This is the list of all the major winners (in different years: «Golden Bear») of the Berlin International Film Festival since 1951. In the notes: information about the number of the festival, the year of the event and the country of production of the winner.
Unrewarded Years due to canceled, or noncompetitive, or failed competitive festival issue:
• 1970, 20th Berlinale – Failed Competitive (was cancelled and no major prizes were awarded, due to a controversy surrounding the participation of Michael Verhoeven's anti-war film «o.k.»)
Multiple Winners:
• Ang Lee (1993, 1996) — Taiwan/USA (+ Venice double winner)
Winners by Country:
United States — 15: (2x1951, 1956, 1957, 1976, 1980 (1/2), 1984, 1989, 1990 (1/2), 1992, 1993 (1/2), 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000)…
This is the list of all the major winners (in different years: «Golden Bear») of the Berlin International Film Festival since 1951. In the notes: information about the number of the festival, the year of the event and the country of production of the winner.
Unrewarded Years due to canceled, or noncompetitive, or failed competitive festival issue:
• 1970, 20th Berlinale – Failed Competitive (was cancelled and no major prizes were awarded, due to a controversy surrounding the participation of Michael Verhoeven's anti-war film «o.k.»)
Multiple Winners:
• Ang Lee (1993, 1996) — Taiwan/USA (+ Venice double winner)
Winners by Country:
United States — 15: (2x1951, 1956, 1957, 1976, 1980 (1/2), 1984, 1989, 1990 (1/2), 1992, 1993 (1/2), 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000)
France — 10: (2x1951, 1953, 1959, 1961, 1965, 1995, 2001, 2023, 2024)
Italy — 9: (1953, 1960, 1961, 1963 (1/2), 1971, 1972, 1991, 2012, 2016)
United Kingdom — 8: (1954, 1962, 1966, 1983 (1/2), 1985 (1/2), 1994, 2001, 2003)
Germany — 7: (1955, 1979, 1980 (1/2), 1982, 1985 (1/2), 1986, 2004)
Spain — 7: (1960, 1978 (x3), 1981, 1983 (1/2), 2022))
China — 4: (1988, 1993 (1/2), 2007, 2014)
Sweden — 3: (1952, 1958, 1968)
Turkey — 3: (1964, 2004, 2010)
Iran — 3: (2011, 2015, 2020)
Romania — 3: (2013, 2018, 2021)
Japan — 2: (1963 (1/2), 2002 (1/2)
Hungary — 2: (1975, 2017)
Russia/Soviet Union — 2: (1977, 1987)
Ireland — 2: (1994, 2002 (1/2)
Brazil — 2: (1998, 2008)
Switzerland: 1951
Belgium: 1967
Serbia/Yugoslavia: 1969
India: 1973
Canada: 1974
Czech Republic: 1990 (1/2)
Taiwan: 1993 (1/2)
South Africa: 2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 2006
Peru: 2009
Israel: 2019
Senegal: 2024
Benin: 2024
Norway: 2025
Golden Bear – Honorary Award:
1982: James Stewart
1988: Alec Guinness
1989: Dustin Hoffman
1990: Oliver Stone
1993: Billy Wilder, Gregory Peck
1994: Sophia Loren
1995: Alain Delon
1996: Elia Kazan, Jack Lemmon
1997: Kim Novak
1998: Catherine Deneuve
1999: Shirley MacLaine
2000: Jeanne Moreau
2001: Kirk Douglas
2002: Robert Altman, Claudia Cardinale
2003: Anouk Aimée
2004: Fernando Solanas
2005: Im Kwon-taek, Fernando Fernán Gómez
2006: Andrzej Wajda, Ian McKellen
2007: Arthur Penn
2008: Francesco Rosi
2009: Maurice Jarre
2010: Wolfgang Kohlhaase, Hanna Schygulla
2011: Armin Mueller-Stahl
2012: Meryl Streep
2013: Claude Lanzmann
2014: Ken Loach
2015: Wim Wenders
2016: Michael Ballhaus
2017: Milena Canonero
2018: Willem Dafoe
2019: Charlotte Rampling
2020: Helen Mirren
2022: Isabelle Huppert
2023: Steven Spielberg
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. The winners of the first Berlin International Film Festival in 1951 were determined by a West German panel, and there were five winners of the Golden Bear, divided by categories and genres. Between 1952 and 1955, the winners of the Golden Bear were determined by the audience members. In 1956, the FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films) formally accredited the festival, and since then the Golden Bear has been awarded by an international jury.
My Letterboxd lists of Berlinale and Others Festival Winners:
• 73rd Berlinale (2023)
• 72nd Berlinale (2022)
• 71st Berlinale (2021)
• 70th Berlinale (2020)
• 69th Berlinale (2019)
• Golden Palm | Winners of Cannes (since 1946)
• Golden Lion | Winners of Venice (since 1932)
• Golden Bear | Winners of Berlinale (since 1951)
• Tiger Award | Winners of Rotterdam (since 1995)
• Golden Leopard | Winners of Locarno (since 1946)
• Golden Shell | Winners of San Sebastian (since 1953)
• Crystal Globe | Winners of Karlovy Vary (since 1948)
• Grand Prix | Winners of Warsaw (since 1987)
• Golden Wolf | Winners of Tallinn Black Nights (since 2004)
• Sundance | Winners (since 1984)
• SXSW | Winners (since 1995)
• Tribeca | Winners (since 2002)
• Slamdance | Winners (since 1996)
• TIFF | Winners (since 1978)
www.berlinale.de/en/home.html