Berlinale

The Berlinale or International festival of film of Berlin ( International Filmfestspiele Berlin ) is one of the great world festivals of Cinéma with that of Cannes, that of Venice or that of Karlovy Vary. It is about an annual festival being held in February.

Berlinale is an important cinematographic and media event: each year, 15 000 specialists (of which 3 500 journalists) of 76 countries has a presentiment of themselves in Berlin to attend this event. At the time of the 54e Berlinale, from February 5th to 15th 2004, 3 117 films were presented. Approximately 150 000 paying spectators attend the meetings.

For the little story, this festival was created in 1951 by the Alliés which wanted to thus establish a “window of the free world”. Originally, it was held in summer; since 1978, it takes place in February. The opening of first Berlinale, the June 6th 1951, was done with Rebecca of Alfred Hitchcock. As of this first Berlinale, the supreme reward is the gold Bear (carved by Renee Sintenis).

Berlinale is distinguished from the other cinema festivals by its resolutely international film selection, projecting films coming from the whole world, as well from country of the old Eastern bloc as of the Western countries.

The best films are rewarded by the Ours for gold ( Goldener Berliner Bär ) while the Ours of money ( Silberner Berliner Bär ) is allotted for the services of better realization ( beste Regie ), of better actress ( beste Darstellerin ), of better actor ( bester Darsteller ).

Other honorary rewards are also allotted, such as the Ours of gold of honor ( Goldener Ehrenbär ) and the Caméra of Berlinale ( Berlinale Kamera ).

One also allots to it since 1987 Teddy Award, reward intended for the Homosexualité with the cinema.

The Bear of gold of honor reward a work leaving particularly the batch but is more generally allotted to a personality of the cinema for the whole of its career.

Prize list

Prize list of the Bear of gold
Bear of money

Anecdotes

In 1970, a scandal bursts around the film O.K of Michael Verhoeven, film which puts in scene the rape and the murder of a Vietnamese by American soldiers. The made indignant reaction of the public and the stormy debates push the jury to be resigned and the Festival is cancelled.
In 2003, the 3eminence grise of the French cinema Daniel Toscan of Plantier dies in full festival, struck down by an heart attack.

External bonds

Official site
List of the prizes winner of Berlinale on Citécinéma

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