Charli xcx Declares 'Brat' Era Over at Berlinale, Praises Festival for Championing Political Cinema

The Berlin International Film Festival became unmistakably "Brat" on Saturday as pop superstar Charli xcx arrived at the Berlinale Palast for the press conference of her A24 mockumentary The Moment, directed by Aidan Zamiri Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. The room overflowed with journalists — a scene more reminiscent of a stadium tour stop than a film festival presser — as the Grammy-winning British artist reflected on the emotional toll of global fame and declared, definitively, that the cultural phenomenon she created is now behind her.

"For me, it's over. And you can't dread the end when it's over," Charli told the assembled press when asked whether the Brat era had truly concluded Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. "In the film, Charli decides to free herself of 'Brat' and kill 'Brat.' And I think we were aware that this film was probably the full stop at the end of an album campaign" Charli xcx On Why She Went The Festival Route With A24 Mockumentary ‘The Moment’: “I Feel Passionate About Working Within These Spaces”deadline.com·Secondary“I’ve been training to play this role my entire life, from the day I was born. In ways, it’s extremely method,” Charli xcx joked this afternoon during a Berlinale presser when quizzed about the character she portrays in The Moment. The film, which debuted last month at Sundance, screens this week in Berlin as part of the Panorama section. Directed by Aidan Zamiri from a screenplay he wrote with Bertie Brandes, the film is based on an original idea by Charli xcx..

The declaration carries weight. The Brat album became one of the defining cultural touchstones of 2025, spawning a lime-green aesthetic movement that permeated fashion, social media, and even political messaging. Its influence extended far beyond music — the word itself became shorthand for a particular kind of unapologetic, chaotic femininity. But Charli, speaking candidly in Berlin, suggested the experience of watching her art morph beyond her control was more painful than the public might have realized.

"When you release art into the world, and it reaches a wide audience, and in my case, this was the widest audience I ever reached, the work begins to sort of morph and change in its meaning," she said Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. "I'd never experienced it at the scale before, and it left me sort of thinking a lot about how we communicate art, at what point art leaves your own hands and goes into the audience's hands, how that makes you feel as a creator."

The Moment itself serves as Charli's artistic processing of that experience. The mockumentary stars her as an alternate-reality version of herself, grappling with whether to stay true to her artistic vision or cross over to the commercial mainstream . When a sinister director, played by Alexander Skarsgård, is hired to make a concert film about her upcoming Brat tour, the fictional Charli faces an existential reckoning. The cast also includes Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Kylie Jenner, and Rachel Sennott Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame..

Zamiri, the Scottish filmmaker who directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Bertie Brandes based on Charli's original idea, called Jenner "an incredible actor" and praised the way real-world cultural signposts enriched the film's satirical texture Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. "We were able to play with these real-world elements of culture," he said. "It was really helpful to have these almost signposts, the things that we as an audience understand."

The film's commercial trajectory has already validated the festival strategy. After its world premiere at Sundance last month, The Moment became A24's fastest-selling limited release in history, with more than 50 screenings selling out across key U.S. markets and the majority of ticket buyers being under 35 years old Charli xcx On Why She Went The Festival Route With A24 Mockumentary ‘The Moment’: “I Feel Passionate About Working Within These Spaces”deadline.com·Secondary“I’ve been training to play this role my entire life, from the day I was born. In ways, it’s extremely method,” Charli xcx joked this afternoon during a Berlinale presser when quizzed about the character she portrays in The Moment. The film, which debuted last month at Sundance, screens this week in Berlin as part of the Panorama section. Directed by Aidan Zamiri from a screenplay he wrote with Bertie Brandes, the film is based on an original idea by Charli xcx.. The European theatrical rollout begins next week following its Berlinale premiere in the Panorama section.

Charli's personal reflections carried a confessional edge. "I also think I am quite an emotional and volatile artist, as I think many artists are," she admitted Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. "And I found elements of that journey quite difficult. I just felt that making this film, in a way, was a way of me not only commenting on art and the longevity, the lifespan of art, but also dealing with my experience, my very personal experience as an artist."

She drew laughs by confirming some of the film's more outrageous scenarios were drawn from life: "Have I had a breakdown in the back of a Viano whilst smoking a million cigarettes? Yes. I definitely had a lot to draw on" Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame..

Perhaps most striking was Charli's pointed praise for Berlinale itself — praise that carried implicit criticism of the festival's more cautious voices. She lauded Berlin for "not shying away from political films, from films that have a real social angle, from films by directors who really are visionary and have something to say" Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. The comment landed with particular force given the festival's otherwise apolitical tone this year: jury president Wim Wenders, Golden Bear recipient Michelle Yeoh, and Sunny Dancer star Neil Patrick Harris had all declined to engage with political questions, drawing disapproval from European journalists Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame..

The tension escalated further on Friday when acclaimed Indian author Arundhati Roy pulled out of the festival entirely in response to Wenders' comments that filmmakers "have to stay out of politics" Charli xcx Brats Up Berlin: ‘The Moment’ Star Applauds the Fest for “Not Shying Away From Political Films,” Declares Brat Era “Over”hollywoodreporter.com·SecondaryIt was a “Brat” Berlinale on Saturday as music superstar Charli xcx landed in the German capital to talk about her mockumentary The Moment with director Aidan Zamiri. The pair came together for the film’s press conference ahead of its international premiere Saturday night, the room overflowing with journalists keen to get a glimpse of the Grammy-winning Brit. The Moment, which had its world premiere at Sundance last month, follows the highs and lows of a popstar’s rise to global fame.. Charli's willingness to engage — however diplomatically — stood in notable contrast.

Critics and industry observers are divided on what the Brat era's conclusion means for Charli's career trajectory. Some see The Moment as evidence of genuine artistic maturation — a musician using cinema to interrogate the machinery of fame rather than simply benefiting from it. Others question whether the mockumentary format, with its celebrity cast and A24 branding, represents a true departure or merely a repackaging of the same cultural capital in a different medium.

What remains clear is that Charli xcx is betting on cinema as her next frontier. "I'm only just starting out in this industry, but I feel passionate about working within those spaces," she said Charli xcx On Why She Went The Festival Route With A24 Mockumentary ‘The Moment’: “I Feel Passionate About Working Within These Spaces”deadline.com·Secondary“I’ve been training to play this role my entire life, from the day I was born. In ways, it’s extremely method,” Charli xcx joked this afternoon during a Berlinale presser when quizzed about the character she portrays in The Moment. The film, which debuted last month at Sundance, screens this week in Berlin as part of the Panorama section. Directed by Aidan Zamiri from a screenplay he wrote with Bertie Brandes, the film is based on an original idea by Charli xcx.. For a festival season marked by reluctance to speak plainly about politics and art's relationship to power, that passion — and the willingness to declare an era's end — may be exactly what Berlinale needed to hear.