Berlin International Film Festival

The Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. It started in 1951 and happens every February since 1978. The Berlinale is one of Europe's "Big Three" film festivals, with the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Cannes Film Festival in France. It is also one of the "Big Five," the most important film festivals in the world.

About 400 films are shown at the festival in many places across Berlin, mostly around Potsdamer Platz. The films are in different groups, and about twenty films compete for the top awards. The main awards are called the Golden Bear and Silver Bears. A group of judges, led by a famous person in the film world, choose the winners.

The festival also has the European Film Market (EFM), a big meeting for people who make and sell films worldwide. There is also a special event called the Berlinale Talents, with talks and workshops for young filmmakers. The Berlinale welcomes tens of thousands of visitors each year and is a big event for film fans everywhere.

History

First festival

In 1950, during the Cold War, a man named Oscar Martay suggested having a film festival in West Berlin. With help from the American military, the first Berlin International Film Festival began in June 1951. The festival opened with the movie Rebecca at a theater in Steglitz. The first winners were chosen by a German group, and the movie Cinderella won an award for music films.

Early years and awards

From 1952 to 1955, the winners were chosen by the people watching the films. In 1956, an international group of judges started choosing the winners. Before 1961, some films were also shown in East Berlin. In 1957, a new theater called the Zoo Palast became the main place for the festival.

1960s

In 1963, some films from the festival were shown on television in East Germany. In 1968, a movie by Werner Herzog called Lebenszeichen had its first showing at the festival.

1970s

The 1970 festival had no winners because of a disagreement over a film about the Vietnam War. The festival continued the next year with a new section for new kinds of movies. In 1975, the first East German film was shown. In 1976, a movie was taken away because it was thought to be inappropriate. The festival moved from June to February in 1978, and a market for European films began that year. A special section for children called "Cinema for People Six and up" also started.

In 1979, some countries did not show their films because they disagreed with one of the movies chosen.

1980–2000

From 1980 to 2001, a man named Moritz de Hadeln led the festival. In 1981, he chose only one German film for the festival, which caused some people to ask for him to leave.

21st century

In 2001, Dieter Kosslick began leading the festival and made changes to focus more on German and international films. In 2010, a special walk of stars was created to honor important actors and filmmakers. In 2015, a new section for television series was added. In 2021, the festival was held online because of health concerns. The festival returned to normal in 2023 after a few years of changes. In 2024, a new leader named Tricia Tuttle began her first festival.

Description and governance

The Berlinale is one of the five biggest film festivals in the world, along with Venice, Cannes, Sundance, and Toronto. It is the largest film festival by the number of people who attend.

Each year, around 400 films are shown at the Berlinale, and about twenty of these films compete for the top prizes, called the Golden Bear and Silver Bears.

Since 2019, Mariette Rissenbeek has been in charge of running the festival, and Carlo Chatrian has been the artistic director. In September 2023, it was announced that Carlo Chatrian will step down after the 2024 Berlinale. On 12 December 2023, the German culture ministry said that Tricia Tuttle, who was the director of the BFI London Film Festival, will become the sole director of the Berlinale starting in April 2024.

Entries

The Berlin International Film Festival welcomes films of all kinds. It gives special attention to new films from around the world, especially from Europe. To join the festival, films must be finished in the year before the event. People can start sending their films in September of the year before the festival.

Festival programme

The Berlin International Film Festival has many parts. As of 2025, it has eight main sections.

• Competition: This is for full-length movies that haven’t been shown in their home country yet. They compete for awards, including the top prize called the Golden Bear, and several Silver Bears for acting, writing, and production.
• Berlinale Special and Berlinale Series: These parts feature a mix of films, events, and television series.
• Perspectives: This section is for first-time filmmakers from around the world.
• Berlinale Shorts: This part is for short films, which have their own special awards.
• Panorama: This shows creative and independent films that explore new ideas and styles. It is known for being queer, feminist, and political.
• Forum & Forum Expanded: These sections look deeper at films and film art, with around 40 films chosen by the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art.
• Generation: This includes two parts, Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus, showing films about children and teenagers. It started in 1978 and has grown over time.
• Retrospective, Berlinale Classics & Homage: This part honors important filmmakers with the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement.

