements, motifs or depictions that can trigger strong reactions in some people.
Individual experiences and dispositions mean that audience members experience films in different ways. In order to best fulfil its curatorial responsibility, the Berlinale makes the thematic areas addressed in the works clear in the long synopses. In addition, on this page you can find supplementary information about the aspects of individual films in this year’s programme that have been considered as particularly sensitive by the curators in the run-up to the festival. These notes on sensitive content – also known as Content Notes (CN) – identify those films that may have a disturbing or distressing effect on people or groups in the audience. Screenings of films with strobe effects are marked with epilepsy warnings directly in the film search.
Some Content Notes may reveal spoilers about the plot or experience of the film. Hence, it is up to each person to decide for themselves whether or not to read the Content Notes. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a guarantee for the comprehensive marking of all sensitive content.
Content Notes in the programme of the 75th Berlinale:
1001 Frames contains depictions of sexual harassment.
After Colossus addresses war trauma and torture.
Batim addresses sexual violence, traumatisation and anti-trans discrimination.
Because of (U) contains strobe effects.
Bedrock shows Holocaust denialists and addresses right wing extremism.
Blutiger Freitag contains graphic depictions of violence and sexualised violence.
Das Deutsche Volk addresses racist motivated mass killings.
Den stygge stesøsteren addresses dysmorphophobia and eating disorders.
Élő kövek addresses rape, abuse and suicide. The film contains depictions of animal abuse.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Fleisch contains depictions of medical operations.
Happy Doom contains strobe effects.
Honey Bunch contains strobe effects and images of blood, vomit and gore.
How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World contains depictions of mental illness, suicide and self-harm.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Janine zieht aufs Land contains depictions of anti-queer violence.
Jonathan contains scenes of torture and the depiction of the killing of an animal.
Kein Tier. So Wild. contains depictions of infanticide and graphic violence.
Khartoum contains depictions of war and civil unrest as well as images of blood and corpses.
Kontinental '25 contains depictions of suicide and corpses.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Listy z Wilczej contains the depiction of a hate crime against a migrant
Lloyd Wong, Unfinished contains depictions of illness, death, images of blood and hospital scenes.
Mädchen mit Gewalt contains depictions of sexualised violence.
A melhor mãe do mundo contains depictions of physical and mental abuse.
Die Möllner Briefe addresses racist violence, trauma and contains the description of death by arson attack.
Mua besoj më shpëtoj portreti discusses war and war trauma.
Queerpanorama contains scenes of sexual violence off-screen.
The installation RAPTURE discusses displacement, violence and war trauma.
Reflet dans un Diamant mort contains images of explicit violence.
Rückblickend betrachtet addresses racism and racist violence.
Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts contains depictions of death and rape.
Schwesterherz addresses sexual violence.
Spetsialna Operatsiia discusses war and warfare.
The Trio Hall contains strobe effects.
Vaghachipani addresses rape.
Vestida de azul contains scenes of medical operations.
Content Notes in the 2025 Generation programme:
Notes for films from the Generation programme, which are aimed at young audiences as well as adults, follow a more sensitive standard than those for films aimed exclusively at adult audiences.
Anngeerdardardor contains depictions of animal abuse and the use of discriminatory language.
Arame Farpado contains depictions of physical injuries and images of blood.
Atardecer en América addresses structural violence against migrants.
Christy contains depictions of alcohol abuse and addresses drug addiction.
De menor addresses racial discrimination and police violence.
Down in the Dumps addresses depression.
Fantas addresses structural racism and police violence.
Hora do recreio addresses racism, racist violence, violence against women and police violence.
Howl addresses abusive behaviour.
I agries meres mas contains depictions of sexualised violence.
Little Rebels Cinema Club contains depictions of domestic violence and the use of discriminatory language.
Ran Bi Wa contains strobe effects.
Sous ma fenêtre, la boue addresses mental illnesses.
Sunshine contains the depiction of an abortion and addresses sexualised violence
Uiksaringitara addresses sexualised violence.
Zečji nasip contains depictions of physical violence and the use of discriminatory language.
Zirkuskind addresses antiziganist persecution and discrimination.
Zhi Wu Xue Jia contains depictions of alcohol abuse.
Awareness Team
During and shortly after the Berlinale, additional Awareness Teams are available to offer preliminary advice to any visitors or employees who observe, experience or are affected by discrimination in connection with the festival.
The Awareness Team can be contacted by emailing or by phoning +49 30 259 202 95 daily from February 13 to 23 (from 1.00 pm to 6.00 pm) and from February 24 to 28 (from 12.00 pm to 3.00 pm).