
Berlin International Film Festival unveiled the official poster for the upcoming 71st edition of the festival taking place in two stages – Industry event and the Summer Special.
The Berlinale is a unique place of artistic exploration and entertainment. It is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. For the film industry and the media, the eleven days in February are also one of the most important events in the annual calendar and an indispensable trading forum.
The Berlin International Film Festival enjoys an eventful history. The festival was created for the Berlin public in 1951, at the beginning of the Cold War, as a “showcase of the free world”. Shaped by the turbulent post-war period and the unique situation of a divided city, the Berlinale has developed into a place of intercultural exchange and a platform for the critical cinematic exploration of social issues. To this day it is considered the most political of all the major film festivals.
Berlin International Film Festival started in 1951 and takes place in Berlin, Germany, Europe

Berlin International Film Festival unveiled the official poster for the upcoming 71st edition of the festival taking place in two stages – Industry event and the Summer Special.

As part of the festival format in 2021, the directors of six Golden Bear winning films will decide on the prizes in the International Competition at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival and will view the films on the big screen in Berlin. A jury presidency is not planned for this year.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the 71st Berlin International Film Festival has developed a new festival format for 2021. The industry platforms European Film Market, Berlinale Co-Production Market, Berlinale Talents and the World Cinema Fund will kick off the 71st Berlinale in March with an online offer. In June, there will be a summer event with numerous film screenings for the public audiences – in cinemas as well as open air.

Berlin Film Festival today confirmed that founding director Alfred Bauer, after whom the Silver Bear – Alfred Bauer Prize award was named, did play a role in the Reichsfilmintendanz which was more significant than previously known and was systematically covered up by him after 1945. Reichsfilmintendanz was the central institution for controlling film production in the Nazi regime.

Toronto International Film Festival and the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR*) and its founding institutions, the European Film Academy, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and International Film Festival Rotterdam have issued calls for the Sudanese authorities to release filmmaker Hajooj Kuka and the four artists imprisoned with him.

The European Film Academy and the Berlin International Film Festival issued a statement calling for the immediate and unconditional release of writer, human rights lawyer, and activist Nasrin Sotoudeh.

The Berlin International Film Festival is proceeding with plans for 2021 to host a physical festival; and a hybrid model for the European Film Market (EFM). Final implementation of the Festival and Market will take place in accordance with the then-applicable rules and regulations. Adjustments in the festival structure, the film programming and the total number of invited films will be defined by the festival management within the coming weeks.

The We Are One: A Global Film Festival, co-curated by 21 prolific festivals including Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival, will feature over 100 films, in addition to talks, VR content and musical performances. The festival, produced and organized by Tribeca Enterprises and YouTube, will run exclusively May 29 – June 7 on YouTube.

Tribeca is partnering with YouTube to launch We Are One: A Global Film Festival, an unprecedented 10-day digital film festival exclusively on YouTube, to present festival programming for free to audiences around the world. Set to begin on May 29 on YouTube.com/WeAreOne, the festival will feature programming curated by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, International Film Festival & Awards Macao (IFFAM), Jerusalem Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI), Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and more.

The Iranian film There Is No Evil by Mohammad Rasoulof won the top prize, the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The film also won the Guild Film Prize. Director Mohammad Rasoulof is banned from leaving Iran and was unable to accept the Golden Bear in person.

Sweet Thing by Alexandre Rockwell won the Crystal Bear for the Best Film in Generation Kplus at 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. Los Lobos (The Wolves) by Samuel Kishi Leopo, Mexico snagged the Grand Prix of the International Jury.

Berln Film Festival announced the prize winners of the section Perspektive Deutsches Kino, with the Compass-Perspektive-Award for the best film going to Janna Ji Wonders for the film Walchensee Forever. The prize is endowed with 5,000 Euros, and as a trophy, the director received a real compass, which is intended to serve as symbolic orientation and show her the direction to take going into the future.