The ultimate Berlinale guide

Last Updated on December 18, 2025 by George Pavlopoulos

Everything is illuminated during the Berlinale; one could easily call it the “second Christmas of Berlin.” The International Film Festival of Berlin is one of the biggest and most prestigious film festivals in Europe. As such, it has plenty of sections, and it’s one of the best things to do in Berlin if you visit the city in February. Therefore, in this ultimate Berlinale guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about the Festival.

Before moving to the city, I visited Berlin every February to attend the Berlinale. Nowadays, though, after more than a decade in Berlin, I call myself a local. So I thought of writing a comprehensive Berlinale guide to help you make the most out of it -and also as a thank you to the city. That said, this post is full of helpful info both for first-timers and festival aficionados (like me). It includes tips on how to get tickets, what every section is all about, how to visit the Red Carpet, and more.

In some subsections, you will also find updates from past Berlinales. These are required to reflect changes in the Festival’s program and structure. As of 2020, Dieter Kosslick is no longer the Director of the Festival: he was replaced by a duo, Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek (read my interview with Mariette). The current Berlinale director, Tricia Tuttle, took charge of the festival in 2024.

I always keep this Berlinale guide updated; therefore, make sure to bookmark this page. While you will find some sub-sections about previous festival editions, this article is optimized for the Berlinale 2026.

So, let’s start now with the ultimate Berlinale guide.

*Some of the links are affiliate links. It means that if you purchase something, I might earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

What is the Berlinale?

The International Film Festival of Berlin is one of the major events in the film industry and one of the biggest film festivals in the world. It is also one of the three most prominent film festivals in Europe (together with Venice and Cannes). What makes it different, though, is that the Berlinale is more focused on the audience. That said, you can attend almost 90% of the screenings if you have a ticket. Both the Venice Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival primarily focus on the film industry itself.

The first Berlinale took place in 1951. It was most likely an attempt by post-war Berlin (and Germany) to create a more pleasant atmosphere for itself. Soon, the Berlinale became one of the top film festivals in Europe. Nowadays, more than 300,000 tickets are sold per year! It is by far the most audience-oriented film festival in Europe.

I will, of course, attend this year’s Berlinale, so follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to get live updates and see photos. If you would like to read my previous Berlinale recaps, make sure to check my Berlinale 2019 Diary (I updated it daily during the Festival) and my Berlinale 2020 recap here. Last but not least, you can listen here to my Berlinale Interview on the German RBB radio.

*Feel free to subscribe to my Berlinale mailing list below. I’ll inform you about the latest news, share Berlinale tips, and movie suggestions.

The dates of the Berlinale Film Festival

The Berlinale is held annually and always takes place in February. It starts on the second or third Thursday of the month and lasts 10 days. As I stated at the beginning of the post, it feels like a second Christmas in Berlin. There are posters everywhere, the city is illuminated, and now and then, you will see the Bear, Berlinale’s legendary emblem.

The choice of February might seem odd to some. The truth is, though, that February in Berlin is a very dark month. The days are short, and the weather is terrible: you should expect a mixture of minus degrees with some snow and cloudy skies (and hopefully no rain!). The Berliners searched for an excuse to illuminate the city and to escape the dull weather. Hence, they chose to create a film festival in the heart of winter!

I still remember the snowy Berlinale of 2011, and in general, it is not uncommon to have snow during the Festival. So, pack warm clothes if you are planning to attend, bitte.

2026 Berlinale Guide Update: rules and regulations

The 76th Berlinale will take place from the 12th to the 22nd of February, 2026. According to the Festival’s director, it will be an in-person event for industry professionals and the audience. No rules and regulations are expected.

Berlinale 2022 rules & regulations – Only for historical reasons

This sub-section remains here for historical reasons. The info it contains is outdated, and it’s only useful if you want to see the regulations of the first post-pandemic edition of the Berlinale. The set of rules seems exhausting for a free-time activity. However, I thought I’d keep it here for the record. Maybe a future historian would like to see how film festivals handled an event during a pandemic, who knows?

