| Teddy Award | |
| Awarded For: | Best LGBT-related film |
| Presenter: | Berlin International Film Festival |
| Country: | Germany |
The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale). For the most part, the jury consists of organisers of gay and lesbian film festivals, who view films screened in all sections of the Berlinale; films do not have to have been part of the festival's official competition stream to be eligible for Teddy awards. Subsequently, a list of films meeting criteria for LGBT content is selected by the jury, and a 3,000-Euro Teddy is awarded to a feature film, a short film and a documentary.
At the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in 2016, a dedicated "Teddy30" lineup of classic LGBT-related films was screened as a full program of the festival to celebrate the award's 30th anniversary.
In 1987 German filmmakers Wieland Speck[1] and Manfred Salzgeber formed a jury called the International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Association (IGLFFA) to create an award for LGBT films. It was originally named the Teddy Bear Award, in accordance with the Berlinale's main awards being named as the Golden and Silver Bear; the name was later shortened to Teddy Award, although the statuette presented to winners is still shaped like a teddy bear.
The first Teddy Award was given to Pedro Almodóvar for his film La ley del deseo, which featured Antonio Banderas.
The awards were originally founded in a gay bookshop in West Berlin, they were named after the cuddly toys which were sent as prizes to the winners.They were then upgraded to metal trophies but are still thought to be a deliberate parody of the main Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear trophy.[2]
1990 was the first bigger festival in the LGBT centrum SchwuZ in Berlin with around 400 guests. The evening was organized from BeV StroganoV and workers of the bookstore Eisenherz in Berlin. In 1992 the award was officially made part of the Berlin International Film Festival. In 1997 TEDDY e.V., a non-profit organisation was founded, which lobbied the award.
The Teddy Award is divided into three primary categories: Best Feature Film, Short Film, and Documentary Film. The jury picks three nominations within each category and ultimately selects one as the winner. As of 2012, the cash prize for the winners in these categories has been valued at a maximum of €3,000. The prize is intended to support various aspects of the winning films, such as financing film copies, subtitling, or advertising materials. In 2007, the jury decided not to grant an award in the Short Film category because the submitted films lacked adequate LGBT content. The Documentary and Essay Film categories were introduced in 1988 and were combined in several ceremonies between 2009 and 2020.
One other film is singled out for a Jury Award. A Special Award is commonly, but not always, given to one or more individuals for a distinguished achievement in LGBT cinema, such as a lifetime career achievement as a director or performer or for a person's role in a project of significance to the history of LGBT cinema.
The German LGBT magazine German: [[Siegessäule (magazine)|Siegessäule]] formerly sponsored an award that was given to a film selected by a panel of the magazine's readers. This was discontinued after 2012, but was reinstituted in 2016 under the new sponsorship of the magazine German: [[Männer (magazine)|Männer]]; in 2017, the award was named the Harvey in honour of Harvey Milk.
Other categories include the Activist Award (2020), Social Spots (2007), David Kato Vision & Voice Award (2014–2015), and Newcomer Award (2018).
