Berlin International Film Festival facts for kids

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Berlin International Film Festival
Current: 76th

Location	Berlin, Germany
Founded	6 June 1951; 74 years ago (1951-06-06)
Awards	Golden Bear, Silver Bear
Artistic director	Tricia Tuttle
77th 75th

The Berlin International Film Festival, often called the Berlinale, is a big annual film festival in Berlin, Germany. It started in 1951 and was first held in June. Since 1978, it has taken place every February. The Berlinale is one of Europe's "Big Three" film festivals, along with the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Cannes Film Festival in France. It is also one of the "Big Five," which are considered the most important film festivals in the world. Many thousands of people visit the festival each year.

About 400 films are shown at different places across Berlin, especially around Potsdamer Platz. These films come from many different genres, like action, comedy, and drama. Around twenty films compete for the festival's top prizes in the "Competition" section. The main awards are the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears. An international jury, led by a famous person from the film world, chooses the winners. Other special juries and groups also give out many different awards.

The European Film Market (EFM) is a large event for people in the film industry. It happens at the same time as the Berlinale. This market is where film distributors, buyers, producers, and investors meet. The Berlinale Talents is another event held with the festival. It is a week of talks and workshops for young filmmakers who are just starting their careers.

History of the Berlinale

Delphi Filmpalast

How the Festival Started

In 1950, during a time called the Cold War, a man named Oscar Martay had an idea. He worked for the American government in West Berlin and suggested starting a film festival there. His idea was approved, and the first Berlin International Film Festival began in June 1951. Dr. Alfred Bauer was the festival's first director and led it until 1976.

The very first festival opened with Alfred Hitchcock's film Rebecca on June 6, 1951. It lasted until June 17. The winners of the first awards were chosen by a German group. Five films won the Golden Bear in different categories. The audience also voted for their favorite film, which was Cinderella.

Early Years and Awards

At first, an organization called FIAPF did not allow the festival to have a jury choose the winners. So, from 1952 to 1955, the audience voted for the Golden Bear winners. In 1956, FIAPF officially recognized the festival. Since then, an international jury has chosen the Golden Bear winners.

Before the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, some films were also shown in East Berlin. In 1955, the German film Die Ratten was the first to win the Golden Bear. The Zoo Palast cinema became the main festival venue in 1957. It remained the main location until the festival moved to Potsdamer Platz in 2000.

The 1960s

Charlton Heston speaking to Magda during the 11th Berlin International Film Festival, 1961

In 1963, after the Berlin Wall was built, a daily show about the Berlinale was broadcast on television in East Germany. It showed five films from the competition.

In 1964, a film called 491 was removed from the competition due to its themes, causing disagreement. This decision was made by the festival director, Alfred Bauer.

The famous director Werner Herzog showed his first feature film, Lebenszeichen, at the festival in 1968.

The 1970s

The 20th festival in 1970 ended early, and no awards were given. This happened because of a big disagreement over an anti-war film called o.k.. The jury decided to remove the film from the competition, saying that film festivals should help nations understand each other better. This caused a big disagreement, and other directors withdrew their films. The jury was disbanded, and no prizes were given that year.

This event was so impactful that people wondered if the festival would continue. Luckily, the festival was reorganized the next year. A new section called the International Forum for New Cinema was created.

In 1975, the first film from East Germany, Jacob the Liar, was shown at the festival.

In 1976, Wolf Donner took over from Alfred Bauer as director. He focused more on German films. Donner also successfully moved the festival from June to February, starting in 1978. The festival has been held in February ever since.

At the 28th festival in 1978, the jury gave the Golden Bear to Spain for its overall contribution. Three Spanish films shared this honor. This year also saw the start of the European Film Market and a new section for children's films, which later became "Kinderfilmfest."

Berlinale Palast (also known as Theater am Potsdamer Platz), main venue since 2000

Just before the 1979 festival, Donner announced he was leaving. That year, some countries, including the Soviet Union, withdrew their films. They were protesting the selection of the film The Deer Hunter.

1980–2000

Moritz de Hadeln became the director in 1980 and stayed until 2001.

In 1986, Gina Lollobrigida led the jury. The film Stammheim won the Golden Bear. Gina Lollobrigida disagreed with the jury's decision, saying it was "prefabricated."

The 21st Century

Tricia Tuttle, Artistic Director of Berlinale (2024)

When Dieter Kosslick became director in 2001, he made some changes. He shifted the focus from Hollywood to German and international films. He also created events to help new German filmmakers.

