The Berlinale is one of the largest public festivals in the world and attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. For the film industry and the press, the Berlinale is one of the most important events in the annual calendar and an indispensable trading centre. It was founded in 1951, at the beginning of the Cold War, as a ‘showcase of the free world’ for the Berlin public. The turbulent post-war period and Berlin's status as a divided city led to the Berlinale becoming a place for intercultural encounters and a critical examination of social issues. To this day, the Berlinale is considered the most political of all major film festivals. Many stars of international cinema come to Berlin, talents are discovered and promoted, filmmakers from all disciplines are given a stage and are in the spotlight. Every year, the programme includes around 200 films of all genres, formats and lengths, from feature films to documentaries and artistic experiments. The Berlinale invites audiences to get to know new milieus, ways of life and attitudes, to question their own (pre)judgements and to experience seeing and perceiving in a new way between classic narrative forms and unusual aesthetics. The festival thrives on intensive dialogue with the audience and enables active participation in the festival with a variety of events.
