Berlinale in pictures: Glitz and politics on the red carpet

The German capital was covered in snow on Thursday, the opening day of the Berlin International Film Festival. Along with the 19 films competing for the Golden and Silver Bears, hundreds of works will be showcased from February 13 to 23. Along with the icy weather, current events also found their way on the red carpet.

The festive mood at the opening was dampened by a suspected car ramming attack in Munich earlier in the day that left 30 people injured. "Since we're here in this opening ceremony together, we of course think of the people in Munich," gala host Desiree Nosbusch said in her opening remarks.

The acclaimed German filmmaker describes "The Light" as the companion piece to his 1998 thriller, "Run Lola Run." Both films offer striking portraits of life in contemporary Berlin. Tykwer, who has been portraying Germany's 1918-1933 Weimar Republic with the hit series "Babylon Berlin," also combines drama, political and social commentary, with song and dance in his new feature film.

Tykwer's film stars Lars Eidinger (r) and Nicolette Krebitz (l), who portray two parents in a "typically dysfunctional" middle-class Berlin family. A new housekeeper from Syria (Tala Al-Deen, 2nd from l.) unexpectedly leads the family members to find a deeper connection. The film comes at a moment when Germany is strongly divided on the issue of migration ahead of national elections.

Actress Tilda Swinton was awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for her life's work. In her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to the festival and to the "great independent state of cinema" which is "innately inclusive — immune to efforts of occupation, colonization, takeover, ownership or the development of riviera property" — a jab at Trump's proposal to transform Gaza into a resort destination.

The US director behind "Far From Heaven" (2002) and "Carol" (2015) is seen as one of the leading voices of the New Queer Cinema movement. Haynes presides over the seven-member jury of the Berlinale. At the opening of the festival, he told reporters that his community views the return of Donald Trump "with tremendous concern, shock," adding that there's now "an extra urgency" to filmmaking.

Haynes (center) is joined by the other jurors on the red carpet. From left to right: Argentinian film director Rodrigo Moreno, US film critic Amy Nicholson, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, German actress and director Maria Schrader, French director Nabil Ayouch — donning a jacket with Greta Thunberg's famous quote — and German costume designer Bina Daigeler.

Different German celebrities marked the absence of Israeli hostage David Cunio, an actor still held in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. The red carpet guests are holding a photo of him and his family that reads "Bring David Cunio Home." Cunio starred in Tom Shoval's film "Youth," shown at the festival in 2013. A new Berlinale film, "A Letter to David," also pays tribute to Cunio.

Despite the cold, German activist Luisa Neubauer didn't cover up her dress and its message: The names refer to Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party. A paler one on the list asks if Friedrich Merz — Germany's front-runner as chancellor who is criticized for courting with the far right — should belong on this list.

It is Tricia Tuttle's first edition as the head of the film festival. Though she hopes politics will not completely eclipse the program's story-telling and art, she sees the film festival as a space of "resistance." Cinema can offer a counter-narrative against "all of the perverse ideas that many far-right parties across the whole world and across Europe are spreading," she told reporters.