Wuthering Heights hits cinemas, Aardman Animations celebrate 50 years of stop-motion classics, and the Berlinale Film Festival begins. Here's what's in store this week.
Heathcliff, open your window - Cathy has come home and she's wearing a 1980s wedding dress.
Emerald Fennell's take on Emily Brontë's iconic Gothic novel has had social media in uproar for months, with Period-loyalists bemoaning the trailer's anachronistic costumes and "inappropriate casting". But while it might not have Brontë-level accuracy, it's certainly capturing 2026's zeitgeist, with a Charli xcx soundtrack and provocative aesthetics soon to fill a million Stan accounts.
In other words: like it or loathe it, Wuthering Heights is about to be everywhere.
Elsewhere, Aardman Animations - the genius studio behind Wallace & Gromit - are kicking off their 50th anniversary celebrations with a comprehensive new exhibition at London's Young V&A. A great day out for kids and adults alike, it's also a brilliant excuse to gorge on cheese and crackers and re-watch Vengeance Most Fowl.
Other exhibitions of note include a breathtaking exploration of Ovid's 'The Metamorphoses' at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, and a retrospective of Semiha Berksoy at the Istanbul Modern.
Those in Athens should also check out the art show that's taken Greece by storm...
Until next time, here are this week's recommendations.
Exhibitions
Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends
When: 12 February
Good grief! It's officially 50 years since Aardman, the Bristol-based studio behind Wallace & Gromit, began creating their wonderful animations. To mark the occasion, dig out your old pair of techno-trousers and head on over to London's Young V&A, where all your favourite stop-motion characters await: Shaun the Sheep, Morph and, of course, that chief chicken-y menace, Feathers McGraw. Alongside seeing Aardman's worlds up close, you'll also get a fascinating glimpse into their creative processes. Just mind your diamonds. And watch out for any innocent looking nuns...
Find out more at the Young V&A website here.
Where: Young V&A (London, UK)
Metamorphoses
When: Until 25 May 2026
Where: Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Ovid's 'The Metamorphoses' is perhaps the most foundational narrative poem of all time, exploring how the intensity of human beliefs and passions can lead to dramatic transformations. Inspiring everyone from Shakespeare to Mozart to Peter Paul Rubens, it's also led to the creation of some of the world's greatest art, music and literature. The Rijksmuseum invites visitors to explore this impact further, bringing together over 80 masterpieces that derived their artistic vision from Ovid's themes.
Find out more at the Rijksmuseum website here.
The Aria of All Colors
When: Until 6 September 2026
Where: Istanbul Modern (Turkey)
Semiha Berksoy was many things - the first female opera singer in Türkiye, a pioneering artist and poet, but above all, a whirlwind of tenacious spirit and singular creativity. The Istanbul Modern pays homage to that legacy through this comprehensive retrospective, which features over 200 of Berksoy's charismatic works. Covering everything from her earliest drawings to her iconic self-portraits, it reveals the multi-faceted scope of one of the Türkiye's leading artistic figures.
Bonus highlight: Denmark’s Louisiana Museum of Modern Art presents 'Basquiat - Headstrong', a comprehensive showcase of Michel Basquiat's works on paper - on until 12 May 2026.
Events
Berlin Film Festival
When: 12 - 26 February 2026
Where: Berlin, Germany
Film festival season is in full swing, with Sundance having wrapped and the upcoming advent of Europe's prestigious Berlinale. This year's line-up is, as always, filled with agenda-setting cinematic gems, including the international premiere of Charli xcx's The Moment, and exciting competition titles like The Blood Countess (Die Blutgräfin), a gothic horror by Ulrike Ottinger, and At the Sea, a drama starring Amy Adams.
Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our coverage of the event - and check out the full programme here.
Movies
Wuthering Heights
Where: Cinemas
When: 13 February
It's had Period drama enthusiasts ranting for months, but will Emerald Fennell's provocative take on Emily Brontë's classic Gothic novel justify their outrage? One thing's for sure, it's the first big cinematic event of 2026, with a zeitgeist-capturing recipe that includes Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie, a Charli xcx soundtrack - and some reported corpse fondling by a nun. If you thought Saltburn's bathwater scene was a lot, brace yourselves for more shocks. Or should that be "shocks"?
Our full review will be with you on Friday.
Bonus highlight: British horror movie Whistle, about a group of teens that discover an ancient object harbouring sinister capabilities, is out in the UK and Ireland from 13 February, with a wider release to follow in select European theatres.
TV series
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
Where: Netflix
When: 12 February
Irish comedy Derry Girls remains one of the best sitcoms of the 21st century, so a follow-up project by its writer Lisa McGee has been highly anticipated. Starring Sinéad Keenan, Caoilfhionn Dunne and Roisin Gallagher, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast centres around three women in their late 30s. After their friend Greta dies, they receive a strange e-mail that sets in motion a life-altering adventure across Ireland. Darkly comic and imbued with McGee's trademark observational wit, it's an engaging, frequently relatable exploration of adult relationships - and the secrets that bind and fray them.
Bonus highlight: Australian-set drama The Artful Dodger returns for season 2 on Disney+ on 10 February.
Music
Charli xcx: Wuthering Heights
When: 13 February
Have we already mentioned that Wuthering Heights is out this week? Jokes aside, it really is about to be everywhere - including your ears. Coinciding with the movie's release, Charli xcx 12-track soundtrack is her first big music project since 2024's culture-consuming Brat. Featuring collaborations with Sky Ferreira and John Cale, the songs were reportedly inspired by the quote "elegant and brutal", from Todd Haynes' 2021 documentary The Velvet Underground. With Charli xcx's movie The Moment also hitting festivals, could we be headed for a Brat Spring?
Bonus highlight: American singer-songwriter Jill Scott releases her first album in a decade, 'To Whom This May Concern', on 13 February.