Some sections have changed over the years. For example, “Perspektive Deutsches Kino” was dropped in 2024 due to budget cuts. Other sections like “Culinary Cinema” and “NATIVe” were also discontinued after 2019. A section called Encounters ran from 2020 until it was replaced by Perspectives in 2025.

Awards

See also: Golden Bear

The Golden Bear is the top prize for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1951, the first year, it was given to the best film in five categories by a German jury.

From 1952 to 1955, the Golden and Silver Bears were chosen by audiences. This was because only the Cannes and Venice film festivals could have official juries at that time. A Silver Bear and a Bronze Berlin Bear were also given out by audience votes during those years. Starting in 1956, an official international jury decided the winners. That same year, a second Golden Bear was added for the best short film, and a new Silver Bear category was created for individual achievements in acting or directing. In 1965, another prize was added as a runner-up to the Golden Bear.

The trophies are based on a bear design created by sculptor Renée Sintenis in 1932. The bear, which is part of the coat of arms of Berlin, shows a bear standing on its hind legs with its arms raised. Since 1953, copies of this bear have been made by the Noack Foundry.

The main prizes today are given by an international jury and include the Golden Bear and several Silver Bears. As of 2022, the Golden Bear for Best Film is awarded to the producers of the best feature film.

As of 2022, the Silver Bear awards include:

• Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
• Silver Bear Jury Prize
• Silver Bear for Best Director
• Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance
• Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance
• Silver Bear for Best Screenplay
• Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution

The Honorary Golden Bear has been given for lifetime achievement since 1982. It is awarded to someone with an exceptional career and is presented to the guest of honour in the Homage section.

Awards for short films are decided by a separate international jury. As of 2022, these include:

• Golden Bear for Best Short Film
• Silver Bear for Best Short Film
• Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards

There are also many other awards given at the festival by different groups or juries.

Venues

The Berlinale happens in many special places in Berlin. One place is Cubix Kino at Alexanderplatz. Another is the Verti Music Hall on Uber-Platz in Friedrichshain. The Theater am Potsdamer Platz, a theatre for musicals, changes its name to the Berlinale Palast during the festival. It shows important new films and holds special events. Since 2000, the CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz has also been used for press screenings.

Related events

European Film Market

The European Film Market (EFM) is a big trade fair for selling and sharing movies. It started in 1978 and has become one of the largest film markets in the world. It happens every year and is the first big film market of the year. Companies use it to show new movies and meet others in the film industry. It takes place in several spots in Berlin, including famous theaters and hotels.

Berlinale Talents

Main article: Berlinale Talents

Since 2003, the Berlinale has included Berlinale Talents, a special school for new filmmakers. It happens at the same time as the festival and brings together about 250 students from all over the world. For six days, they learn from famous filmmakers through talks, workshops, and special activities.

Jury presidents

Main article: List of Berlin International Film Festival jury presidents

Since 1956, a famous person from the movies has led the jury for the Berlin International Film Festival. They help choose the winners of the awards. In 2021, six directors from past winning films chose the winners instead.

World Cinema Fund

The World Cinema Fund (WCF) helps movies from places where making films is difficult. It started in 2004 to support special stories that show the true culture of different places. Each year, it gives money to movies that are still being made.

The WCF works with groups in Germany and other countries. It focuses on helping movies from parts of the world like Latin America, Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Caucasus, as well as Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka.

Some films that got help from the WCF include:

• Paradise Now (2005, Palestine)
• The Other (2007, Argentina)
• Ajami (2009, Israel/Palestine)
• The Wind Journeys (2009, Colombia, Argentina)
• Harmony Lessons (2013, Kazakhstan)
• Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories (Vietnam, 2015)
• Rojo (2018, Argentina)
• Talking About Trees (2019, Sudan, Chad)
• Whether the Weather Is Fine (Philippines, 2021)