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76th edition
Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin, Germany
February 10-21, 2027
11 days
About Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and takes place every February in Berlin. Founded in 1951, it is among the 'Big Three' European festivals alongside Cannes and Venice. Its documentary offering includes the Berlinale Documentary Award, Panorama Dokumente and non-fiction works selected across Competition, Encounters and Forum. The festival combines a public-facing program with the co-production market and industry events of the European Film Market.
Festival details
Location
Berlin, Germany
Scope
International
Focus
Documentary · Fiction · Short Film · Series
Duration
11 days
Founded
1951
Awards
Berlinale Documentary Award
Prize honoring an outstanding documentary selected from the Berlinale's official programme, endowed with €40,000.
Golden Bear
Top prize of the festival, awarded to the best film in the Competition, open to documentaries and fiction alike.
Silver Bears
Set of awards given in the main Competition, including Grand Jury Prize, Best Director and acting awards.
Encounters Award
Award for aesthetically and structurally daring works from independent, innovative filmmakers.
Panorama Audience Award
Audience-voted award with separate categories for fiction and documentary.
Special programs
Competition
The festival's main selection of feature films competing for the Golden and Silver Bears.
Panorama Dokumente
Dedicated documentary strand inside the Panorama section.
Forum
Experimental and essayistic strand with a strong tradition of long-form documentary work.
Encounters
Competitive section dedicated to bold independent works across fiction and documentary.
Generation
Films for young audiences, including documentary features and shorts.
For filmmakers
Screening eligibility
Films must not have been screened publicly outside their country of production before the Berlinale.
Accepted formats
Feature, Short, Documentary, Fiction
Best Documentary Films
Award-Winning Documentaries
Curated For You
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