The Berlinale has announced that the retrospective for its 2027 edition will be dedicated to cinematic visions of the future and rebellion, coinciding with the centenary of Metropolis (1927), the influential science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang. Titled Rage Against the Machine, the section will explore the relationships between technology, power, and society through films addressing issues such as artificial intelligence, urbanism, feminism, and capitalism.
The lineup will feature titles from different cinematic traditions and production scales, ranging from American commercial cinema to experimental and underground films and Japanese animation. Announced selections include Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop (1987), Muscha’s Decoder (1984), a cyberpunk-inspired work drawing on the literary universe of William S. Burroughs, and Metoroporisu (2001), the animated feature directed by Rintarō.
The retrospective will also revisit works from German cinema, including Helma Sanders-Brahms’ The Last Days of Gomorrah (1974). Another confirmed title is Welcome II the Terrordome (1995), directed by Ngozi Onwurah and considered the first British feature film directed by a Black woman. The film will be screened in a new restoration.
The program is once again being organized in collaboration with the Deutsche Kinemathek, with Heleen Gerritsen serving as artistic director for the second consecutive year. The selection aims to examine the enduring relevance of Metropolis and its influence on contemporary cinematic imagination through works that construct alternative futures and challenge existing social structures.
“Is there anything new to say about Lang’s Metropolis, which turns 100 and is one of the most studied films of the silent era?” asked Berlinale director Tricia Tuttle. She highlighted the approach developed by Gerritsen and her team, which revisits the film from a contemporary perspective, emphasizing punk and feminist cultures, youthful perspectives, and provocative ways of imagining the future.
Gerritsen, meanwhile, explained that the retrospective will focus on filmmakers who have created their own worlds and distinctive visions of the future. The selection will encompass a broad aesthetic spectrum, from big-budget productions to underground films. In this regard, she highlighted The Last Days of Gomorrah, which was shot in shopping malls and features a punk aesthetic, as well as the genre’s ability to offer minorities a space in which to imagine alternative futures and challenge established systems.
The 2027 Berlinale will take place in February in the German capital. The retrospective forms part of a broader reassessment of the history of science fiction cinema and its political and cultural implications, taking one of Fritz Lang’s landmark works as its starting point.