| Indicates Best Feature Film winners | ||
| Indicates individual winners |
| Category | English title | Original title | Director(s) or Recipient(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Best Feature Film | Law of Desire | La ley del deseo | Spain | ||
| Best Short Film | My New Friend | United States | ||||
| Five Ways to Kill Yourself | ||||||
| 1988 | Best Feature Film | United Kingdom | ||||
| Best Documentary Film | Rights And Reactions: Lesbian & Gay Rights On Trial | and Jane Lippman | United States | |||
| Best Essay Film | Die Wiese der Sachen | Germany | ||||
| Best Short Film | Alfalfa | United Kingdom | ||||
| Reader Award | United Kingdom | |||||
| Jury Award | ||||||
| 1989 | Best Feature Film | Looking for Langston | United Kingdom | |||
| Fun Down There | United States | |||||
| Best Documentary Film | Tiny & Ruby: Hell Divin' Women | and Andrea Weiss | United States | |||
| Best Essay Film | Urinal | Canada | ||||
| 1990 | Best Feature Film | Coming Out | East Germany | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Tongues Untied | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Trojans | Trojaner | United Kingdom and Greece | |||
| Jury Award | Silence = Death | Schweigen = Tod | Germany | |||
| 1991 | Best Feature Film | Poison | United States | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Paris Is Burning | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Relax | United Kingdom | ||||
| Jury Award | Canada | |||||
| Special Award | Forbidden Love | Zapovezená láska | Czech Republic | |||
| 1992 | Best Feature Film | Together Alone | United States | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Voices from the Front | , Robyn Hut and Sandra Elgear | United States | |||
| Best Short Film | Caught Looking | United Kingdom | ||||
| Jury Award | Edward II | United Kingdom | ||||
| Audience Award | Swoon | United States | ||||
| 1993 | Best Feature Film | Wittgenstein | United Kingdom | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Silverlake Life | and Peter Friedman | United States | |||
| Best Short Film | P(l)ain Truth | Finland | ||||
| Audience Award | Sex is... | United States | ||||
| 1994 | Best Feature Film | Go Fish | United States | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Coming Out Under Fire | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Carmelita Tropicana: Your Kunst Is Your Waffen | United States | ||||
| Jury Award | Remembrance of Things Fast | United Kingdom | ||||
| Reader Award | Heavy Blow | Hoang A. Duong | United States | |||
| Audience Award | Strawberry and Chocolate | Fresa y chocolate | and Juan Carlos Tabío | Cuba and Mexico | ||
| 1995 | Best Feature Film | Canada | ||||
| Best Documentary Film | Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Trevor | United States | ||||
| Jury Award | Marble Ass | Дупе од мрамора | Serbia | |||
| Reader Award | Ballot Measure 9 | United States | ||||
| Audience Award | Priest | United Kingdom | ||||
| 1996 | Best Feature Film | United States | ||||
| Best Documentary Film | and Jeffrey Friedman | United States | ||||
| Best Essay Film | I'll Be Your Mirror | and Edmund Coulthard | United Kingdom | |||
| Best Short Film | Unbound | Canada | ||||
| Alkali, Iowa | United States | |||||
| Jury Award | and Plaster Foundation | |||||
| Reader Award | Paris Was a Woman | United Kingdom and United States | ||||
| 1997 | Best Feature Film | All Over Me | United States | |||
| Best Essay Film | Murder and Murder | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Heroines of Love | Heldinnen der Liebe | and Lily Besilly | Germany | ||
| Special Award | ||||||
| Reader Award | All Over Me | United States | ||||
| 1998 | Best Feature Film | Hold You Tight | Hong Kong | |||
| Best Documentary Film | and Gréta Olafsdóttir | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Peppermills | United States and Switzerland | ||||
| Jury Award | Ang Lalaki sa Buhay ni Selya | Philippines | ||||
| Reader Award | and Gréta Olafsdóttir | United States | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| Special Mention | Uncut | Canada | ||||
| 1999 | Best Feature Film | Show Me Love | Fucking Åmål | Sweden | ||
| Best Documentary Film | United Kingdom and Netherlands | |||||
| Best Short Film | Liu Awaiting Spring | Australia | ||||
| Jury Award | Aimée & Jaguar | Germany | ||||
| Lola and Billy the Kid | Lola und Bilidikid | |||||
| Gendernauts: A Journey Through Shifting Identities | Gendernauts | |||||
| Piglets | Ferkel | |||||
| NYNY n Why Not | ||||||
| Reader Award | Trick | United States | ||||
| 2000 | Best Feature Film | Water Drops on Burning Rocks | Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes | France | ||