The Berlinale 2022 will be a 2G+ event. This means that you can only attend the festival if you are:

• fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
• if you have recovered from a Covid-19 infection.

Moreover, you’ll have to present a negative antigen test conducted not more than 24 hours old. Practically, if you attend daily the Berlinale 2022, you’ll need to get a test every day. Remember: rapid antigen tests in Berlin are free for everyone. So, you’ll have to present a negative test together with your Covid-pass if you:

• are fully vaccinated (two doses of a vaccine)
• you recovered from Covid-19.

Now, if you have a booster shot (i.e., a third shot), you don’t need to present a negative test. The same goes for people who recovered from an infection and had two vaccine doses.

Last but not least, every Berlinale visitor must wear an FFP-2 mask everywhere indoors, even when watching a movie. Surgical or cloth masks are not allowed unless you are younger than 14 years old.

The Berlinale 2022 will be sold exclusively online, and every person can buy up to 2 tickets. That said, in the section where I explain how to buy Berlinale tickets, please use the tips only for online tickets. You won’t be able to purchase tickets at the cinemas or other selling points. Plus, you can’t choose your seat freely as happened in the past. When you buy your ticket, you’ll also be allocated a seat.

Finally, the cinemas won’t be full. The festival announced that the capacity would be 50%.

Where does the Berlinale take place?

Nowadays, Berlinale attracts a massive number of visitors, and it seems that the whole city is participating in the event.

The heart of the Berlinale beats around Potsdamer Platz, Berlin’s futuristic district. Among skyscrapers (if you’ve been to New York, you won’t be impressed by their size, though) and avenues, some multiplexes and cinemas present the films. The Potsdamer Platz was once upon a time a no-man’s-land, but nowadays, it is a vibrant part of the city. The Cinemaxx, the Berlinale Palast, and the Arsenal are all located there. There are more than 25 screens in total at Potsdamer Platz.

Apart from the Potsdamer Platz, there are a bunch of venues around the city. After the introduction of the Berlinale Goes Kiez section (more on that later), almost every Berlin neighborhood has a cinema showing Berlinale movies. Of course, one should mention the most legendary cinema, the Zoo Palast. This was the first venue of the Berlinale in 1951, but after a couple of decades fell into complete decay. Its restoration began at the start of the 10s, and in 2013 it reopened to the public. It is an architectural gem and one of the most beautiful cinemas you will ever see. Therefore, make sure to watch a movie there.

2023 Berlinale Guide Update: On December 31, 2019, the beloved Cinestar at Potsdamer Platz shut its doors forever. Apart from being a multiplex where you could watch movies in their Original Version (OV), it was also one of the Berlinale Panorama and Forum venues. It will definitely be challenging to find new venues around the Potsdamer Platz, which is assumed to be the heart of the International Film Festival of Berlin.

What to expect from the Berlin International Film Festival

Before getting to the info on tickets, sections, etc., there is something you need to know, especially if you are not an experienced festival-goer.

Film festivals always offer a unique opportunity to watch movies from around the world. These movies won’t probably find distribution at movie theaters; therefore, you won’t have a chance to see them elsewhere. (Unless, of course, they win some prizes, but that’s another talk). That said, you should be prepared to watch movies that sometimes won’t satisfy you. Many productions are experimental; the movies themselves seek answers to lesser-known topics, and quite often, the equipment used for shooting is far from top-end.

The most important aspect of attending a film festival is the feeling of belonging to a crowd that celebrates cinema. If you expect to see blockbusters all the time, you will be disappointed. A few well-known productions are always in the Berlinale, but these movies will be out in cinemas anyway soon. If you want to watch a blockbuster world premiere for vanity reasons, that is okay; however, there won’t be more than a few.

Where to stay during the Berlinale

Well, this is a tough one. Berlin is full of people during the Berlinale; therefore, you should book well in advance. I wouldn’t recommend staying near Potsdamer Platz, for sure. It’s expensive and crowded during the Festival.

