The 1st annual

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

was held from 6 to 17 June 1951 at the

Titiana-Palast The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

cinema. The opening film was

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

''. At this very first Berlin Festival, the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

award was introduced, and it was awarded to the best film in each of five categories: drama, comedy, crime or adventure, music film, and documentary. This system disappeared already the following year because

FIAPF The FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films; en, International Federation of Film Producers Associations), created in 1933, is an organization composed with 36 member associations from 30 of the leading audio ...

(Federation Internationale des Associations des Producteurs de Films) stated that the awarding of prizes by an expert jury was reserved for "A-festivals" only. Instead, the next year's festival awards were voted on by the audience.

Jury

The following people from West Germany were announced as being on the jury for the festival: * Fritz Podehl, playwright and producer - Jury President * Johannes Betzel, cinema owner * Emil Dovifat, professor of political journalism * Werner Eisbrenner, composer and conductor *

Günther Geisler Günther, Guenther, Ginther, Gunther, and the variants Günter, Guenter, Guenther, Ginter, and Gunter, are Germanic names derived from ''Gunthere, Gunthari'', composed of '' *gunþiz'' "battle" (Old Norse ''gunnr'') and ''heri, hari'' "army". Gun ...

, journalist and critic * Walter Karsch, critic and publisher * Hilde Lucht-Perske, city councilor *

Tatjana Sais Tatjana Sais, Lady Greene (28 January 1910 – 26 February 1981) was a German film actress. She appeared in 20 films between 1937 and 1967 and was a member of the jury at the 1st Berlin International Film Festival. She was married to Günte ...

, actress *

Paul Heimann Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

, pedagogue and reader * Johannes Betzel, cinema operator

Films in competition

The following films were in competition for the

awards:

Key

Awards

The following prizes were awarded by the Jury: West German jury *

** '' Die Vier im Jeep'' by

Leopold Lindtberg Leopold Lindtberg (born in Vienna on 1 June 1902; died in Sils im Engadin/Segl on 18 April 1984) was an Austrian Swiss film and theatre director. He fled Austria due to the Machtergreifung in Germany and ultimately settled in Switzerland. His ...

– Golden Bear for Best Drama ** '' ...Sans laisser d'adresse'' by

Jean-Paul Le Chanois Jean-Paul Étienne Dreyfus, better known as Jean-Paul Le Chanois (25 October 1909 – 8 July 1985), was a French film director, screenwriter and actor. His film '' ...Sans laisser d'adresse'' won the Golden Bear (Comedies) award at the 1s ...

– Golden Bear for Best Comedy ** ''

In Beaver Valley ''In Beaver Valley'' is a 1950 American short documentary film directed by James Algar. The film was produced by Walt Disney as part of the '' True-Life Adventures'' series of nature documentaries. It won an Oscar in 1951 for Best Short Subjec ...

'' by

James Algar James Algar (June 11, 1912 – February 26, 1998) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He worked at Walt Disney Productions for 43 years and received the Disney Legends award in 1998. He was born in Modesto, California ...

– Golden Bear for Best Documentary ** '' Justice est faite'' by

André Cayatte André Cayatte (3 February 1909, in Carcassonne – 6 February 1989, in Paris) was a French filmmaker, writer and lawyer, who became known for his films centering on themes of crime, justice, and moral responsibility. Cayatte began his directoral ...

– Golden Bear for Best Crime or Adventure Film ** ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'' by

Wilfred Jackson Wilfred Jackson (January 24, 1906 – August 7, 1988) was an American animator, arranger, composer and director best known for his work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' and ''Silly Symphonies'' series of cartoons and the ''Night on Bald Mountain''/''Ave M ...

– Golden Bear for Best Music Film *Silver Bear ** '' Il cammino della speranza'' – Silver Bear for Best Drama ** '' Leva på 'Hoppet''' – Silver Bear for Best Comedy ** ''

The Tales of Hoffmann ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (French: ) is an by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on three short stories by E. T. A. Hoffmann, who is the protagonist of the story. It was Offenbach's final work; he died ...

'' – Silver Bear for Best Music film *Bronze Bear ** '' The Undefeated'' – Bronze Bear for Best Documentary ** '' The Browning Version'' – Bronze Bear for Best Drama ** '' The Mating Season'' – Bronze Bear for Best Comedy ** '' Destination Moon'' – Bronze Bear for Best Crime or Adventure Film *Golden Medal ** '' Kleine Nachtgespenster'' – Golden Medal for Best Culture Films and Documentaries ** ''

Der Film entdeckte Kunstwerke indianischer Vorzeit Der or DER may refer to: Places * Darkənd, Azerbaijan * Dearborn (Amtrak station) (station code), in Michigan, US * Der (Sumer), an ancient city located in modern-day Iraq * d'Entrecasteaux Ridge, an oceanic ridge in the south-west Pacific Ocean ...

'' – Golden Medal for Best Arts and Science Film ** '' The Story of Time'' – Golden Medal for Best Advertising Film *Silver Medal ** ''

Begone Dull Care ''Begone Dull Care'' is a 1949 visual music animated film directed by Norman McLaren and Evelyn Lambart. Summary Using drawn-on-film animation, McLaren and Lambart painted and scratched directly onto film stock to create a visual representa ...

'' – Silver Medal for Best Culture Films and Documentaries ** ''

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

'' – Silver Medal for Best Arts and Science Film ** '' Het gala-Concert'' – Silver Medal for Best Advertising Film *Bronze Medal ** '' Der gelbe Dom'' – Bronze Medal for Best Culture Films and Documentaries ** '' Bosch'' – Bronze Medal for Best Arts and Science Film ** '' Blick ins Paradies'' – Bronze Medal for Best Advertising Film Audience Vote *Large Bronze plate – ''

'' *Small Bronze plate – '' The Browning Version'' Special Prize of the city of West Berlin *Special prize for an excellent Film Achievement – '' Il Christo probito'' *Special prize for an excellent Film Achievement – ''

God Needs Men ''God Needs Men'' (French: ''Dieu a besoin des hommes'') is a 1950 French historical drama film directed by Jean Delannoy and starring Pierre Fresnay, Madeleine Robinson and Daniel Gélin. The film is based on a 1944 novel ''Un recteur de l'Î ...

'' *Certificate of Honour – ''

Dr. Holl ''Dr. Holl'' is a 1951 West German drama film directed by Rolf Hansen and starring Maria Schell, Dieter Borsche and Carl Wery. At the 1st Berlin International Film Festival it won the Certificate of Honour award. It was shot at the Bavaria St ...

References

External links

Berlin International Film Festival 1951: Inaugural CeremonyBerlin International Film Festival:1951
at

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin International Film Festival, 1st 01 1951 film festivals 1951 in West Germany 1950s in Berlin