The Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of the "Big Three" alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Cannes Film Festival in France. Tens of thousands of visitors attend each year.
The 59th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 February to 15 February 2009. The opening film of the festival was Tom Tykwer’s The International, screened out of competition. Costa-Gavras's immigrant drama Eden Is West served as the closing night film at the festival. The festival's jury president was actress Tilda Swinton of the United Kingdom.
DAU is a 2019 Russian film of the DAU project organised by Ilya Khrzhanovsky. The film deals with the life of the Nobel Prize-winning Soviet scientist Lev Landau. The premiere in Paris on 25 January 2019 was in the form of a dozen feature films screened inside an extensive around-the-clock immersive installation. The film is one of Russia's largest and most controversial cinematic projects.
The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the President of the Jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The first seven films of the festival were announced on 15 December 2014. Isabel Coixet's Nobody Wants the Night was announced as the opening film.
The 66th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2016, with American actress Meryl Streep as the President of the Jury. The Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement was presented to German cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Hail, Caesar!, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, was selected to open the festival. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Italian documentary Fire at Sea, directed by Gianfranco Rosi, which also serves as closing night film.
The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President. American film director Wes Anderson's animated film Isle of Dogs opened the festival, becoming first animated film to open the fest. The Romanian film Touch Me Not directed by Adina Pintilie won the Golden Bear, which also served as the closing night film.
Synonyms is a 2019 international co-produced drama film directed by Nadav Lapid, from a screenplay by Lapid and Haim Lapid. It stars Tom Mercier, Quentin Dolmaire and Louise Chevillotte. It had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on 13 February 2019, where it won the Golden Bear, and the FIPRESCI Award (Competition). It was released in Israel on 28 February 2019, in France on 27 March 2019, by SBS Distribution and in Germany on 5 September 2019, by Grand Film. The film received positive reviews from critics.
DAU is a multidisciplinary project at the intersection of cinema, art, and anthropology, which had its premiere in Paris in early 2019.
The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival heads, business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian. The festival opened with the opening gala presented by actor Samuel Finzi followed by the world premiere of the film My Salinger Year which was selected for the Berlinale Special section. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Iranian film There Is No Evil, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.
All the Dead Ones is a 2020 Brazilian drama film directed by Caetano Gotardo and Marco Dutra. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.
Bad Tales is a 2020 Italian-Swiss drama film written and directed by Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where the D'Innocenzo brothers were awarded with the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.
Delete History is a 2020 French-Belgian comedy film co-produced, written and directed by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin, the film won the Silver Bear 70th Berlinale prize. The film is also scheduled to show at the 2020 Angoulême Film Festival.
Hidden Away is a 2020 Italian biographical drama film co-written, directed and co-edited by Giorgio Diritti. It stars Elio Germano as Italian painter Antonio Ligabue, who lived a notoriously reclusive life, troubled with physical problems and mental illness.
The Intruder is a 2020 Argentine thriller film directed by Natalia Meta. The film is loosely based on the novel El mal menor by C. E. Feiling. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. It was selected as the Argentine entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Siberia is a 2020 psychological thriller film directed by Abel Ferrara. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it premiered on 24 February 2020.
Days is a 2020 Taiwanese drama film directed by Tsai Ming-liang. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. It won the jury Teddy Award at the 70th Berlinale.
Irradiated is a 2020 Cambodian documentary film directed by Rithy Panh. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.
There Is No Evil is a 2020 Iranian drama film directed by Mohammad Rasoulof. Banned in Iran, the film relates four stories concerning the death penalty in Iran.
The Woman Who Ran is a 2020 South Korean drama film written, produced, directed, edited and scored by Hong Sang-soo. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin, Hong Sang-soo won the Silver Bear for Best Director.
The 71st annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 1 to 5 March 2021 as a virtual festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-person event has also been tentatively scheduled for June, pending the resolution of the COVID-19 issue.