Try to find a hotel a bit farther away. Berlin has an extensive public transport network, and you can reach every venue quickly. I would suggest staying in West Berlin: you are close to the legendary Zoo Palast cinema and a couple of other venues. Potsdamer Platz is not more than 20 minutes away (the bus and metro go directly there).

To help you plan your stay during the iconic Berlin Film Festival, I’ve written a separate article. The hotels below are still great, but if you want extra tips on choosing a hotel, read my article on the best Berlinale hotels here.

I have stayed just a couple of times in a hotel in Berlin (I’m lucky enough to have a flat), but I can recommend the following:

• Hollywood Media Hotel Berlin. Straight at Kudamm, this hotel is a tribute to cinema: each room features a famous actor or actress. It’s in the heart of West Berlin, and a metro station (Uhlandstrasse) is 50 meters away. The Zoo Palast is less than ten minutes on foot.
• Art’otel Berlin Kudamm. Just off the Kudamm, this stylish hotel is a great choice. Easy access to the Zoo Palast and several public transport options.
• Waldorf Astoria. Prime location, directly at the Zoo Palast. You will probably see some movie stars staying there, too. Let alone that you can see the Red Carpet of Zoo Palast directly. It’s an expensive option, but if you can afford it, it’s worth it. The bus to the Potsdamer Platz is 20 meters away -the metro, too.
• If you would like to stay around the Potsdamer Platz and be in the very heart of the Festival, you have several options too. But don’t expect moderate prices for most of the hotels in the area. Your best option is definitely the Motel One at Potsdamer Platz, with its cozy environment and somewhat reasonable prices.
• If budget is not a problem and you’d love to stay in the same hotel with the stars, the Grand Hyatt is for you. Equally impressive (and expensive) is, of course, the Ritz-Carlton Berlin.

For all other options, click here. Alternatively, use the interactive map below: it’s centered around Potsdamer Platz (in the middle), where the heart of the Berlinale beats. On the very left, you can also see the Zoo, where the legendary Zoo Palast cinema -also a Berlinale venue- is located.

Booking.com

*I don’t recommend any Airbnbs. The reason is that a vast gentrification process is happening in the city, and the local population is largely affected. I won’t go into this topic here; I just wanted to explain why Airbnb isn’t presented as an option in this post.

Pro Berlinale Tip

Buy a weekly or monthly public transport card. A single ticket currently costs almost 4 euros (2026). The weekly card costs 44 euros. The monthly ticket costs 106 euros, but there is also the so-called 10-Uhr Karte. This one costs 76 euros, allowing you to travel between 10 a.m. and 3 a.m. for a month. That said, you can’t use it very early in the morning (before 10 a.m.) or very late at night (after 3 a.m.). This rule applies only on weekdays; during the weekend, you can use it all day.

Hopping between Cinema A and Cinema B will cost you a lot of money, and remember that you always have to return to the hotel. Plus, you need to always have cash in hand. You can buy the 10-Uhr Karte from every vending machine in the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations.

So, if you need 5 tickets per day, that is 20 euros, and if you attend all 10 days, that’s 200 euros. The 10-Uhr Karte will save you more than 80 euros. For more information about public transport tickets, you can visit the official website of BVG.

Alternatively, if you plan to do some sightseeing during the Berlinale days, the best option is to buy the Berlin Welcome Card. The card comes in three tiers (Classic, Museum Island, and All Inclusive), and all offer unlimited access to Berlin’s public transport. The Classic comes with discounts at several museums and restaurants; the Museum Island one offers, on top, free entry to Museum Island; and the All Inclusive grants you free entry to more than 40 museums.

You can purchase the Berlin Welcome Card here.

How to buy Berlinale tickets

That’s probably the most challenging question to answer and requires a lot of patience. So I will share all the tips that have worked for me during the last ten years.

First of all, ticket prices vary. Tickets for special screenings start at 5 euros and go up to 16-18 euros.

Now, back to the tickets. You have two options: buy them online or visit a location that sells tickets. Things get a bit complicated here. You can buy tickets only 3 days in advance (i.e., if the movie is on Thursday, you can buy tickets not earlier than Monday). However, there is an exception for the repeated screenings of the Competition section of the Berlinale: you can buy your tickets 4 days in advance. That said, if the movie has already been shown at the Berlinale and the second screening is (let’s say) on Friday, you can buy your ticket from Monday on.

