Two of the buzziest — and most star-studded — movies world premiering in competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, “Rosebush Pruning” and “At the Sea,” are from two decidedly non-Hollywood filmmakers but feature top talent from the U.S. and U.K.
“Rosebush Pruning” — a biting family satire helmed by Brazilian auteur Karim Aïnouz that debuted on Saturday — boasts an impressive heavyweight ensemble including Callum Turner, Riley Keough, Elle Fanning, Jamie Bell, Lukas Gage, Tracy Letts and Pamela Anderson. Filmed in Spain, it follows an American family who wallow in isolation in Catalonia until they’re forced to confront their twisted dynamic.
Meanwhile, Monday’s lineup is headlined by “At the Sea,” a drug addiction drama from Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó. Oscar buzz is already swirling around leading lady Amy Adams. The rest of the cast comprises other big names from the U.S., the U.K. and the English-speaking cinematic world: Murray Bartlett, Brett Goldstein, Chloe East, Dan Levy, Jenny Slate and Rainn Wilson. Though Mundruczó is no stranger to the U.S. awards race — his 2020 film, “Pieces of a Woman,” earned star Vanessa Kirby a best actress nomination — “At the Sea” looks to be his most high-profile project to date.
Over at the European Film Market, a number of hot projects bring together European directors and American stars — for instance, Quentin Dupieux’s Studiocanal-backed comedy “Full Phil” starring Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson, and Ruben Ostlund’s “The Entertainment System Is Down” starring Kirsten Dunst and Keanu Reeves that A24 acquired early on.
This continues a growing trend of big-name stars moving away from Hollywood productions to work with international directors, as seen with recent awards breakouts such as Coralie Fargeat’s body horror film “The Substance” starring Demi Moore and Jacques Audiard’s crime musical “Emilia Perez” with Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez; as well as Halina Reijn’s subversive erotic drama “Babygirl” with Nicole Kidman which opened at Venice in 2024.
“Hollywood actors are looking for an alternative to blockbusters and series,” says Charles Gillibert, whose Paris-based company CG Cinéma produced Stewart’s directorial debut “The Chronology of Water” and Alice Winocour’s “Couture” starring Angelina Jolie.
“American independent cinema has lost its momentum. It is expensive to produce and ambitious distributors willing to market it are becoming increasingly rare,” he says.
“In Europe, we believe that culture should be partially protected from the market, as this gives authors more freedom and leads to unique works. Major actors are seeking this type of experience,” he says, adding: “Hollywood actors have also learned to build lasting careers by skillfully managing their value and income between commercial projects, arthouse films [often from Europe] and their brand contracts.”
The international outreach of American talent is something “Rosebush Pruning” filmmaker Aïnouz says he has definitely noticed is on the uptick since his English-language debut, 2023’s “Firebrand” starring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander.
“There is a freedom that we can bring to English-speaking cinema that I think is attractive to actors that are working within a format which sometimes is a bit too industrial,” Aïnouz says. “I would say a decade ago, we were invited to collaborate with American and English cinema as almost like service providers. And I think what’s changing now is they’re hiring us.”
According to Aïnouz, a large part of what makes working with international directors attractive to A-list stars is a risk-taking element that can often lead to critical acclaim and awards buzz. He cites Emma Stone’s long-standing collaboration with Greek helmer Yorgos Lanthimos as a prime example.
“Risk-taking is something every actor wants to do. Every actor wants to be challenged, every actor wants to be not in their comfort zone,” he says.
Though “Rosebush Pruning” star Fanning was not able to attend the Berlinale with the film, it’s likely because she’s on the awards trail for her most recent international collaboration: Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” which earned the American actress her first Oscar nomination.
Aïnouz sees this partnership as a win-win, as having stars attached to his films means more people will watch them. “When you say, ‘What a great ensemble, what a great cast’ — we want audiences to see our movies,” he says. “And I think it’s a really unique time where we are taken as authors to collaborate with international casts.”
This is also occurring as the political situation in the U.S. becomes more and more volatile under Donald Trump’s second administration. Huge stars, including George Clooney and Eva Longoria, have moved out of the U.S. citing concerns with politics and privacy.
“There was a sense before about America being this very self-contained but also self-sustaining place,” Aïnouz says. “And I think the shattering of this, the positive side is Americans are becoming much more curious of other places in the world, other languages, other ways of storytelling.”
While the trend concerns mostly dramas, American actors are also chasing lighter material from Europe. Besides Ostlund’s Palme d’Or-winning “Triangle of Sadness” and his upcoming “The Entertainment System is Down,” which are both star-studded, Quentin Dupieux is another European director who enlisted big names — Kristen Stewart and Woody Harrelson — for his next burlesque comedy, “Full Phil” which he described to Variety as an “‘Emily in Paris’ in hell.’” Dupieux’s producer, Hugo Selignac at Chi-Fou-Mi Productions said “the coolest American actors” are gravitating towards Dupieux’s films because they tend to be more daring than American comedies. “When we send them Quentin’s films, they’re struck, because when you look at American comedy today, it’s a bit dead.”
Nathanael Karmitz, whose MK2 Films is repping “At the Sea,” Albert Serra’s “Out of This World” starring Riley Keough and “Anatomy of a Fall” director Justine Triet’s next film “Fonda” with Mia Goth and Andrew Scott, says film history is filled with examples of “European directors who have imported themselves to the U.S. and American stars who have made films in France or Italy.”
What’s changed today, Karmitz says, is that “it’s mainly Americans who are turning to Europe — whether it’s directors, producers or actors.”
“We have a film industry that is naturally open to others, a regulatory system that protects artists from the law of market forces and allows them to take risks, innovate and tell stories that are free and different. This is clearly what many people are missing and what Europe still defends for the time being,” says Karmitz, whose MK2 Films also runs one of France’s leading arthouse cinema chains.
Berlinale chief Tricia Tuttle points out that there are often many producers on these films from all over the world, such as with “At the Sea,” which has the backing of Ukrainian producer Alexander Rodnyansky as well as several from the U.S. and Hungary.
“It is an international business now and that’s really important,” she says, adding: “Audiences are showing an appetite for films that are adventurous, that surprise them and do something different and break out of the mold.”