The 75th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 13 and 23 February 2025 in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany. American filmmaker

Todd Haynes Todd Haynes (; born January 2, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films span four decades with themes examining the personalities of well-known musicians, dysfunctional and dystopian societies, and blurred gender ...

was named the Jury President for the main competition. It marked the first edition of

Tricia Tuttle Tricia Tuttle (born 1970) is an American festival programmer, film journalist, and curator. Since 2024, she has served as the director of the Berlin International Film Festival. Life and career Tuttle was born in 1970 in North Carolina. She pla ...

as the festival's artistic director after Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek stepped down after the 2024 edition. ''

Dreams (Sex Love) ''Dreams (Sex Love)'' () is a 2024 Norwegian drama film written and directed by Dag Johan Haugerud. In between ''Sex'' and ''Love'', it is the second part of a trilogy by Haugerud that deals with the complexity of human relationships, sexualit ...

'' directed by

Dag Johan Haugerud Dag Johan Haugerud (born 30 December 1964) is a Norwegian librarian, novelist, screenwriter and film director. His films include ''I Belong (film), I Belong'', which won Amanda Awards in 2013, ''Beware of Children (film), Beware of Children'', ...

won the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

. The

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (also Jury Grand Prix, Grand Prize of the Jury) is an award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition. It is the runner-up to the Golden Bear prize an ...

was awarded to '' The Blue Trail'' by

Gabriel Mascaro Gabriel Mascaro (born September 24, 1983) is a Brazilian visual artist and film director. Biography Gabriel Mascaro was born in Recife, the capital of the State of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil, on September 24, 1983. Belonging to the recent ...

. While the

Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance () is an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival for an outstanding performance in a leading role and chosen by the jury from the films in main competition at the festival. It was f ...

was awarded to

Rose Byrne Mary Rose Byrne (born 24 July 1979) is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film ''Dallas Doll'' (1994) , and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She gained her first leading film role in ...

for ''

If I Had Legs I'd Kick You ''If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'' is a 2025 American drama film directed and written by Mary Bronstein and starring Rose Byrne, Conan O'Brien, Danielle Macdonald, and ASAP Rocky. The film is set to be distributed by A24. Premise With her life crashi ...

.'' The festival opened with German drama film '' The Light'' by

Tom Tykwer Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films ''Run Lola Run'' (1998), ''Heaven (2002 film), Heaven'' (2002), ''Perfume: The Sto ...

. During the opening ceremony, British actress

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. She is known for playing eccentric and enigmatic characters, often working with auteurs. Her accolades include an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and a Volpi Cup, in addit ...

was awarded the

Honorary Golden Bear The Honorary Golden Bear () is the Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, ...

Juries

Main Competition

, American filmmaker – Jury President *

Fan Bingbing Fan Bingbing (, born 16 September 1981) is a Chinese actress. After gaining recognition for the costume drama '' My Fair Princess'' (1998–1999), Fan's breakthrough came with Feng Xiaogang's blockbuster '' Cell Phone'' (2003), which won her th ...

, Chinese actress *

Maria Schrader Maria Schrader (born 27 September 1965) is a German actress, screenwriter, and director. She directed the award-winning 2007 film ''Love Life'' and the 2020 Netflix miniseries '' Unorthodox'', for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...

, German actress and filmmaker *

Rodrigo Moreno Rodrigo Moreno (born October 1972 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentinian film director and screenwriter. According to Joel Poblete, who writes for cinema magazine ''Mabuse'', Moreno is one of the members of the so-called "New Argentine Cinema" whi ...

, Argentinian filmmaker *

Nabil Ayouch Nabil Ayouch (born 1 April 1969) is a Franco-Moroccan television and film director, producer, and writer. His films have been screened at international film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival. Early li ...

, Franco-Moroccan filmmaker * Bina Daigeler, German costume designer *

Amy Nicholson Amy Nicholson is an American film criticism, film critic for the Los Angeles Times. She is the co-host of the podcast ''Unspooled''. She has reviewed films for several publications, including ''LA Weekly'', ''The New York Times'', ''Variety (mag ...

, American film critic and author

Perspectives Jury (GWFF Best First Feature Award)

Meryam Joobeur Meryam Joobeur is a Tunisian Canadian film director."Portrait de ...

