Berlin International Film Festival

Winter in Berlin

The Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, was founded in 1951 and is one of the three biggest film festivals in Europe, alongside Cannes and Venice. It takes place every February, which makes it the first major festival of the year, with premieres held in the cold under bright lights.

Potsdamer Platz

Since 2000 the festival's centre has been Potsdamer Platz, where the Berlinale Palast hosts the gala premieres and the red carpet. Screenings spread across cinemas all over the city, including historic venues such as the Zoo Palast.

Bears of gold and silver

The jury awards the Golden Bear for the best film and several Silver Bears, including the Grand Jury Prize and best director. In 2021 the festival replaced its separate best actor and best actress awards with gender-neutral prizes for best leading and best supporting performance, one of the first major festivals to do so. An Honorary Golden Bear celebrates lifetime achievement.

A festival for everyone

Unlike Cannes, the Berlinale is built around public audiences. Anyone can buy tickets, and the festival sells hundreds of thousands each year, making it one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Sections include Panorama for bold new films, Forum for experimental work, and Generation, which shows films for children and teenagers with young audiences voting on prizes.

Talents and business

Berlinale Talents brings young filmmakers and actors together for workshops with established names, and the European Film Market runs alongside as a major marketplace. International stars from Hollywood, Europe and India regularly premiere films here; Shah Rukh Khan's My Name Is Khan premiered at the 2010 edition. See our film festivals guide to compare it with the others.

Visiting tips

Tickets usually go on sale online a few days before each screening, and popular premieres sell out within minutes, so plan ahead and be flexible. Berlin is cold in February, so pack warm clothes for queuing. Many screenings include talks with directors and actors afterwards, which is one of the best parts of the festival for film fans.

Did you know? The Golden Bear echoes the bear on Berlin's coat of arms, a symbol of the city for centuries. The festival also gives a prize for the best first feature across its sections, and its Generation section lets young audiences meet filmmakers after screenings and ask questions.

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