‘Yellow Letters’ Wins Berlin Golden Bear

The 2026 edition of the Berlin International Film Festival concluded with a strong political note as German-Turkish director İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters” won the Golden Bear for Best Film. Jury president Wim Wenders presented the award, praising the film for confronting the language of totalitarianism through the humane force of cinema. Set in contemporary Turkey, “Yellow Letters” follows a married playwright and actress who come under state scrutiny because of their protest theatre. In a striking formal decision, Çatak shot the entire film in Germany, openly crediting German cities as stand-ins

“Movies Can Change the World, But Not Politically,” Says Wim Wenders at Berlinale

German filmmaker Wim Wenders has said that while cinema has the power to change the world, it does so by influencing people rather than politics. Speaking at the opening of the Berlin International Film Festival, where he is serving as president of this year’s international jury, Wenders argued that filmmakers should avoid stepping into the political arena. The Berlinale, often seen as more politically engaged than festivals like Venice Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian activists for not taking a clear stance on Gaza, especially when

Bangladeshi Film Master Triumphs at Rotterdam Film Festival

Bangladeshi cinema marked a major international achievement as Rezwan Shahriar Sumit’s Master won the Big Screen Competition Award at the 2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), one of Europe’s most influential film festivals. The win stood out among a strong and diverse lineup of global titles showcased at the festival. Master traces the moral and political transformation of a schoolteacher in Bangladesh who is drawn into local power structures, gradually moving from idealism to authoritarian impulses. Praising the film, the Big Screen Competition jury described it as “a universal story about

‘One Battle After Another’ Dominates Golden Globes 2026

The 83rd Golden Globe Awards spread the spotlight across bold cinema and ambitious television, with One Battle After Another and Adolescence emerging as the night’s biggest winners. Paul Thomas Anderson’s sharp political satire collected four awards, including best musical or comedy film, along with directing and screenplay honors. In the drama category, Hamnet, a portrait of William Shakespeare’s private life, secured top film honors and earned Jessie Buckley a best actress Globe. On the television side, Adolescence led all series with four trophies. The Netflix-backed limited series, told in a single

Technical Hegemony and the Missing Female Maker

The hallways of modern film schools tell a story of equality. If you walk into a cinematography or directing class today, you will see a balanced room where women make up half of the students. These students have the same technical dreams and creative hunger as their male classmates. Yet, a decade later, the credits of the world’s top films tell a much darker story. In 2025, women made up only 13% of directors and a tiny 7% of cinematographers on the top 250 films. This missing presence is ' ...

Cinema as Resistance

Rezwan Shahriar Sumit on Politics, Power, and Master

C2C recently spoke with award winning filmmaker Rezwan Shahriar Sumit, director of the political thriller Master. The film won the Big Screen Competition Award at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026, marking a significant achievement for Bangladeshi cinema. The interview was exclusively arranged for C2C by Md Rabbi Islam, and Sumit shares his thoughts on the film’s journey, its political undercurrents, and the response it has received internationally. What was the biggest challenge you faced during the production, especially considering the safety risks and political pressure your crew had to ' ...

Press Release

‘Call Sign Bukhanka’ Draws Engaged Crowd at Russian House Dhaka Screening

On February 23, 2026, the Russian House in Dhaka successfully hosted a special screening of the documentary film Call Sign 'Bukhanka' at its cinema hall in Dhanmondi. The event was organized as part of the 4th International Film Festival RT.Doc: Time of Our Heroes, in cooperation with RT Documentary Channel. The screening brought together film enthusiasts, students, representatives of cultural and academic communities, and friends of Russian culture in Dhaka. The event created a vibrant platform for audiences to experience contemporary documentary storytelling that reflects real human experiences and moral choices ' ...

Yellow Letters: Politics without slogans

When ideology moves into the living room and care becomes control. The 76th Berlinale was a mix of moral exaggeration and poetic restraint. It is one of the ritualised disappointments of a festival that, in the end, your own favourite rarely wins – and just as rarely does the objectively ‘best’ film. The award usually goes to the best compromise, the film that represents the strongest common denominator within the jury: aesthetically viable, politically relevant and discursively communicable. This year, the decision for the Golden Bear for Best Film fell on ' ...