| Golden Bear | |
| Presenter: | Berlin International Film Festival |
| Country: | Germany |
| Location: | Berlin |
| Year: | 1951 |
| Year2: | 2024 |
| Winner: | Dahomey by Mati Diop |
The Golden Bear (German: '''Goldener Bär''') is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin.
The winners of the first Berlin International Film Festival in 1951 were determined by a West German panel, with five winners of the Golden Bear, divided by categories and genres.[1]
Between 1952 and 1955, the winners of the Golden Bear were determined by the audience members.
In 1956, the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films formally accredited the festival, and since then, the Golden Bear has been awarded by an international jury.[2]
The statuette shows a bear standing on its hind legs and is based on the 1932 design by German sculptor Renée Sintenis of Berlin's heraldic mascot that later became the symbol of the festival. It has been manufactured since either the first[3] or third[4] edition by art foundry Hermann Noack.[5]
The original award was redesigned in a larger version in 1960,[6] with the left arm of the bear raised as opposed to the right in the former model.[7]
, the bear is high and is fixed onto a base where the winning name is engraved.[8] The figurine consists of a bronze core, which is then plated with a layer of gold. The total weight of the award is .[9]
| Year | English Title | Original title | Director(s) | Production Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951: West German Jury Vote | |||||
| 1951 | (Drama) | Switzerland | |||
| (Comedy) | France | ||||
| (Documentary) | United States | ||||
| (Thriller & Adventure) | France | ||||
| (Music Film) | United States | ||||
| 1952–1955: Audience Vote | |||||
| 1952 | Sweden | ||||
| 1953 | France, Italy | ||||
| 1954 | United Kingdom | ||||
| 1955 | West Germany | ||||
| 1956–present: International Jury | |||||
| 1956 | United States | ||||
| 1957 | |||||
| 1958 | Sweden | ||||
| 1959 | France | ||||
| 1960s | |||||
| 1960 | Spain | ||||
| 1961 | Italy | ||||
| 1962 | United Kingdom | ||||
| 1963 | Japan | ||||
| Italy | |||||
| 1964 | Turkey | ||||
| 1965 | France, Italy | ||||
| 1966 | United Kingdom | ||||
| 1967 | Belgium | ||||
| 1968 | Sweden | ||||
| 1969 | Yugoslavia | ||||
| 1970s | |||||
| 1970 | No awards given because of the controversy surrounding Michael Verhoeven's anti-war film o.k., which led to the resignation of the international jury before the end of the festival.[10] | ||||
| 1971 | West Germany, Italy | ||||
| 1972 | Italy | ||||
| 1973 | India | ||||
| 1974 | Canada | ||||
| 1975 | Hungary | ||||
| 1976 | United States | ||||
| 1977 | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1978 | Spain | ||||
| 1979 | West Germany | ||||
| 1980s | |||||
| 1980 | United States | ||||
| West Germany | |||||
| 1981 | Spain | ||||
| 1982 | West Germany | ||||
| 1983 | United Kingdom | ||||
| Spain | |||||
| 1984 | United States | ||||
| 1985 | United Kingdom | ||||
| East Germany | |||||
| 1986 | West Germany | ||||
| 1987 | Soviet Union | ||||
| 1988 | China | ||||
| 1989 | United States | ||||
| 1990s | |||||
| 1990 | Czechoslovakia | ||||
| United States | |||||
| 1991 | Italy | ||||
| 1992 | United States | ||||
| 1993 | Taiwan, United States | ||||
| China | |||||
| 1994 | United Kingdom, Ireland | ||||
| 1995 | France | ||||
| 1996 | United States | ||||
| 1997 | |||||
| 1998 | Brazil, France | ||||
| 1999 | United States | ||||
| 2000s | |||||
| 2000 | United States | ||||
| 2001 | France | ||||
| 2002 | United Kingdom, Ireland | ||||
| Japan | |||||
| 2003 | United Kingdom | ||||
| 2004 | Germany | ||||
| 2005 | South Africa | ||||
| 2006 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||
| 2007 | China | ||||
| 2008 | Brazil | ||||
| 2009 | Spain, Peru | ||||
| 2010s | |||||
| 2010 | Turkey | ||||
| 2011 | Iran | ||||
| 2012 | Italy | ||||
| 2013 | Romania | ||||
| 2014 | China | ||||
| 2015 | Iran | ||||
| 2016 | Italy | ||||
| 2017 | Hungary | ||||
| 2018 | Romania | ||||
| 2019 | France, Israel | ||||
| 2020s | |||||
| 2020 | Iran | ||||
| 2021 | Romania | ||||
| 2022 | Spain, Italy | ||||
| 2023 | France, Japan | ||||
| 2024 | France, Senegal, Benin | ||||
Ang Lee is the only director to win the award twice. He won for The Wedding Banquet in 1993 and for Sense and Sensibility in 1996.