Aloft, a Canadian coproduction starring Jennifer Connelly, Cillian Murphy and Melanie Laurent, will not only have its world premiere at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival, but is one of five films competing for the prestigious Golden Bear Award.

Filmed in Manitoba and directed by Claudia Llosa, who already has one Golden Bear victory to her name for 2009’s Milk of Sorrow, Aloft tells the story of a mother (Connelly) who is separated from her sick daughter and son by a dramatic event. Two decades later, a journalist (Laurent) convinces the son (Murphy) to embark on a search for his now-famous parent.

It’s the first English-language film for Peruvian director Llosa, whose Milk of Sorrow also nabbed an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language film, and is a Spain-France-Canada coproduction.

Coproduced by Buffalo Gal Productions, Arcadia Motion Pictures, Gran Via Productions, Wanda Vision S.A, Manitoba Films AIE and Noodles Production, Aloft will be vying against George Clooney’s The Monuments Men; Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel; Yann Demange’s ’71; Alain Resnais’ Aimer, boire et chanter (Life of Riley); Dominik Graf’s Die geliebten Schwestern (Beloved Sisters) and Yannis Economides’ Stratos.

The 64th Berlin International Film Festival is held Feb. 6-16.

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