Berlin Film Festival 66 years and counting.

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2. HISTORY
• Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has
been celebrated annually in February since 1978.
With around 300,000 tickets sold and 500,000
admissions it is considered the largest publicly
attended film festival worldwide.
• Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca opened the first
Berlinale. Although the film had premiered in
1940, many Germans had been unable to watch it
until after the war ended. Since 1978 the festival
has been celebrated annually in February.

3. JOURNEY OVER THE YEARS
• Six years after the WW2 had ended, in the city of Berlin
there was a general desire to revive the city’s former
significance as a European center of the arts and film.
• Dr. Alfred Bauer, a film historian and film consultant to
the British military government following the WW2, was
appointed director of the BIFF.
• On 6 June 1951, the International Film Festival opened at
the historic Titania Palast movie theater.
• The opening film was Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca,
whose star, Joan.
• The Film Festival was an immediate and resounding
success with the audience, and for twelve days, life in the
city revolved around international films and their star.

4. • Berlin’s political status prevented the participation
of films from socialist countries. It was only
following Willy Brandt’s foreign policy initiatives
and the signing of diplomatic treaties with East
Bloc countries at the beginning of the 1970s that
films from these countries began to take part in the
Berlinale. In the first few years of the festival,
winners were chosen by the audience.
• After the Berlinale was officially given the same
status as the festivals in Cannes and Venice in
1955, the festival was able to convene its first
international jury in 1956.
• This jury awarded both a “Golden Bear” and
“Silver Bears.”
• The president of the first International
Feature Film Jury in 1956 was the French director
Marcel Carné.
• Within just a few years, the Berlinale established
itself on the international festival scene, and as
early as 1959, 53 countries sent films to the
festival.
JOURNEY OVER THE YEARS

5. GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES
• The major goal of the Berlin film festival is to help
film maker make the right connections.
• With event tie ups, they aim at building on the
success of their networking initiatives that promote
collaborations and provide platforms for
productions in development.
• Whether first-time filmmakers or a seasoned
industry professionals, our series of events, panels,
screenings and talks make connecting at the Market
both relaxed and rewarding.

6. VISITORS AND STATISTICS
• Every February the EFM opens the doors to over
9,200 producers, buyers, sales agents, distributors,
exhibitors and financiers to the first major film market
of the year.
• Berlinale, other than a film festival it is considered a
great cultural event and one of the most important
dates for the international film industry, in
perspective.
• More than 337,000 sold tickets, more than 20,000
professional visitors from 128 countries, including
more than 3,700 journalists: art, glamour, parties and
business are all inseparably linked at the Berlinale.

7. NATION’S BRANDING
• ISSUES:
• Global hostility against Germany after
WWII
• Low morale of Germans
• German films not accepted by the
international audience and media
• Division of the German film industry
in Berlin due to the Cold War
• BIFF not allowed to host a jury by
FIAPF (right reserved for Cannes and
Venice)

8. FILM CATEGORIES:
• Competition – feature-length films yet to be released
outside their country of origin. Compete for the
Golden Bear for the best film and a series of Silver
Bears for acting, writing and production.
• Panorama – New independent and art house films
that deal with "controversial subjects or
unconventional aesthetic styles". Films intended to
provoke discussion, and have historically involved
themes such as LGBT issues.
• Berlinale Shorts – comprises domestic and
international short films, especially those that
demonstrate innovative approaches to filmmaking.

9. • Forum – experimental and documentary films from
around the world with a particular emphasis on
screening works by younger filmmakers. There is
no format or genre restrictions, and films in the
Forum do not compete for awards.
• Generation – mixture of short and feature-length
films aimed at children and youths. Films in the
Generation section compete in two sub-categories:
Generation K plus and Generation 14plus. Awards
in the section are determined by three separate
juries – the Children's Jury, the Youth Jury and an
international jury of experts.
FILM CATEGORIES:

10. FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
• Perspective Deutsches Kino – comprises a wide variety
of German films, with an emphasis on highlighting
current trends in German cinema.
• Retrospective – comprises classic films previously
shown at the Berlinale, with films collated from the
Competition, Forum, Panorama and Generation
categories. Each year, the Retrospective section is
dedicated to important themes or filmmakers.
• In addition to the seven sections, the Berlinale also
contains several linked "curated special series",
including the Berlinale Special, Gala Special, Forum
Expanded, Culinary Cinema and the Homage. Since
2002 a 50-second trailer opens the performances in all
sections of the festival with the exception of the
Retrospective.

