Berlinale’s 2023 edition panorama strand Films

“‘FEMME’

Femme (UK)
Dirs. Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping
George MacKay and Nathan Stewart-­Jarrett headline this London-­set thriller, which is the debut feature for Freeman and Ping, and is based on their British Independent Film Award-winning short of the same name. Femme unspools around a young drag queen who, after suffering a homo­phobic assault, has the chance to exact revenge on one of the attackers. Myles Payne and Sam Ritzenberg produce through Agile Films, alongside co-producer Hayley Williams, with co-financing by BBC Film and Anton. The latter also represents worldwide sales.
Contact: Anton Corp

Green Night (HK)
Dir. Han Shuai
In her first starring role since being embroiled in a tax scandal in 2018, Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing (I Am Not Madame Bovary, The 355) plays a Chinese woman drawn into a thrilling escape with a mysterious girl, which becomes her only chance of breaking free from a controlling Korean husband. Lee Joo Young and Kim Young Ho co-star in the film, which was shot entirely in South Korea in spring 2022. Produced by Liu Ziyi and Wang Jing, this is the second title from Chinese director Han, whose debut Summer Blur won the Berlinale’s Generation Kplus best feature award in 2021.
Contact: Cercamon

Hello Dankness (Australia)
Dir. Soda Jerk
Sydney-born siblings Dominique and Dan Angeloro, known collectively as Soda Jerk, sit at the intersection of film and art. Hello Dankness, co-commissioned by ongoing collaborators the Adelaide Film Festival and the Samstag Museum of Art, is the second part of a political trilogy. The first, Terror Nullius, criticised Australia to the extent that one of the film’s commissioners withdrew promotional support. The duo now turn their attention to the US suburbs in this latest film, comprising hundreds of manipulated samples from Hollywood films, much like a film version of a DJ mashup. The film screened at Adelaide Film Festival in October.
Contact: Soda Jerk“

By Screen Staff