The Berlin International Film Festival came to a close on February 23 with the Berlinale Publikumstag (Audience Day), and in its 75th year and the first edition for Festival Director Tricia Tuttle, it has lost none of its sparkle.
After the festive Award Ceremony (see full list of award winners) on Saturday evening, where Drømmer (Dreams (Sex Love)) by Dag Johan Haugerud was awarded the Golden Bear, thousands of viewers flocked to cinemas across Berlin on the Berlinale Publikumstag for catch-up screenings from the anniversary edition. Interest in the 75th Berlinale programme was impressive among industry professionals and the public, with approximately 19,000 accredited professionals (including press) attending the festival and 336,000 tickets sold to the public, slightly more than in 2024.
“We were delighted with the results of the 75th anniversary edition. We have seen a positive response to our juries’ decisions, strong feedback on the improvements we made to our infrastructure, and also excellent feedback on film and industry programmes. Additionally, audience admissions were up on previous years. The spirit was high, and with this energy, we are already planning for 2026,” said Festival Director Tricia Tuttle.
The eight festival sections offered audiences a diverse film programme and around 340 filmmaker discussions across approximately 1,000 public screenings during the Berlinale. The new section, Perspectives, in which 14 exciting feature film debuts celebrated their premieres, spotlighted up-and-coming international filmmakers, leading to international sales during the festival.
The 75th anniversary of the Berlin International Film Festival also re-energised its centre at Potsdamer Platz with a new screening venue at Stage Blue Max Theatre and a new Festival Centre HUB75 overlooking the Red Carpet of the Berlinale Palast. These changes undoubtedly created a buzz in Potsdamer Platz while re-energising the heart of the Festival. Even the snow and ice couldn’t chill the electric atmosphere as Berlinale celebrated 75 fabulous years. HUB75 served as a meeting place for industry professionals throughout the Berlinale but also hosted 15 free talks and events for public audiences and professional visitors, while the Berlinale Service Centre once again hosted many press attendees, providing delicious food, drinks and a welcome warm space.
The European Film Market’s 2025 edition buzzed with activity, with steady attendance and a wave of first-time participants from India and Eastern Europe, alongside a strong German, French, Spanish, British and American turnout. Nine hundred and ninety-eight market screenings, 82.3% of them premieres, attracted over 1,314 buyers. The various new networking formats and expert-led workshops were exceptionally well-attended, while The Berlinale Series Market spotlighted exclusive previews of upcoming international series.
The team of the Berlinale Co-Production Market put together an incredibly successful 22nd edition at a new location, the Octogon at Leipziger Platz: more than 1,500 individual meetings with co-producers were organised and five cash prizes totalling over 60,000 euros were awarded to new feature film projects. The talks, speed matchings, consultations and networking events also delighted the more than 600 international participants.
This year’s focus on listening with courage, exploring new narratives, and reflecting on creative processes was the common thread throughout the Berlinale Talents programme, and it was a timely one. The 200 invited filmmakers enjoyed an invigorating range of discussions, workshops, labs and think tanks, as well as well-attended public talks with Todd Haynes, Cheryl Dunye, Michel Franco, Zacharias Kunuk, Rana Eid, Inbal Weinberg and Bina Daigeler, just to name a few. At the same time, an exclusive session with Honorary Golden Bear recipient Tilda Swinton was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all Talents. The global alumni community of Berlinale Talents was also well represented, with 125 former participants represented in 77 of the festival films. The World Cinema Fund dedicated its WCF Day 2025 to “Poetry and Politics, Production, Visibility and Resilience Strategies in Challenging Times”, with panels around cinema production in the Arab world and distribution and audience strategies for WCF regions as part of WCF Day.
It may have been cold this year, but Berlin’s warm welcome was second to none. With a turbulent global backdrop and looming German elections, the festival once again became a diverse meeting place for artists, filmmakers, audiences, industry and press, bringing people together rather than dividing them while entertaining, challenging and empowering. Film festivals like Berlinale have never been more important and urgent as we navigate a world lurching toward division and segregation. In this world, we rightly ask ourselves, “What is the role of art, film, and storytelling in uniting us in joy, debate, challenge, and understanding?” Berlinale once again proved that it is only together that we can find the answers. So, danke schön Berlin, and thank you to the festival team and volunteers and everyone who attended, from actors to writers, industry professionals, aspiring filmmakers, audiences and press. Together, we can and will build a better world through artistic endeavour, cinema and the power of storytelling in its many forms. The festival may be over for another year, but our coverage of films from the 75th Berlinale continues over the next week.
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