11. BERLINALE TALENTS
• Since 2003, the Berlinale has partnered with the
Berlinale Talents, which is a winter school for "up-and-
coming filmmakers“.
• The Talent Campus accepts about 350 applicants a year;
the attendees from around the world, represent all of the
filmmaking professions.
• Runs six days during the Berlinale and features lectures
and panel discussions with professionals addressing
issues in filmmaking.
• Workshops, excursions, personal tutoring, coaching, and
training of participants is part of the program.
• Has led to many success stories of films made by
Talents alumni, which can increasingly be enjoyed in the
Berlinale film programs.
• USP: Not just an industry event. Many events are
public and open to interested Berlinale visitors which
plays a key role in promoting events tourism.

12. IMPACT ON TOURISM
• Is one of the most important cultural attractions in
Berlin and has a corresponding positive impact on
tourism.
• According to the IBB (Investment Bank Berlin) study,
visitors spend more than the typical Berlin guest, with a
daily budget of €240 to €310.
• With over 400,000 attendees each year, including
20,000 industry professionals, and over 400 films
screened, the Berlinale is the largest such event in the
world. It’s inexpensive and easy to navigate for non-
German speakers.
• In terms of audience (a mix of film professionals and
local fans) and setting (in a major metropolis, not a
tourist town) , it more closely resembles Toronto than
Cannes, Venice or Sundance further promoting tourism.

13. ECONOMIC IMPACT
• Most important film festival in Europe after
Cannes, offering around 400 films, from big
international productions to experimental
independent films and art house cinema.
• Sales always begin three days before a showing,
four days beforehand for competition reruns.
• It is a great source of revenue for the film industry
as it is the largest publicly attended film festival in
the world.
• Exchange of ideas creates new business
opportunities.
• It provides opportunities for marketing and
merchandizing. Employment opportunities are also
generated and there is a positive image of the city
that is built.

14. CULTURALAND
POLITICAL IMPACT
• It brings people from different cultures together
with the commonality that they all appreciate films.
It bridges gaps between community and facilitates
involvement of people from all strata of society to
interact.
• It is also responsible for telling them about the new
trends in cinema and updating them about the latest
happenings in the field, promoting experimentation
and entertainment in the process.
• It may affect the Politics of the city/country too.
Example- The Berlin Film Festival will invite
refugees in Germany to attend film screenings free
of charge as part of its focus on immigration and
the broader migrant crisis this year.

15. NATION’S BRANDING
• BIFF presents Berlin as a nurturer of young talent
and patron of quality international cinema.
• More than Hollywood movies, unconventional and
innovative cinema is given importance at the
festival.
• When the German film, Die Ratten, was voted the
best film by the audience, the German film
industry’s credibility was boosted in the
international market.
• BIFF now forms the triangle of prestigious film
festivals with Cannes and Venice.
• Berlin is now a sought after destination for
filmmakers, actors and other technicians, primarily
to interact with successful personalities from the
industry and to attend workshops conducted by
them.

16. TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
• Film Premiers – Films that have not been screened
out of their country of origin are screened at BIFF.
Enthusiasts get a chance to view a film before the
rest of the world as well as discuss it with the
filmmakers and the panel experts.
• Berlin Open House – The audience is invited to the
red carpet and can interact with celebrities, discuss
the event and get peaks into the behind the scenes of
the festival.
• Lounge Nights – Sponsored by automobile giants
like Audi, these lounges promise the most luxurious
theatre experience while watching the films screened
at the festival.
• Berlinale Talent Campus – Week long workshops
and seminars by professionals from different film
industries for those aspiring to make films. This
event attracts filmmaking students and other
enthusiasts.

17. PUBLIC PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIP
• The BIFF happens as a result of Public Private
Partnership. There are a number of private
firms/companies that collaborate with the Berlin
government to make the festival a success.
• Examples- In 2003 the Co-partners were Lufthansa,
Sony and Deutsche Bahn
• In 2005 the ZDF came on board as a strong media
partner.
• L’ORÉAL PARiS has also supported the Berlinale
with its products since 1999.
• Volkswagen has been an important partner too.
Guests In 2008 were driven in Phaeton limousines
to the gala premieres, the opening ceremony and
the award ceremony in the Berlinale Palast.

18. IMPORTANCE OF EVENTS
TOURISM
• The importance of events as an element
of destination tourist offers is reflected
in tourist, social and cultural functions.
• It is by means of tourist functions of
events that many destinations widen the
tourist market, attract tourists to
destinations, build the destination
image, promote the destination and
stimulate the creation of economic
benefits.

19. A FILM FESTIVAL TO A
LEGENDARY TOURISM
EVENT
• As one of Europe’s prominent film festivals alongside
Cannes and Venice, Berlin has, over the decades,
forged its own identity.
• In its 66th edition, Berlinale has already changed its
identity of a International Film Festival to a
Legendary Tourism Event.
• This year, films that reflect the world we live in,
political, issue-driven films play a prominent part in
the program.
• The festival will also pay tribute to recently departed
entertainment industry notables as the series of tribute
screenings suggests.