| Best Documentary Film | Paragraph 175 | and Jeffrey Friedman | United States | |||
| Best Short Film | Sticky Dough | Hartes Brot | Germany | |||
| Jury Award | Funny Felix | Drôle de Félix | and Jacques Martineau | France | ||
| Chrissy | Australia | |||||
| Reader Award | Funny Felix | Drôle de Félix | and Jacques Martineau | France | ||
| 2001 | Best Feature Film | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | United States | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Trembling Before G-d | United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Erè Mèla Mèla | France and Luxembourg | ||||
| Jury Award | Forbidden Fruit | and Beate Kunath | Germany and Zimbabwe | |||
| Reader Award | Sa tree lex | Thailand | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| Special Mention | Chop Suey | United States | ||||
| Sa tree lex | Thailand | |||||
| 2002 | Best Feature Film | Walking on Water | Australia | |||
| Best Documentary Film | All About My Father | Alt om min Far | Norway and Denmark | |||
| Best Short Film | Celebration | United States | ||||
| Jury Award | Just a Woman | Juste une femme | France and Iran | |||
| Reader Award | Walking on Water | Walking on Water | Australia | |||
| 2003 | Best Feature Film | Mil nubes de paz cercan el cielo, amor, jamás acabarás de ser amor | Mexico | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Ich kenn keinen – Allein unter Heteros | Germany | ||||
| Best Short Film | Precious Moments | Fremragende Timer | and Jan Dalchow | Norway | ||
| Reader Award | Canada | |||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2004 | Best Feature Film | Wild Side | France | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Germany | |||||
| Best Short Film | With What Shall I Wash It? | Con qué la lavaré? | Spain | |||
| Reader Award | D.E.B.S. | United States | ||||
| Special Award | Edition Salzgeber | |||||
| 2005 | Best Feature Film | Un año sin amor | Argentina | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Feline Masquerade | Katzenball | Switzerland | |||
| Best Short Film | United States | |||||
| Reader Award | Transamerica | United States | ||||
| 2006 | Best Feature Film | Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros | Philippines | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Beyond Hatred | Au-delà de la haine | France | |||
| Best Short Film | The Day I Died | El día que morí | Argentina and United States | |||
| Jury Award | Combat | Belgium | ||||
| Reader Award | Paper Dolls | Bubot Niyar | Israel and Switzerland | |||
| 2007 | Best Feature Film | Spider Lilies | Ci-Qing | Taiwan | ||
| Best Documentary Film | United States | |||||
| Audience Award | Notes on a Scandal | United States and United Kingdom | ||||
| Reader Award | Israel | |||||
| Social Spots | Security Camera | Überwachungskamera | MANEO Stop Violence Against Gays Project | Germany | ||
| Love Hurts | ||||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| Special Mention | La León | Argentina and France | ||||
| 2008 | Best Feature Film | Die reine Wahrheit über Queen Raquela | Iceland | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Football Under Cover | and Ayat Najafi | Germany | |||
| Audience Award | ||||||
| Best Short Film | Tá | Brazil | ||||
| Jury Award | Be Like Others | United States, Canada, and Iran | ||||
| Reader Award | ||||||
| Special Award | and Martin Ripkens | rowspan="2" | ||||
| 2009 | Best Feature Film | Raging Sun, Raging Sky | Rabioso sol, rabioso cielo | Mexico | ||
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | Fig Trees | Canada | ||||
| Best Short Film | United States | |||||
| Reader Award | City of Borders | United States | ||||
| Special Award | rowspan="2" | |||||
| 2010 | Best Feature Film | United States and France | ||||
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | La bocca del lupo | Italy | ||||
| Best Short Film | United States | |||||
| Jury Award | Open | United States | ||||
| Reader Award | Postcard to Daddy | Germany | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2011 | Best Feature Film | Absent | Ausente | Argentina | ||
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | United States and France | |||||
| Best Short Film | Generations | and Gina Carducci | United States | |||
| Maya Deren's Sink | United States | |||||
| Jury Award | Tomboy | France | ||||
| Reader Award | Stadt Land Fluss | Germany | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2012 | Best Feature Film | Keep the Lights On | United States | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Call Me Kuchu | and Katherine Fairfax Wright | United States | |||
| Best Short Film | Loxoro | Spain, Peru, Argentina, and United States | ||||
| Jury Award | Jaurès | France | ||||
