Berlinale 2027 Retrospective Explores Visions of the Future on the Centenary of Fritz Lang's «Metropolis»

The Berlinale says its 2027 retrospective will be devoted to "cinematic visions of the future and revolt," drawing its theme from the centenary of Fritz Lang's metropolis. The silent sci-fi epic premiered on January 10, 2027, at the UFA-Palast am Zoo in Berlin and was then released.

The Berlinale has announced that its 2027 revision will be devoted to "cinematic visions of the future and rebellion," taking its theme from the centenary of Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

The silent sci-fi thriller premiered at the UFA-Palast am Zoo in Berlin on January 10, 2027, and was then released in the United States in March of the same year.

Unveiled under the title Rage Against the Machine, the Berlinale explores the central theme from perspectives including urbanism, artificial intelligence, feminism and capitalism.

Films previously considered for the series include US blockbusters such as Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop (1987), underground films such as the cyberpunk Moshe William S. Burroughs – The Decoder Inspired by Decoder (1984)) and anime works such as the cult classic Rintarō Metoroporisu (20). Watch on Deadline

Germany's cinematic heritage will also be celebrated in this space with the inclusion of Helma Sanders-Brahms' The Last Days of Gomorrah (1974).

The collection also includes Ngozi Onorah's Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), the first British feature film directed by a black woman, which Retrospective is showing in a new restoration.

This retrospective is organized once again in collaboration with the Deutsche Kinemathek and for the second year in a row by its artistic director Helene Gretsen.

Is there anything new to say about Lang? Metropolis, 100 years old and one of the most studied films of the silent era, said Berlinale president Tricia Tuttle.

“Well, yes. Hélène and her team take a revitalizing approach to exploring Metropolis' incredible foresight and its ongoing echoes in cinema and modern culture through a lens that feels both immediate and contemporary—punk, feminist, young, provocative, and evocative.

"One hundred years after Metropolis, the focus is on the directors who created their own worlds and visions of the future," added Gretsen. The aesthetic range is wide, from big-budget mainstream films to underground films. For example, Last Days of Gomorrah was filmed in shopping malls and has a punk look. "I'm especially excited about how this genre gives minorities the opportunity to create alternative visions of the future that are critical of existing systems."

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