Something important: if you are not sure you can attend a movie, you might consider visiting the cinema where it is screening on the day of the screening. Same-day tickets go on sale in the respective cinemas from 10 a.m. For bigger productions and blockbusters, you probably won’t find tickets by going to the cinema on the same day. The tickets are sold out, and people sell them on the black market (or eBay) for hundreds of euros. For smaller productions, though, you probably won’t have so many problems finding a ticket.

What do I personally do? I queue like everybody else for movies that I’m sure I want to watch. I visit the counters on the day of the screening for the ones I’m not sure about or want to decide at the last minute. Usually, I get one.

*Buying Berlinale tickets from 2023 and onward (valid also for 2026)

Starting with the 2023 Berlinale, you will only be able to buy tickets online. There will be no regular sales points in or around the festival’s venues. That said, only the following section regarding the tickets is valid for the Berlinale 2026.

Therefore, don’t waste time queuing for Berlinale tickets in 2023. Instead, follow the tips in the “Buying Berlinale Tickets Online” section below. The tips mentioned also apply to this year’s Berlinale.

Buying Berlinale Tickets Online

Online tickets go on sale every morning at 10 a.m. sharp. You will need loads of luck and patience if you want to buy a ticket for the Berlinale online. Create an account on the Berlinale website and save all the films you want to watch. Then, log in at 9:45 a.m. at the latest and stand in the virtual queue. From 9:59 a.m. on, I tend to refresh the page constantly. Yup, F5 is your friend here.

If you are lucky, you will find your screening at 10:00 a.m. Actually, 10:01 might already be too late: be ready, be fast.

After reserving your tickets, you will be redirected to the Eventim website to enter your credit card details. Keep in mind that your tickets are reserved for 15 minutes. The process is smooth, and you won’t need more than 2 minutes to buy the Berlinale tickets. I usually use the extra time to browse for more tickets, but often, there aren’t many available. You can check out any number of tickets within these 15 minutes, of course.

Now, if you succeed in buying the ticket(s), you have two options: print them at home or save them as a mobile pass. Save the tickets on your Apple or Google Wallet and go straight to the venue.

Since 2019, there have been no processing fees for online tickets.

*As of February 2019, there are only two options: print-at-home or mobile ticket. Therefore, you won’t be able to pick up the ticket(s) you bought online anymore. It’s a pity for sure because Berlinale tickets were great souvenirs.

Buying Berlinale tickets Offline

This section will be updated closer to the Berlinale 2026, when new information becomes available. For several years, there were four dedicated ticket sales points. However, after the pandemic, buying tickets offline isn’t a thing anymore. I will update this section as more is known, but honestly, I don’t think we will have any analog selling points left.

There are four dedicated spots where you can buy your Berlinale tickets. The tickets also go on sale at 10 a.m. sharp. Get fruits, snacks, and some water, the queues can be really long! So, these spots are:

1. The Potsdamer Platz Arkaden (Alte Potsdamer Straße 7, 10785 Berlin). As you’ve read above, this is the heart of the Berlinale. The shopping center is always packed during the Berlinale, and here you can also queue for tickets. If a big production goes on sale the following morning, you will also see people with sleeping bags there. You got it right: they will sleep in a deserted shopping center in order to be the first to buy tickets in the morning! There are also shelves full of programs and brochures -for free.
2. The Kino International (Karl-Marx-Allee 33, 10178 Berlin). This is a cinema and a historical landmark of the former East Berlin.
3. The Haus der Berliner Festspiele (Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin). This is a theater complex in West Berlin and also a Berlinale venue. You can buy your tickets here too, but be ready for some long queues.
4. The Audi Berlin Venue (Kurfürstendamm 195, 10707 Berlin). Audi is one of the biggest sponsors of the Berlinale. They have a showroom on the famous Kurfürstendamm avenue where you can buy tickets directly.