| Reader Award | Parade | Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Slovenia | ||||
| Special Award | rowspan="2" | |||||
| 2013 | Best Feature Film | In the Name of | W imię... | Poland | ||
| Best Documentary Film | Bambi | France | ||||
| Best Short Film | Undress Me | Ta av mig | Sweden | |||
| Jury Award | Concussion | United States | ||||
| Reader Award | In the Name of | W imię... | Poland | |||
| Special Award | STEPS for the Future | |||||
| 2014 | Best Feature Film | Hoje eu quero voltar sozinho | Brazil | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Der Kreis | Switzerland | ||||
| Best Short Film | Mondial 2010 | Lebanon | ||||
| Jury Award | Pierrot Lunaire | Germany and Canada | ||||
| Reader Award | 52 Tuesdays | Australia | ||||
| Special Award | rowspan="3" | |||||
| David Kato Vision and Voice Award | ||||||
| 2015 | Best Feature Film | Nasty Baby | United States, Chile, and France | |||
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | El hombre nuevo | Uruguay and Chile | ||||
| Best Short Film | Saint Christopher | San Cristóbal | Chile | |||
| Jury Award | Stories of Our Lives | Kenya | ||||
| Reader Award | Thanatos, Drunk | Zuì Shēng Mèng Sǐ | Taiwan | |||
| Special Award | rowspan="2" | |||||
| David Kato Vision & Voice Award | ||||||
| 2016 | Best Feature Film | Tomcat | Kater | Austria | ||
| Best Documentary Film | Kiki | Sweden and United States | ||||
| Best Short Film | Moms on Fire | Sweden | ||||
| Jury Award | You'll Never Be Alone | Nunca vas a estar solo | Chile | |||
| Audience Award | Théo et Hugo dans le même bateau | and Jacques Martineau | France | |||
| Reader Award | Don't Call Me Son | Mãe só há uma | Brazil | |||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2017 | Best Feature Film | Una mujer fantástica | Chile | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Small Talk | Cidade Pequena | Taiwan | |||
| Best Short Film | My Gay Sister | Min Homosyster | Sweden and Norway | |||
| Jury Award | Close-Knit | Karera ga Honki de Amu toki wa | Japan | |||
| Reader Award | God's Own Country | United Kingdom | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2018 | Best Feature Film | Hard Paint | Tinta Bruta | and Marcio Reolon | Brazil | |
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | Tranny Fag | Bixa Travesty | and Kiko Goifman | Brazil | ||
| Best Short Film | Three Centimetres | United Kingdom | ||||
| Jury Award | Obscuro Barroco | France and Greece | ||||
| Newcomer Award | Retablo | Peru, Germany, and Norway | ||||
| Reader Award | Las herederas | Paraguay | ||||
| 2019 | Best Feature Film | Brief Story from the Green Planet | Breve historia del planeta verde | Argentina, Germany, Brazil, and Spain | ||
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | Lemebel | Chile and Colombia | ||||
| Best Short Film | Entropia | Hungary | ||||
| Jury Award | Xiang Zi | China and Spain | ||||
| Reader Award | Brief Story from the Green Planet | Breve historia del planeta verde | Argentina, Germany, Brazil, and Spain | |||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2020 | Best Feature Film | No Hard Feelings | Futur Drei | Germany | ||
| Best Documentary/Essay Film | If It Were Love | Si c'était de l'amour | Patric Chiha | France | ||
| Best Short Film | Playback | Playback. Ensayo de una despedida | Argentina | |||
| Jury Award | Days | Rizi | Tsai Ming-liang | Taiwan | ||
| Reader Award | No Hard Feelings | Futur Drei | Germany | |||
| Activist Award | , Olga Baranova and Maxim Lapunov | |||||
| 2021 | Best Feature Film | Miguel's War | Lebanon, Germany, and Spain | |||
| Best Short Film | International Dawn Chorus Day | Canada | ||||
| Jury Award | Instructions for Survival | Germany | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||
| 2022 | Best Feature Film | Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter | Três tigres tristes | Brazil | ||
| Best Documentary Film | Alis | Colombia Chile Romania | ||||
| Best Short Film | Exalted Mars | Mars Exalté | France | |||
| Jury Award | Nelly & Nadine | Sweden | ||||
| 2023 | Best Feature Film | All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White | Nigeria | |||
| Best Documentary Film | Orlando, My Political Biography | Orlando, ma biographie politique | France | |||
| Best Short Film | Dipped in Black | Marungka tjalatjunu | , Derik Lynch | Australia | ||
| Jury Award | rowspan="2" | |||||
| Special Award | , Bohdan Zhuk | |||||
| 2024 | Best Feature Film | All Shall Be Well | Hong Kong | [3] | ||
| Best Documentary Film | Teaches of Peaches | , Philipp Fussenegger | Germany | |||
| Best Short Film | Grandmamauntsistercat | Netherlands, Poland | ||||
| Jury Award | Crossing | Sweden, Denmark, France, Turkey, Georgia | ||||
| Special Award | ||||||