The first International Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale) was held in 1951 in the Titania-Palast cinema only six years after WWII when Berlin yearned for international attention and recognition. Large areas still lay in ruins, but reconstruction had begun and post-war Berlin was working hard to rebuild itself as a lively artistic center.
Over 60 years on, the festival now attracts thousands of filmmakers, industry professionals and film lovers from around the world. Unlike the famous Cannes Film Festival in France, tickets are available so that visitors can enter the glamorous world of Berlinale to view films and rub shoulders with the stars. Over the two-week festival, some 350 films are screened – many of them World or European premieres. Categories range from international blockbusters to small, independent art-house films.
There’s also a special section aimed at children with the Kinderfilmfest. The Berlinale Talent Campus is a relatively new addition that sees 500 young film talents from around the world invited to Berlin’s House of World Cultures to meet with experienced film professionals in workshops and panel discussions.