One more Pro Berlinale Tip

On the first day the tickets go on sale, you will be able to buy Berlinale tickets for any day for screenings at the Friedrichstadtpalast, the Philarmonie, the HAU venue, the Culinary Cinema section, and the Berlinale Goes Kiez. Apart from that, the Festival’s last day (always Sunday) is Kinotag. This means you can buy tickets at half price from day one.

Also, if any tickets are left at the Berlinale Palast, their price will be reduced by 50% on the day of the screening. It’s really unlikely, but one can always hope.

A last-minute tip

This is something new: you can also buy tickets at the Berlin Tourist Info. Please keep in mind that there is a 2 euro surcharge per ticket. The Berlin Tourist Info in the Europa-Center (see it on Google Maps) opens an extra half an hour earlier, i.e., already at 9:30 a.m., between 10.02 – 20.02. I haven’t bought a ticket from them, but people say that the queue is significantly shorter.

Where to sit

So, you have successfully bought your ticket, and you are about to go to the cinema. Please remember that you are not allocated a seat when purchasing a ticket. That said, you have to be early at the cinema if you want to find a decent seat. How early is early enough?

Well, from my experience, half an hour before the screening seems to be fine. The doors usually open 10-15 minutes before the screening; therefore, if you arrive half an hour early, it is fine. You will be among the first in the queue, have the chance to select a seat, and enjoy the movie.

Arriving at the cinema 5-10 minutes before the screening will already be too late. So you will probably have to sit somewhere in the very front. And if you are together with a friend, well, you might have to sit separately.

Late admittance is not allowed. If you arrive after the screening begins, even if you have a ticket, you won’t be able to enter. Fair or unfair, it is what it is…

Subtitles, please?

Yes. Every non-English-speaking Berlinale movie comes with English subtitles. This is an international film festival, after all. English-speaking productions always have German subtitles.

The Berlinale sections explained

The Berlinale is a major film festival and, as such, has several different sections. I will try to write a couple of sentences for each of them. I’m not writing more because I don’t want to persuade you: you should check the movies, not the sections, and decide for yourself whether you’re interested. There are some common characteristics among the movies in each section, though, which I plan to cover here.

Competition

That’s the most prestigious section of every film festival. Quite obviously, this is the Berlinale section that receives the most attention. All the big guys will be here: famous actors, world-class directors, and…the red carpet. This is the section that includes some blockbusters, as well as international productions that influence cinema. You should expect some crazy fans to add extra color to the screenings.

I usually avoid watching big productions because a) the movies will be in the cinemas anyway, b) the tickets are expensive, and c) I find it stressful. But, if you want to see a movie knowing that a Hollywood star sits behind you, this section is for you.

Berlinale Shorts

Once upon a time, the Berlinale Shorts was my favorite section of the Festival. But not anymore. As the years went by, its program became weaker. Even the Award-winning short films were average -at least for my taste. Obviously, this is a Berlinale section dedicated to short movies -anything from 1 minute up to 30 minutes goes. Check the schedule and pick up a screening. I hope that you will enjoy it.

Panorama

My all-time favorite section of the Berlinale! I try to watch almost every Panorama movie. The Berlinale Panorama is where established (but not super well-known) directors present their films. The stories are always interesting and inspiring, the cinematography is brilliant, and the theaters are full. So if you can only see one movie at the Berlinale, pick one from the Panorama.

Forum

This is the arthouse section of the Festival. It usually attracts an audience that enjoys experimental work or movies with a more artistic aesthetic. The movies are traditionally slower here, and they often offer room for reflection upon the medium of film. If you are a die-hard cinema fan, you should watch a Forum movie. If you, however, prefer bigger productions and action, you will most likely fall asleep.

Generation

The Berlinale Generation section is dedicated to younger audiences, but don’t let this fact fool you. Adults can also watch these movies: the movies deal with a broad spectrum of problems. Teenagers, kids, and young adults are the focus. I have also watched some brilliant movies here dealing with violence, growing up, etc.