, Tunisian filmmaker *

Aïssa Maïga Aïssa Maïga (born 5 May 1975) is a Senegal-born French actress, director, writer, producer, and activist. Maïga has worked with major auteurs like Michael Haneke, Abderrahmane Sissako and Michel Gondry, and recently starred in Chiwetel Ejio ...

, French actress *

María Zamora María Zamora may refer to: * María Zamora (softball) * María Zamora (producer) * María Zamora (Cuban sprinter) * María Zamora (Mexican sprinter) {{hndis, Zamora, Maria ...

, Spanish producer

Short Film Competition

* Dascha Dauenhauer, German composer * Jing Haase, Danish producer * Phạm Ngọc Lân, Vietnamese filmmaker and producer

Generation Jury

* Emma Branderhorst, Dutch filmmaker * Ikoro Sekai, Canadian film curator at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

* Aslı Özarslan, German filmmaker

Berlinale Documentary Award Jury

Petra Costa Petra Costa (born 8 July 1984) is a Brazilian filmmaker and actress. In 2020, her documentary film ''The Edge of Democracy'' was nominated for Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature at the 92nd Academy Awards ...

, Brazilian filmmaker * Lea Glob, Danish filmmaker *

Kazuhiro Soda is a Japanese documentary filmmaker and author based in New York City. He is known for his observational method of documentary filmmaking. Soda obtained a degree in religious studies from the University of Tokyo in 1993 and a BFA in filmmaking ...

, Japanese filmmaker

Official Sections

Main Competition

The following films were selected for the main competition for the

on 21 January 2025:

Berlinale Special

The following films are selected for the Berlinale Special screening:

Perspectives

14 films will be competing for the Best First Feature Award. The following films were selected for the first edition of the Perspectives section:

Berlinale Short Film Competition

The following films are selected for the Berlinale's

Short Film Golden Bear The Golden Bear for the Best Short Film () is the top prize for the short film competition of the Berlin International Film Festival. Winners 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also * Silver ...

Competition section:

Panorama

The following films were selected for the Panorama section:

Forum

The following films were selected for the Forum section:

Generation

The following films were selected for the Generation sections:

Berlinale Classics

The following films were selected for the Berlinale Classics section:

Retrospective

The following films were selected for the Retrospective section:

Berlinale EFM

The following films were selected for the out of competition EFM section: * ''100 Liters of Gold'', directed by Teemu Nikki (Finland) * ''Abode of Down'', directed by Kristina Shtubert (Germany) * ''About Woman'', directed by Maurice Trouwborst (Netherlands) * ''The Forbidden City'', directed by

Gabriele Mainetti Gabriele Mainetti (born 7 November 1976) is an Italian film director, actor, screenwriter, composer and producer. Career Mainetti started his career in the film industry as an actor for minor comedies and television series; as a director, he rec ...

(Italy) * ''Loss of Balance'', directed by Korek Bojanowski (Poland) * ''Luisa'', directed by Julia Roesler (Germany) * ''The Last Beautiful Thing'', directed by Luca Luongo (Italy) * ''Muganga'', directed by Marie-Hélène Roux (France) * ''Mr. Burton'', directed by

Marc Evans Marc Evans (born 1960) is a Welsh director of film and television, whose credits include the films ''House of America'', ''Resurrection Man (film), Resurrection Man'' and ''My Little Eye''. Biography Evans was born in 1960 in Cardiff, Wales. H ...

(United Kingdom) * ''Silent Storms'', directed by Dania Reymond-Boughenou (France) * '' That Summer in Paris'', directed by Valentine Cadic (France) * ''The Art Whisperer'', directed by Flemming Fynsk (United States) * ''The Perfect Gamble'', directed by

Danny Abeckaser Danny A. Abeckaser () is an Israeli-born American actor, director and filmmaker. Early life Abeckaser was born in Israel, the sixth of seven children of Moroccan Jewish parents who immigrated to the U.S. in 1980. He grew up in Brooklyn. Career ...

(United States) * ''

The Things You Kill ''The Things You Kill'' is a 2025 mystery film written and directed by Alireza Khatami. The film stars Ekin Koç as a university professor who solicits his gardener to seek vengeance after the suspicious death of his mother. Erkan Kolçak Kösten ...

