Berlinale 2026 – 76th Berlin International Film Festival: Over 200 films from all over the world – find out which films and award winners have already been announced here!

Launched in 1951, the Berlinale has secured itself a permanent place in the European and international film industry. Every year, international stars in front of and behind the camera, the press and film fans traditionally gather in the capital in February. As always, the focus is on honoring outstanding cinematic achievements with the coveted Golden and Silver Bears – as well as supporting filmmakers and promoting young talent, which has been increasingly in the spotlight since the 2025 edition under the directorship of US-American Tricia Tuttle.

The 76th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from February 12 to 22, 2026. Potsdamer Platz has been the heart of the festival since 2000 – the competition films and special gala premieres will be screened there again this year. The main awards, the Golden and Silver Bears, will be presented on February 21, 2026.

This year’s jury president will be one of the most influential personalities in international cinema: German cult director Wim Wenders. For decades, he has enriched the film world with works that inspire with their humanity and poetic power, explained festival director Tricia Tuttle in a press release. Films such as “The American Friend (1977)” have shaped a new film language since the 1970s and formed the international image of German cinema. Wenders has received numerous awards, including Oscar nominations for his documentaries Buena Vista Social Club and the Pina Bausch homage Pina.

While it remains to be seen who will take home the coveted Bears this year, one winner has already been announced: Michelle Yeoh will be awarded the Honorary Bear for her lifetime achievement. The award ceremony will take place as part of the opening ceremony on February 12, 2026. Yeoh was already considered an icon of Asian action and martial arts cinema in the late 1980s and early 1990s, celebrating her international breakthrough in 1997 as Chinese secret agent Wai Lin in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Tricia Tuttle praised her as a “visionary artist and performer whose work transcends borders – geographically, linguistically and cinematically”.

It was also announced on January 12, 2026 that the British-German composer and sound artist Max Richter will be honored with the Berlinale Camera. The award ceremony will take place on February 18 at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, where director and Oscar winner Chloé Zhao Richter will present the award after he worked with her on her latest film “Hamnet”, which has just won Best Drama at the Golden Globes. He has already received several Grammy nominations for his unique combination of classical composition techniques with electronic elements, including for his work on international feature films such as “Waltz with Bashir” (2008) and “Ad Astra” (2019). His work “SLEEP”, an 8.5-hour sound journey into the world of sleep from 2015, is also considered one of the most innovative classical music projects of the 21st century.

There is currently still much speculation about the festival films, the opening film and the rest of the program. However, the first titles that will screen in the Panorama and in the Berlinale Generation section for newcomers have already been selected.

All films from the Berlinale Panorama section:

“Allegro Pastell” by Anna Roller | with Sylvaine Faligant, Jannis Niewöhner, Haley Louise Jones, Luna Wedler, Martina Gedeck | Germany 2026, world premiere

“Bucks Harbor” by Pete Muller | with David Cale, Mike Murphy, Vicki Patchell, Wayne Robinson | USA 2026, world premiere

“Iván & Hadoum” by Ian de la Rosa | with Silver Chicón, Herminia Loh | Spain / Germany / Belgium 2026, world premiere

“Jaripeo” by Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig | Mexico / USA / France 2026, International Premiere

“London” by Sebastian Brameshuber | with Bobby Sommer | Austria 2026, world premiere

“Mouse” by Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson | with Sophie Okonedo, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Chloe Coleman, David Hyde Pierce, Iman Vellani | USA 2026, world premiere

“Only Rebels Win” by Danielle Arbid | with Hiam Abbass, Amine Benrachid | France / Lebanon / Qatar 2026, world premiere

“Shibire” (“Numb”) by Takuya Uchiyama | with Takumi Kitamura, Rie Miyazawa, Tsukasa Enomoto, Anji Kato, Masatoshi Nagase | Japan 2025, International Premiere

“Staatsschutz” (“Prosecution”) by Faraz Shariat | with Chen Emilie Yan, Julia Jentsch, Alev Irmak, Arndt Klawitter, Sebastian Urzendowsky | Germany 2026, World Premiere

“Trop c’est trop” (“Enough Is Enough”) by Elisé Sawasawa | France / Democratic Republic of the Congo 2026, world premiere

“Two Mountains Weighing Down My Chest” by Viv Li | Germany / Netherlands 2026, world premiere

“Un hiver russe” (“A Russian Winter”) by Patric Chiha | France 2026, world premiere