In 2010, for the 60th festival, Werner Herzog was the jury president. Berlin also unveiled its "Boulevard of the Stars" that year. The first star honored was the German-American actress Marlene Dietrich.

In 2012, the festival celebrated the 100th anniversary of the famous Studio Babelsberg. They showed 10 classic films made at the studios. A new "Series" section, for long TV shows, was added in 2015.

In 2018, Mariette Rissenbeek became the new executive director, and Carlo Chatrian became the artistic director. They started their roles after Kosslick's last festival in 2019. Mariette Rissenbeek was the first woman to lead the Berlinale.

The 71st festival in March 2021 was held mostly online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 73rd festival in February 2023 was the first fully in-person Berlinale since 2020.

Tricia Tuttle became the new artistic director in April 2024. The 75th Berlinale in 2025 was her first festival.

Berlinale's logo

About the Berlinale

The Berlinale is one of the five most important film festivals in the world. It is also the largest based on how many people attend. In 2020, about 325,000 tickets were sold, and nearly 16,000 film professionals from 130 countries came to the festival. It attracts many thousands of visitors every year. For the 2022 event, 156,472 tickets were sold, as the festival was still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around 400 films are shown in different sections. About twenty films compete for the top awards, the Golden Bear and Silver Bears.

The festival receives funding from the German government. In 2022, it received €10.3 million.

Mariette Rissenbeek was the festival's executive director until 2024. Carlo Chatrian was the artistic director until the 2024 Berlinale. In December 2023, it was announced that Tricia Tuttle would become the sole director of the Berlinale starting in April 2024.

How Films are Chosen

The festival accepts films of all lengths and types. However, it prefers films that are being shown for the first time internationally or in Europe. The films must also have been finished in the year before the festival. Filmmakers can submit their films starting in September of the year before the festival.

Festival Programme Sections

Conference after a screening

Víctor Clavijo and F. Javier Gutiérrez in discussion with audience, 2008

Journalists at BIFF in 2008

The festival has eight different sections:

Competition: This section features full-length films that have not yet been released outside their home country. They compete for prizes like the Golden Bear for best film and several Silver Bears for acting, writing, and production.
Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series: This section shows a variety of films, special events, and television series.
Perspectives: This is a competition for first feature films by international filmmakers.
Berlinale Shorts: This section is dedicated to short films. Short films have received Golden and Silver Bears since 1955.
Panorama: This section shows innovative and independent films. It focuses on movies that explore important social and political topics.
Forum & Forum Expanded: This section looks at the art of filmmaking. It includes about 40 films and is organized by the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art.
Generation: This section has two parts, Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus. Both show international films that explore the lives of children and teenagers. This section started in 1978.
Retrospective, Berlinale Classics & Homage: This section, started in 1977, looks back at classic films and honors filmmakers for their lifetime achievements.

Some sections, like "Perspektive Deutsches Kino," "Culinary Cinema," and "NATIVe," were stopped in recent years due to budget changes or changes in leadership. The "Encounters" section was replaced by "Perspectives" in 2025.

Awards Given at the Berlinale

The Silver Bear statue

Jafar Panahi with Silver Bear, 2006

The Golden Bear (Goldener Bär) 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 each of five categories.

From 1952 to 1955, the audience voted for the Golden and Silver Bears. After 1956, an official international jury started choosing the winners. That same year, a second Golden Bear was added for the best short film. The Silver Bear award was also created for great achievements in acting or directing.

The award statues are shaped like a bear, which is a symbol of Berlin. The sculptor Renée Sintenis first created this bear design in 1932. Since 1953, copies of this bear have been made by the Noack Foundry for the awards.

Main Jury Prizes

The main prizes are given by the international jury. These include the Golden Bear and several Silver Bears. As of 2022, the Golden Bear for Best Film is given to the producers of the best full-length film.

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

Other Berlinale Awards

The Honorary Golden Bear has been given since 1982 to people with amazing careers in filmmaking. It is given to the special guest of the "Homage" section.

Awards for short films are chosen by a separate jury. These include:

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

Other awards are given by different juries or through other ways:

The Berlinale Camera has been awarded since 1986. It honors people and groups who have made special contributions to film.
Crystal Bears (Gläserner Bär) are given in the "Generation" section for children and teenagers.
The GWFF Best First Feature Award is given to the best first film.
The Heiner Carow Prize is for the best young German film.
Three prizes are awarded in the "Encounters" section.
The Berlinale Documentary Award is for the best documentary.
The Berlinale Series Award, started in 2023, is for the best television series. The Italian series The Good Mothers won the first award.
The Panorama Audience Award is chosen by the audience.
Readers' awards are given by newspapers.