'', directed by Alireza Khatami (France, Canada) * ''The Rule of Jenny Pen'', directed by James Ashcroft (New Zealand) * ''Vena'', directed by Chiara Fleischhacker (Germany) * ''Vindicta'', directed by Dominik Sedlar (Croatia)

Official Awards

Main Competition

: ''

'' by

: '' The Blue Trail'' by

* Silver Bear Jury Prize: '' The Message'' by Iván Fund *

Silver Bear for Best Director The Silver Bear for Best Director () is an award presented annually at the Berlin International Film Festival since 1956. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury from the films in the Competition ...

: Huo Meng for '' Living the Land'' *

for ''

'' *

Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance () is an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival for an outstanding performance in a supporting role and chosen by the jury from the films in main competition at the festival. Th ...

: Andrew Scott for ''

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

'' *

Silver Bear for Best Screenplay The Silver Bear for Best Screenplay () is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in Screenwriting. Winners 2000s 2010s 2020s See also * Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay * Golden Osella f ...

Radu Jude Radu Jude (; born 28 March 1977) is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. Most known for his Golden Bear winner film ''Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn'' (2021). Biography In 2003, Jude graduated from the Film Directing Department of the Med ...

for ''

Kontinental '25 ''Kontinental '25'' is a 2025 comedy-drama film written and directed by Radu Jude. The title of the film is inspired by Roberto Rossellini's 1951 film ''Europe '51''. It stars Eszter Tompa as Orsolya, a bailiff in Cluj, who faces a moral crisis ...

'' *

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution The Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution () is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in crafting. Usually awarded to crew members, such as cinematographers, production designers, costume designers or editors ...

Lucile Hadžihalilović Lucile Emina Hadžihalilović (born 7 May 1961) is a French film director and screenwriter of Bosnian descent. She wrote and directed the short film '' La Bouche de Jean-Pierre'' (1996), and the feature films '' Innocence'' (2004), for which she ...

and the creative ensemble of '' The Ice Tower''

Honorary Golden Bear The Honorary Golden Bear () is the Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, ...

Berlinale Camera

* Rainer Rother

GWFF Best First Feature Award

* ''The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box)'' by Ernesto Martínez Bucio ** Special Mention: '' We Believe You'' by Arnaud Dufeys and Charlotte Devillers

Berlinale Documentary Award

* ''Holding Liat'' by Brandon Kramer ** Special Mention: *** '' The Memory of Butterflies'' by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski *** ''Canone effimero'' by Gianluca De Serio, Massimiliano De Serio

Berlinale Short Films Competition

* Golden Bear for Best Short Film: '' Lloyd Wong, Unfinished'' by Lesley Loksi Chan *

Silver Bear for Best Short Film The Silver Bear for the Best Short Film is the second most prestigious prize awarded in the short films competition at the Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an a ...

: ''

Ordinary Life "Ordinary Life" is a song written by Connie Harrington and Bonnie Baker, and recorded by American country music artist Chad Brock. It was released as the second single in November 1998 from his self-titled debut album, it peaked at number 3 on th ...

'' by Yoriko Mizushiri * CUPRA Special Award: ''Koki, Ciao'' by Quenton Miller

Generation

Generation Kplus – Children's Jury

* Crystal Bear for the Best Film: '' Maya, Give Me a Title'' by

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

** Special Mention: '' Circusboy'' by Julia Lemke and Anna Koch * Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film: '' Little Rebels Cinema Club'' by Khozy Rizal ** Special Mention: ''Down in the Dumps'' by Vera van Wolferen

Generation 14plus – Youth Jury Awards

* Crystal Bear for the Best Film: ''

Sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

'' by

Antoinette Jadaone Antoinette Hilario Jadaone (born April 3, 1984), popularly known as ''Tonet Jadaone'', is a Filipino filmmaker and podcast host. She is best known for directing '' That Thing Called Tadhana'' (2014), ''Love You to the Stars and Back'' (2017), '' ...

** Special Mention: ''

Playtime ''Playtime'' (stylized as ''PlayTime'' and also written as ''Play Time'') is a 1967 Satire (film and television), satirical comedy film directed and co-written by Jacques Tati. Tati also stars in the film, reprising the role of Monsieur Hulot ...

'' by

Lúcia Murat Lúcia Murat (born 1949) is a Brazilian filmmaker. Murat participated in the student and guerrilla movements against the military dictatorship in Brazil in the 1960–1970s. She was imprisoned and tortured by military agents; that experience exe ...

* Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film: ''Wish You Were Ear'' by Mirjana Balogh ** Special Mention: ''Sunset over America'' by Matías Rojas Valencia

Generation Kplus – International Jury

* Grand Prix for the Best Film in Generation Kplus: ''The Botanist'' by Jing Yi ** Special Mention: ''

Seaside Serendipity ''Seaside Serendipity'' () is a 2025 drama film for children, written and directed by Satoko Yokohama. The film based on Manga by Gin Miyoshi depicts a coastal town which attracts artists who involve children and adults in their mysterious activ ...

'' by Satoko Yokohama * Special Prize for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus: ''Autokar'' by Sylwia Szkiłądź ** Special Mention: ''Akababuru: Expression of Astonishment'' by Irati Dojura Landa Yagarí

Generation 14plus – International Jury

* Grand Prix for the Best Film in Generation 14plus: '' Christy'' by Brendan Canty ** Special Mention: ''Têtes Brûlées'' by Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama * Special Prize for the Best Short Film in Generation 14plus: ''Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child'' by Kevin Aubert ** Special Mention: ''Beneath Which Rivers Flow'' by Ali Yahya

Independent Awards

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury

* '' The Blue Trail'' by

(Competition) * ''The Heart Is a Muscle'' by Imran Hamdulay (Panorama) * ''Holding Liat'' by Brandon Kramer (Forum)

FIPRESCI Prizes

* ''

'' by

(Competition) * ''

Little Trouble Girls ''Little Trouble Girls ()'' is a 2025 Slovenian drama film co-written and directed by Urška Djukić in her directorial debut. The film revolves around introverted 16-year-old Lucija and her relationship with fellow student Ana-Marija. An inter ...

'' by Urška Djukić (Perspectives) * ''Under the Flags, the Sun'' by Juanjo Pereira (Panorama) * '' The Memory of Butterflies'' by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski (Forum)

Panorama Audience Award

* ''

Deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

'' by Eva Libertad * 2nd Place: ''Lesbian Space Princess'' by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese * 3rd Place: ''Home Sweet Home'' by Frelle Petersen

Panorama Audience Award – Documentary

* ''The Moelln Letters'' by Martina Priessner * 2nd Place: ''Yalla Parkour'' by Areeb Zuaiter * 3rd Place: ''Khartoum'' by Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea M Ahmed and Phil Cox

Teddy Award

* Best Feature Film: ''Lesbian Space Princess'' by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese * Best Documentary: ''Satanic Sow'' by

Rosa von Praunheim Holger Bernhard Bruno Mischwitzky (born Holger Radtke; 25 November 1942), known professionally as Rosa von Praunheim, is a German film director, author, producer, professor of directing and one of the most influential and famous LGBT social move ...

* Best Short Film: '' Lloyd Wong, Unfinished'' by Lesley Loksi Chan * Jury Award: '' If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart into Your Mouth and Smile'' by Marie Luise Lehner * Special Award:

Prize of the Guild of German Arthouse cinemas

* ''

'' by

** Special Mention: '' What Marielle Knows'' by Frédéric Hambalek

C.I.C.A.E. Art Cinema Award

* ''

'' by Eva Libertad (Panorama) * '' If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart into Your Mouth and Smile'' by Marie Luise Lehner (Forum)

Label Europa Cinemas

* ''

Hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

'' by Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay

Caligari Film Prize

* ''Fwends'' by Sophie Somerville

Peace Film Prize

* ''Khartoum'' by Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy, Timeea M Ahmed and Phil Cox ** Special Mention: ''Queer as Punk'' by Yihwen Chen

Amnesty International Film Award

* ''The Moelln Letters'' by Martina Priessner

Heiner Carow Prize

* ''Palliative Care Unit'' by Philipp Döring

Prize AG Kino – Gilde – Cinema Vision 14plus

* '' Paternal Leave'' by

Alissa Jung Alissa Jung (born 30 June 1981) is a German actress and physician. Early life Alissa Jung was born in Münster to Juliane Kirchner and Burkhard Jung (SPD), the Lord Mayor of Leipzig (Saxony) since 2006. She is the eldest of four sisters, and ...

** Special Mention: ''Têtes brûlées'' by Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama

Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury Award

* '' The Blue Trail'' by

Tagesspiegel Readers' Jury Award

* ''The Swan Song of Fedor Ozerov'' by Yuri Semashko

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin International Film Festival, 75th 75 2025 film festivals 2025 festivals in Europe February 2025 in Germany 2025 in Berlin