EWA members in the Berlinale 2026
We are delighted to share good news as these. We congratulate all the female filmmakers and EWA members in particular on their success at this year's Berlinale.
Bettina Brokemper production The BLOOD COUNTESSA, directed by Ulrike Ottinger will have its world premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala.
Decades after her mysterious disappearance, the Blood Countess re-emerges in modern-day Vienna where she reunites with her devoted underling, Hermine, to track down a dangerous book with the power to destroy all evil – including all vampires such as themselves. The duo embark on a scavenger hunt through the city’s magnificent historic sites, and conscript the countess’s melancholic nephew – a vegetarian vampire named Rudi Bubi – and his psychotherapist as they expand their search to Bohemia. Meanwhile, a pair of vampirologists and a police inspector remain hot on their trail … Filmmaker and visual artist Ulrike Ottinger reinterprets the vampire myth as a sumptuous adventure tale full of morbid black comedy.
by Ulrike Ottinger (Director, Screenplay), Elfriede Jelinek (Screenplay)with Isabelle Huppert, Birgit Minichmayr, Thomas Schubert, Lars Eidinger, André Jung•119'•Austria, Luxembourg, Germany 2026•Colour•German, French
PANORAMA Section
The Education of Jane Cumming by Sophie Heldman (Director, Screenplay), Flora Nicholson (Screenplay)with Flora Nicholson, Clare Dunne, Mia Tharia, Fiona Shaw, Sadie Shimmin•114'•Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom 2026•Colour•English World premiere | English audio description offered
Another production by Bettina Brokemper at Heimat Film.
Edinburgh, 1810. Teachers Jane Pirie and Marianne Woods embark on their dream of an independent life together and open a boarding school. Their lives are changed forever when a wealthy aristocrat enrols Jane Cumming, her “illegitimate” 15-year-old grandchild from India. The teachers struggle to integrate the girl who remains an outsider among her classmates. Miss Pirie and Miss Woods are brought closer to Jane when her grandmother insists they look after her over the summer. Private and professional lines blur, affection between them grows and they start to form an unlikely family. Tensions rise, however, as the new term begins. The two teachers are overwhelmed by the girl’s increasing desire for closeness as well as by their own changing relationship. As Jane begins to feel excluded from her new family, she demands to be taken home to her grandmother. An accusation follows which leaves the teachers in an existential battle, resulting in a legal fight that would last a decade and scandalise the Scottish establishment. Based on true events.
Árru by Elle Sofe Sara (Director, Screenplay), Johan Fasting (Screenplay)with Sara Marielle Gaup Beaska, Simon Issát Marainen, Ayla Gáren Nutti, Mikkel Gaup•95'•Norway, Sweden, Finland 2026•Colour•Northern Sámi. World premiere | Debut film
Amid the breathtaking landscapes of Sápmi, Sami reindeer herder Maia fights to protect her ancestral lands from a looming mining project. As protests increase, she turns to her uncle Lemme for help, but his presence reignites deep-buried familial traumas. Maia must choose: save the land at the cost of her family, or surrender it to break the silence.
Árru is produced by Elisa F.Pirir.
SERIES PROJECT at BERLINALE SERIES MARKET
MONYOVÁ
“The murder of Simona Monyová in 2011 tore through the Czech Republic. Our research points to a surge in domestic violence helpline calls in the weeks that followed. Again and again, people I interviewed named her case as the moment silence broke,” says Klára Follová, creator and producer.
She wrote about love, but lived in hell. At the turn of the millennium, Simona Monyová was one of the most successful women in the country; her novels were nationwide bestsellers. Her story could be seen as a local tragedy of one woman from Brno, Czech republic, but in reality, it is a nightmare shared by millions across the globe. This Oneplay Original series pulls back the curtain on the chilling reality hidden behind the facade of fame and glamour.
Produced with the full support and cooperation of the author's family:
“If this project has the potential to empower even one person to leave a dangerous relationship, then it was worth it. The creators approached our mother’s story with immense respect and sensitivity. Paradoxically, the project helped us process our own journey,” adds Dominik Mony, son of Simona Monyová.
LEONOR, Marquesa de Alorna
Created by Pandora da Cunha Telles, Ukbar Filmes
BERLINALE TALENTS
We congratulate EWA members Maria Ibrahimova (alumna of our Mentoring Programme) and Estephania Bonnet selected with their projects at the Talent campus.