Berlinale Special

This section hosts both old and new movies. The thing here is to raise debates about topics or present old masterpieces. Here you can watch cornerstone films of the past that influenced the cinema as a medium. I have discovered several old movies in the Berlinale Special section. The selection is small but totally deserves watching an old movie in a cinema.

Retrospective

Quite obviously, this is a section dealing with the oeuvre of older filmmakers. During the Retrospective, you can watch many films by an old master and re-appreciate them. I like to call this section Cinema-School because I had the chance to see movies I hadn’t even heard of before.

Berlinale Goes Kiez

This is not exactly a section (at least for me), but a tribute to Berlin’s arthouse cinemas. Every year, a bunch of small cinemas present Berlinale movies for a few days. Apart from celebrating cinema, this also boosts the cinemas themselves.

The Kiez feeling, i.e., the neighborhood feel, is a vital element of German society. The local audience comes together, and watching a movie in small theaters is always pleasant. There, you will have a warm atmosphere and loads of locals. Attend a screening if you can and support the smaller cinemas.

Berlinale Encounters

That’s the newest section of the Berlinale program. It started in 2020 and aims to foster aesthetically and structurally daring works by independent, innovative filmmakers. “Encounters” feels like a more artistic “Panorama” to me, and it slowly became one of my favorite Berlinale sections. It definitely deserves your attention.

Past sections of the Berlinale

The following Berlinale sections are no longer available. The new directors of the Berlinale, Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, decided to remove them from the program. Instead of deleting them from this Berlinale guide, I thought of keeping them here for archival reasons.

• NATIVe. The NATIVe section deals with the cinematic storytelling of indigenous peoples from around the world. The section is not popular at all, but this doesn’t say anything about its quality. The movies are incredibly touching, and in my own opinion, this is lately the most political section of the Berlinale. Don’t let the low attendance fool you, and watch a movie. You won’t regret it. As I said, at film festivals, we celebrate cinema, and this section perfectly serves that purpose.
• Culinary Cinema. The section about food. After some screenings, top chefs prepare a meal for the guests. Of course, this comes at a high price (more than 80 euros). I have watched one or two food-themed movies at the Berlinale, but I have never attended a screening with dinner afterward.
• Perspektive Deutsches Kino. Well, this is a German Film Festival; therefore, a section about German cinema could not be missing. German cinema is flourishing again, and I have seen plenty of great movies here. While the topics tend to be more local, most movies are really good. Perspektive Deutsches Kino attracts the Berliners’ attention, and the films are always sold out. Buy tickets in advance.

The Red Carpet of the Berlinale

The Red Carpet attracts loads of visitors, of course. Of course, the prime Red Carpet location is outside of the most prestigious venue, the Berlinale Palast. There, you will see screaming, crying fans asking for autographs. The stars always take a short walk, so have a pen and paper with you. For the biggest productions, people start gathering several hours before the session. There is a dedicated spot for the pro-photographers (you need accreditation), too. So you should definitely be there an hour before. Otherwise, you might see some tiny figures on the carpet and try to guess who they are.

Sometimes I also attend the Red Carpet Berlinale sessions. Through the years, I’ve seen a bunch of actors and actresses from really close. The list is long: George Clooney, Scarlet Johansson, Bill Murray, John Cusack, Jennifer Connelly, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tilda Swinton, Robert Pattinson, and Sienna Miller, to name but a few. The list is really long. The schedule is announced a day or two before the session, so make sure to check it out.

Apart from the Berlinale Palast, two more cinemas host Red Carpet sessions: the Zoo Palast and the Friedrichstadtpalast.

When is the Berlinale program published?

The Berlinale program is published late in January, just a couple of days before the Berlinale opening. If you create an account on the official website, you can browse movies and add them to your Berlinale calendar. I can only recommend creating an account; it helped me so much over the years. Apart from planning, that’s how you can buy your online tickets.

Are there any Berlinale apps?

Well, 2019 was actually the last year that the official Berlinale apps for Android and iPhone were available. It’s really a pity.