Independent Awards

Other groups also give awards at the festival:

The Shooting Stars Award honors young European acting talent.
FIPRESCI awards are given for the best film in different sections.
Teddy Awards are for films that explore themes of diversity and inclusion.
The Prize of the Ecumenical Jury has been given since 1992.
The Amnesty International Film Award has been given since 2005.
The Peace Film Prize is also awarded.

Past Awards

Some awards are no longer given:

The Silver Bear for Best Actor and Silver Bear for Best Actress were given until 2020. They were replaced by awards for Best Leading and Supporting Performance.
The Alfred Bauer Prize was given from 1987 to 2020. This award was stopped after new information came to light about the past actions of Alfred Bauer, the festival's first director.

Festival Venues

Cubix Kino at Alexanderplatz
Verti Music Hall on Uber-Platz in Friedrichshain
Zoo Palast

The Theater am Potsdamer Platz is known as the Berlinale Palast during the festival. It hosts the premieres of competition films, special gala films, and the opening and awards ceremonies.

The CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz has 19 screens and has been a festival venue since 2000. It is used for press screenings. The Uber Eats Music Hall in the Friedrichshain district, which can seat 1900 people, became a Berlinale screening venue in 2022.

Name	As festival venue	Seating	Comments
Current Venues
Berlinale Palast	2000–	1639	This is the main venue for premieres and ceremonies.
CinemaxX	2000–	19 screens with total of 1500 seats	Used for market screenings and press screenings.
CineStar CUBIX	2007–	9 screens	This multiplex cinema at Alexanderplatz shows many festival films.
Delphi Filmpalast	since 1950s	675	A historic cinema near the Berlin Zoologischer Garten, used for the festival almost since it began.
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HFW)		1012	This venue in Tiergarten Park hosts premieres for the "Generation" youth section.
Uber Eats Music Hall	2018–	1900	A large hall used for festival screenings.
Zoo Palast 1 & 2	1957–1999; 2014–	779 (main hall)	This cinema was purpose-built for the festival and was its main home until 1999. It reopened in 2014 after renovations.
Previous Venues
Titiana-Palast	1951 – ?	1200	The first festival in 1951 opened here.
Waldbühne	1951 – ?		An open-air cinema that was also used for the first festival.

Related Events

European Film Market (EFM)

Martin-Gropius-Bau

The European Film Market (EFM) is a large event where people buy and sell films. It started in 1978 and has grown to be one of the three biggest film markets in the world. It is the first major film market of the year.

The EFM provides spaces for companies to show their new films. They also organize screenings of new movies in cinemas around Potsdamer Platz. It is an event for film industry professionals, like producers and distributors. In 2020, 971 screenings of 732 films took place. The event lasts eight days and happens in several locations, including the Gropius Bau.

Berlinale Talents

Wim Wenders attended the Talent Campus as a lecturer.

Since 2003, the Berlinale has partnered with the Berlinale Talents. This is a special program for young filmmakers that happens at the same time as the festival. About 250 people from all over the world and from different filmmaking jobs are chosen each year.

The event lasts six days during the Berlinale. It includes talks and discussions with famous film professionals. There are also workshops, trips, and personal coaching for the participants. Many of these talks are saved online as videos and written notes.

Berlinale Co-Production Market

The Berlinale Co-Production Market is a five-day event for networking. It brings together producers, investors, and broadcasting representatives. They meet to work on international film projects together.

Jury Presidents

Since 1956, a well-known person from the film world has led the festival's jury. In 2021, the directors of six past Golden-Bear-winning films decided the awards for the 71st Berlinale.

World Cinema Fund

The World Cinema Fund (WCF) works with the Berlinale. It helps provide money for film projects in countries where the film industry is not very strong. It was started in 2004 to support films that have a unique artistic style and tell powerful stories about their culture.

The WCF works with the Federal Foundation for Culture and other partners. It aims to help cinema grow in regions with less film infrastructure. It also helps bring different cultures to German cinemas. The fund provides money for making and distributing full-length films and documentaries. It focuses on countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.

Some films that have received funding from the WCF include: