Five things to know about ‘Yunan’, the only Arab film up for the Golden Bear

The 75th Berlin Film Festival, or as it’s more commonly known, the Berlinale, kicked off on February 13, marking the first of the year’s big three film festivals (alongside Cannes and Venice). Over the past week, it’s already delivered some widely-anticipated heavy hitters: Bong Joon Ho’s long-awaited sci-fi epic Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattinson, debuted on the 15th, while Richard Linklater’s biographical musical Blue Moon premiered just days later.

But one of the festival’s most intriguing entries isn’t a blockbuster; it’s an intimate Arab drama vying for the Golden Bear – the Berlinale’s top prize. Here are five things you need to know about Yunan, the only Arab film competing for this year’s Golden Bear:

It explores exile, displacement, and existentialism

Kyiv-born Syrian filmmaker Ameer Fakher Eldin’s Yunan follows Munir, an exiled Arab author who travels to a remote German island to end his life. But after meeting an old woman, he experiences an unexpected shift. Simple acts of kindness begin to erode his despair, forcing him to confront his decision. The film grapples with exile, loneliness, and the fragility of human connection, offering a compassionate lens to migration and displacement.

It’s the second movie in a trilogy

Yunan follows Eldin’s 2021 debut, The Stranger, a drama about a former doctor in the occupied Golan Heights who spirals into an existential crisis before encountering a mysterious soldier. The Stranger was Palestine’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 94th Academy Awards and set the foundation for Eldin’s planned ‘Homeland’ trilogy – a series exploring identity and displacement. He began developing Yunan in late 2021, shortly after The Stranger premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

Yunan boasts a strong cast

With a lineup featuring established actors from both Arab and Western film industries, Yunan has a strikingly familiar cast. Munir is played by Lebanese actor, writer, and comedian Georges Khabbaz, best known for his lead role in the 2007 Lebanese drama Under the Bombs. He’s joined by German screen legend Hanna Schygulla, who has previously won the Best Actress at both Berlinale and Cannes, as well as Game of Thrones stars Sibel Kekilli and Tom Wlaschiha. Also a part of the cast of Eldin’s sophomore film is Nazareth-born actor Ali Suliman, best known for his role in Paradise Now – the first Palestinian film to be nominated for an the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

It’s an international co-production spanning seven countries

Yunan is the result of a seven-country collaboration between Germany, Canada, Italy, Palestine, Qatar, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The main shooting locations for this 124-minute drama were in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, Germany; and Apulia, Italy. 

It could become the first Arab film to win the Golden Bear

While Arab films regularly premiere at Berlinale, none have ever won the Golden Bear since the prize was introduced in 1951. The festival has recognized Global South films in the past – most recently last year, when Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey, about colonial legacy and the repatriation of stolen artefacts, took home the award – but never an Arab movie. If Yunan wins, it’ll mark a historic first.

The Golden Bear winner will be announced on Berlinale’s final day, Sunday, February 23.