As of 2020, there will be no more Berlinale apps. This is unfortunate, as the Berlinale calendar was a valuable resource for moviegoers. On the Berlinale’s official Twitter account, the Festival confirmed that the apps wouldn’t be supported further. They wrote:

The translation of the statement is that “for the 70th Berlinale, there will be no apps. The Festival’s website will be renewed and optimized for all devices.”

The Berlinale Awards: Meet the Golden & Silver Bears

The International Jury is selected every year by the Festival Director and presents the following awards:

• Golden Bear for Best Film
• Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
• Special: Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize for a feature film that opens new perspectives.*
• The Silver Bear for Best Director 
• Silver Bear for Best Actress
• Silver Bear for Best Actor
• The Silver Bear for Best Screenplay
• Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution in the categories of camera, editing, music score, costume, or set design.

*The Alfred Bauer Prize will no longer be awarded after accusations that Bauer used to have close ties with the Nazis. In addition, in October 2022, the International Film Festival of Berlin published an Expanded Study on Alfred Bauer.

Q&As after the Berlinale screenings

Most premieres include a Q&A afterward. Stay and listen to what the directors and actors say about the film. Their insights are fascinating. Remember: this is a film festival, and the movies you watch might not be presented elsewhere. This is a unique opportunity to learn about other people and other places. Raise your hand and ask a question: remember that the Berlinale audience loves to talk about movies.

Just to get a better idea, below are some of my Berlinale Q&A videos. The first one is from the premiere of “The Souvenir,” with Tilda Swinton:

The following one is a Q&A with the famous director Heinz Emigholz after the screening of his movie “The Last City.”

Last but not least, here’s one of the nicest movies I watched at the 2020 Berlinale. It’s called “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets,” and here’s what the directors said about it:

Follow me on YouTube for more Berlinale videos.

Any Berlinale parties?

The big sponsors of the Berlinale always organize parties and events. While I’m not a big fan of these events, I have attended two or three over the years. There is a lot of glamour and some prominent guests, mainly from Germany. The mayor of Berlin, some ministers, and, less often, some actors. If you have the chance, attend one.

Apart from that, since Februarys in Berlin have always been about the Berlinale, several other parties also take place. Magazines, fans, and local communities organize parties regularly. Check the local news and find one. You will have the chance to blend in with the locals and talk about movies all night long.

My personal Berlinale experience

It might sound like a total exaggeration, but one of the reasons I chose Berlin as a home was to go to the cinema. There are so many cinemas and festivals that one can go to watch a movie every evening. The Berlinale, of course, is one of a kind.

Every year, I watch approximately 20 movies at the Berlinale. My personal record is 34 movies in 10 days, but I don’t think I’ll break it any time soon. As I mentioned a couple of times in this post, a film festival is always an opportunity to celebrate cinema. I have seen mind-blowing movies, but I have also seen bad ones. Every movie that I saw, though, good or bad, left a trace on me. I remember a couple of times I exited the cinema swearing; yes, this can also happen at a film festival. But controversy should be welcome in art.

To be honest, I can’t imagine myself being in February in Berlin and not attending the Berlinale. Sure, it becomes more and more expensive every year. There were times when I was broke, but I still tried to cut down on food, drinks, and everything else to attend the Festival. Writing this long Berlinale guide is also proof of how fond I am of this film festival.

So far, I have never applied for accreditation. I always pay for my tickets and everything related to the Berlinale. After spending a fortune on Berlinale tickets, I’m still here, and I’m still attending. It’s my way of celebrating my love for cinema.

Therefore, if you happen to be in Berlin in February, make sure to attend a screening or more. Or, even better, plan a journey to watch the Berlinale. Even if you don’t see any good movies, attending the Berlinale is one of the best things to do in Berlin.

So, bookmark this Berlinale guide, and if you have any Berlinale-related questions, feel free to ask me in the comments below.

Bonus: The ultimate travel guide to Berlin: tips & itineraries

*The photos you saw in the article were taken between 2012 and 2024 with different cameras. Hence, the differences in quality, light, and colors. I have used the Fujifilm X30, the Sony a6300, and, of course, the Ricoh GR II.

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