“In A Whisper”, “Dao”, Other African Titles In Main Competition At The 76th Berlinale

Berlinale has announced a list of 22 titles for main competition at the 76th edition set to take place from February 12th – 22nd, 2026, with at least four Africa productions featuring in the lineup.

Festival director Tricia Tuttle and her programming team made the announcement on Tuesday, unveiling a mix of new films from critically acclaimed directors and titles headlined by notable names in the industry.

In honour of Africa, French-Senegalese director Alain Gomis’ film Dao will premiere at the grand occasion, exploring family relations and heritage through the interlocking connection between a France-based wedding and a commemoration in Guinea-Bissau. The production, which cuts across France, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, has a cast that includes Katy Correa, D’Johé Kouadio, Samir Guesmi and Mike Etienne.

Leyla Bouzid’s In A Whisper (À Voix Basse), a France-Tunisia co-production, will also premiere in competition at Berlinale this year, starring Eya Bouteraa, Hiam Abbass, Marion Barbeau and Feriel Chamari. The film follows Lilia’s return to Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral and a reunion with a family that is absolutely disconnected from her life in Paris. Here she braces up to confront her family’s secrets and investigate the cause of her uncle’s demise.

Making the world premiere is Chadian filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars (Soumsoum, la nuit des astres), which tells the story of seventeen-year-old supernaturally gifted Kellou whose encounter with Aya proves to be instrumental in navigating destiny in a world where the natural and metaphysical clash. Being of Africa’s notable directors, Haroun’s previous works include A Screaming Man, A Dry Season and Lingui.

In addition, Abdallah Alkhatib’s Chronicles From the Siege, an Algeria-France co-production, makes it to the global screens, following the lives of a group of ordinary people turned upside down as they make difficult choices to survive in turbulent circumstances. With a cast that includes Nadeem Rimawi, Saja Kilani, Maria Zreik, Emad Azmi and Idir Benaibouche, the film navigates the complexity of human choices and relations during crises and armed conflicts.