Richard Linklater's Blue Moon, starring Ethan Hawke, will screen at this year's Berlin Film Festival in the competition section.
The film marks Linklater's reunion with his frequent collaborator and Before trilogy leading man Ethan Hawke for the ninth time. Hawke's co-stars are Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott, and Bobby Cannavale.
Written by Robert Kaplow, Blue Moon is an account of the final days of songwriter Lorenz Hart, the other half of the songwriting duo Rodgers (Richard) and Hart.
The film's setting is the opening night of 'Oklahoma!' where Rodgers teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II, Hart's replacement.
In addition to the Before trilogy, Hawke and Linklater have previously collaborated on some critically acclaimed titles such as Waking Life, Boyhood, Tape, The Newton Boys, and the political satire Fast Food Nation. In Waking Life, Hawke briefly appears as his character from Before Sunrise with Julie Delpy.
Linklater last directed Hit Man, a crime comedy starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. The versatile filmmaker is also working on two other projects: Nouvelle Vague, on the making of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless; Merrily We Roll Along, a musical that will be shot over the course of 20 years, similar to Linklater's Boyhood, which was filmed through 12 years to convincingly depict its main characters' changes as they grew older.
After a brief hiatus, German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Perfume) will return to Berlinale, too, with his latest feature, The Light (Das Licht). Starring Lars Eidinger, Nicolette Krebitz, and Elke Biesendorfer, the film will open the festival — making its world premiere — and screen out of competition in the Berlinale Palast, where some notable film premieres happen.
Tom Tykwer has previously been to the Berlinale twice, with his 2002 film Heaven and with his 2009 film The International.