Der Schauspieler Clint Eastwood läuft über eine Straße, neben ihm liegt ein umgedrehtes Auto. The actor Clint Eastwood walks across a street, next to him is an overturned car.

Festival

Berlinale Classics 2025

13.–23.2.25

Experience restored film classics and rediscoveries on the big screen – a festival highlight for film enthusiasts and nostalgia lovers.

As part of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, we present eight restored films in digital format – including seven world premieres and one international premiere. The journey spans from the 1930s to the 1980s. For the first time this year: restorations from the Estonian Film Institute (EFI) and the China Film Archive. The Classics section also features strong genre cinema – a nod to this year’s retrospective.

  • Dirty Harry

    USA 1971, directed by Don Siegel
    World premiere

    Der Schauspieler Clint Eastwood zielt mit einer Waffe direkt auf die Kameralinse. The actor Clint Eastwood points a weapon directly at the camera lens.

    Starring: Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, Andrew Robinson, John Larch

    A sniper is threatening San Francisco. Harry Callahan, a gunslinger with a badge, is out to take him down. The picture was restored from an 8K scan of the 35 mm camera negative, and a newly-mastered multi-channel audio track was created.

  • Hell’s Angels

    USA 1930, directed by Howard Hughes, James Whale
    World premiere

    Die Schauspielerin Jean Harlow blickt verführerisch zu einem Mann in Uniform. Actress Jean Harlow looks seductively at a man in uniform.

    Starring: Ben Lyon, Jean Harlow, James Hall, John Darrow, Lucien Prival

    A drama of two brothers in World War I. One turns out to be a coward, the other a hero. Dizzying aerial sequences and the only known colour film scenes with Jean Harlow made this early blockbuster legendary.

  • Naerata ometi

    ‘Lach doch mal’, EST, UdSSR 1985, directed by Leida Laius, Arvo Iho
    International premiere

    Eine Jugendliche in Nahaufnahme steht vor einem Baum, trägt gelbe Kopfhörer und blickt ernst zur Seite. A close-up of a teenage girl standing in front of a tree, wearing yellow headphones and gazing to the side.

    Starring: Monika Järv, Hendrik Toompere jr, Tauri Tallermaa, Katrin Tammleht, Kerttu Aaving

    A realistic drama about a 16-year-old in an Estonian orphanage. Shot on location, it reveals a parallel world of young people behind the state regulations. The film was shot with the most modern synch sound cameras available at the time.

  • The Paradine Case

    USA 1947, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
    World premiere

    Ein Mann blickt beschwörend auf eine Frau, die im Profil zu sehen ist. A man looks pleadingly at a woman, who is seen in profile.

    Starring: Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn, Ethel Barrymore

    A lawyer falls in love with his client, who is accused of murdering her husband. His infatuation leads to a marital crisis. The restored version has a runtime of 114 minutes, as officially released by producer David O. Selznick.

  • Seisaku no Tsuma

    ‘The Wife of Seisaku’, J 1965, directed by Yasuzô Masumura
    World premiere

    Eine Frau blickt eindringlich auf einen Mann, den wir von hinten sehen. A woman looks intensely at a man, who is seen from behind.

    Starring: Ayako Wakao, Takahiro Tamura, Nobuo Chiba, Yûzô Hayakawa, Mikio Narita

    Shunned by villagers as a “witch”, a young woman begins a passionate liaison with a feted soldier. When he is called up for war, she tries to intervene. The intense black-and-white melodrama has been restored in widescreen.

  • Shennü

    ‘The Goddess’, CHN 1934, directed by Wu Yonggang
    World premiere

    Eine Frau im Profil ist zwischen zwei verschwommenen Frauenköpfen zu sehen. A woman in profile is seen between two blurred female heads.

    Starring: Ruan Lingyu, Li Jian, Zhang Zhizhi, Li Keng, Li Junpan

    This “tragedy of the streets” from Shanghai is critical of society. A single mother turns to prostitution for her son’s sake. But she faces off against the mothers of her son’s classmates and her pimp. Restored version with newly remastered music.

  • Solo Sunny

    GDR 1980, directed by Konrad Wolf
    World premiere

    Eine stark geschminkte Frau blickt singend in die Kamera. A heavily made-up woman looks singing into the camera.

    Starring: Renate Krößner, Alexander Lang, Heide Kipp, Dieter Montag, Klaus Brasch 

    In his final film, Konrad Wolf (1925–1982) draws an unglamourous portrait of a self-assured, yet vulnerable outsider trekking her way through East Germany as a pop singer. Renate Krössner won the 1980 Silver Bear as the title character.

  • Vestida de azul

    ‘Dressed in Blue’, ES 1983, directed by Antonio Giménez-Rico
    World premiere, Documentary form

    Eine Transperson in glitzerndem BH und mit Federn am Rücken macht eine Tanzbewegung. A transgender person in a glittery bra and with feathers on their back makes a dance move.

    Starring: Lorenzo Arana, René Amor, José Antonio Sánchez, Francisco Pérez, Juan Muñoz

    Documentary form about six trans women and their lives in 1980s Madrid. They speak frankly about their experiences as performers and prostitutes, facing marginalisation and the repressive laws that endured even after the end of the Franco era.