Focus D’A 2026 will be dedicated to German filmmaker Christian Petzold, who will attend the festival to present an extensive retrospective of his work – including numerous titles that are currently unavailable or have never been released, that we can enjoy on the big screen of the Filmoteca de Catalunya – as well as the Catalan premiere of his latest film, Miroirs No. 3. The film, presented at the Cannes Film Festival, stars the magnificent Paula Beer, a regular collaborator with the director in his most recent productions.
Christian Petzold’s view of contemporary Europe, somewhere between hopeful and on the verge of collapse, between the promise of the future and the gaze of past catastrophes, has taken the form of melodrama, fantastic fables and socio-political stories that are completely outside the norm. His cinema, a direct heir to the Berlin School, is characterised by precise and austere staging, with characters often trapped in spaces of transit. A prolific filmmaker, selected and awarded at festivals such as Berlin (Afire, Undine, Transit, Barbara, Yella), Venice (Jerichow, The State I Am In) and San Sebastián (Phoenix), he has established himself as one of the essential voices of contemporary European cinema.
Christian Petzold will give a masterclass aimed at students, with free admission upon registration, on March 26 at the Filmoteca de Catalunya, which has already opened registrations for the event.
Focus D’A 2026 is organised in collaboration with the Filmoteca de Catalunya and the Goethe-Institut Barcelona.