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 76th Berlinale:
17 contains depictions of rape and physical violence, as well as the use of racist language.
Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros contains depictions of sexualised and physical violence.
AnyMart contains depictions of suicide and violence.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Árru shows the killing, skinning and dismembering of a an animal.
At the Sea addresses alcoholism and contains depictions of alcohol abuse
Chronicles From the Siege contains depictions of warfare and starvation.
Cosmonauts contains strobe effects.
Crocodile addresses sexual abuse.
El León contains the depiction of a laid‑out corpse and images of blood.
Erogotoshi-tachi yori: Jinruigaku nyûmon addresses incest.
Everybody Digs Bill Evans addresses suicide, drug addiction and contains depictions of drug consumption.
Flim Flam contains strobe effects.
Fruits of Despair contains graphic depictions of war, corpses, and a bomb explosion.
The presentation of Geheimnisse einer Seele as part of the 76th Berlinale features stroboscopic light effects.
Ghost in the Cell contains depictions of murder, corpses and images of blood.
Graft Versus Host addresses a cancer diagnosis.
Hangar rojo contains depictions imprisonment and torture.
If Pigeons Turned to Gold addresses alcoholism, trauma, violence, suicide and contains strobe effects.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Johanna d’Arc of Mongolia shows the slaughter of an animal.
Josephine contains depictions of rape as well as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.
Joy Boy: A Tribute to Julius Eastman contains the use of discriminatory language.
Jubei Ninpucho contains depictions of rape and graphic violence.
Katabasis contains strobe effects.
Leaving Las Vegas contains depictions of alcoholism and abuse, rape and violence.
Les juifs riches addresses the holocaust.
Let There Be Whistleblowers contains strobe effects.
Members of the Problematic Family addresses alcoholism.
Miriam addresses femicide.
My Name addresses war and violence.
Oranzhevye zhilety contains the depiction of a birth scene and shows the slaughter of an animal.
Prinz in Hölleland contains depictions of drug addiction and abuse, shows the killing of an animal and addresses suicide.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
River Dreams addresses violence against women, abuse, and femicide.
Rosebush Pruning addresses toxic family relationships and sexual abuse.
Roya contains depictions of phyisical and mental abuse and imprisonment.
Shibire containts the depiction of child abuse and domestic violence.
Staatsschutz contains the depiction of a racist attack as well as the use of racist language.
Take Me Home contains strobe effects.
The Moment contains strobe effects.
The Other Side of the Sun addresses imprisonment, physical and mental abuse, torture and murder.
Traces addresses rape, death and torture.
Trop c'est trop contains depictions of warfare.
Truly Naked includes explicit depictions of sex, sexual abuse and violence, as well as animal cruelty.
Unidentifizierte Unflugobjekte (UUO) contains strobe effects.
Was an Empfindsamkeit bleibt addresses femicide.
Yön Lapsi contains depictions of blood and explicit violence.
Yurugu - Invisible Lines addresses violence and war trauma and shows the slaughter of an animal.
Content Notes in the 2026 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.
A Fabulosa Máquina do Tempo discusses abusive behaviour towards women and girls.
Abracadabra contains depictions of anti-Muslim racism.
Allá en el cielo contains depictions of physical violence.
Chicas Tristes addresses sexualised violence.
C’est ma sœur contains depictions of discrimination against disabled people.
En Route To contains depictions of abuse of power by an adult towards a minor, and addresses suicide.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Feito Pipa contains the use of discriminatory language and depictions of abusive behaviour.
Matapanki contains depictions of physical violence.
Memories of a Window contains depictions of drastic state and police violence.
No Salgas contains graphic depictions of physical violence, suicide and elements of gore.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.
Quatro Meninas contains depictions of racism and racist violence and adresses sexualised violence.
Scorching contains depictions of intensive animal farming.
The Thread contains depictions of racism.
What Will I Become? addresses depression, suicide, sexualised violence and anti-trans discrimination.
Contact information for counselling offering help with depression and suicidal thoughts can be found online at telefonseelsorge.de/international-helplines.