Berlinale, Berlin

Profile

A Festival Profile
Berlin - a cosmopolitan, exciting capital, a city of culture with international appeal. In the middle of it all: the Berlin ale - not only the city's largest cultural event, but also one of the most important dates on the international film industry's calendar. More than 19,000 film professionals from 128 countries, including about 4,000 journalists, are accredited for the Berlin International Film Festival every year. The Berlin ale is truly a mega event. At the same time, it is a festival of encounters and discussions. With almost 300,000 tickets sold, the Berlin ale is not only a film industry meeting. It also enjoys by far the largest audience of any film festival in the world. For two weeks, art, glamour, parties and business meet at the Berlin ale.
A Wide World of Film
About 400 films are shown every year as part of the Berlin ale's public programme, the vast majority of which are world or European premieres. Films of every genre, length and format can be submitted for consideration. The Berlin ale is divided into different sections, each with its own unique profile: big international movies in the Competition, independent and art-house productions in Panorama, movies specially for a young audience in the Generation section, the most exciting German cinema productions in Perspektive Deutsches Kino, an in-depth look at films from "distant" countries and experimental forms in the Forum, as well as an investigation of diverse cinematic possibilities in the Berlin ale Shorts. The programme is rounded off by a thematic Retrospective and a Homage, which focuses on the lifework of a great cinema personality. Both of these sections, which are curated by the Berlin Film Museum, aim to place contemporary cinema within a historical context.
 
The European Film Market (EFM), the film trade fair integrated into the Berlin ale has developed into one of the most important events for the international film business. The Berlin ale and EFM, the festival and the market, together form a unique network of formal and informal connections. Since 2006, the main venue of the EFM has been the Martin-Gropius-Bau , a prestigious location with charm and character in the immediate vicinity of the festival centre at Potsdamer Platz.