The 68^th Berlin International Film Festival culminated festively with the Award Ceremony on February 24, 2018. For the Berlinale Publikumstag, a day of screenings for the public, a large number of films from the different sections were shown again at Berlinale venues on February 25, 2018.

The interest of both trade professionals and the public in the programme of the 68th Berlinale was very impressive: over 21,000 accredited visitors from more than 130 countries attended the Festival, and approximately 330,000 Berlinale tickets were sold.

Over the eleven days of the Berlinale, the various sections of the Festival made it possible for viewers to make many cinematic discoveries. One of the highlights of the Festival was the award ceremony for the Honorary Golden Bear for actor Willem Dafoe in the Berlinale Palast. Enthusiastically received as well were the Berlinale Series, presented this year for the first time with the EFM’s “Drama Series Days” in the Zoo Palast.

The European Film Market set a new record with over 10,000 visitors from 112 countries. On the nine days it was open, the market reconfirmed its position as one of the world’s most important marketing hubs for audiovisual content. The number of buyers (1,838), exhibitors (546), films (800), and screenings (1,112) also increased. Moreover, by strategically expanding the range of its services, the market further enhanced its position as a platform for innovation and change. Its many different initiatives were in great demand - at the same time they were perceived as what gives the EFM its unique profile.

With 1,300 individually scheduled meetings, the Berlinale Co-Production Market once again supported promising film projects in the making. It was also delighted that three films pitched at the Co-Production Market in previous years premiered in the Competition this year.

World Cinema Fund Day 2018 was not only about the future, but also the concept of innovation. Of major importance was the significance and impact of cooperations between German and European producers on the one hand, and producers and directors in the funding regions on the other, as well as the future role of the WCF within the landscape of German and European funding. Five WCF-funded films were screened in this year’s Festival programme.

Openness, collaboration, and dialogue on equal terms: at Berlinale Talents great film personalities from the Berlinale programme and the juries – such as Gus Van Sant, Josephine Decker, Christian Petzold, Nancy Schreiber, Agnès Godard, Tom Tykwer, Mónica Lairana, and Lav Diaz - met to exchange ideas about film with 250 talents and thousands of Berliners. Especially these talents, who came from 80 countries, were thrilled to be able to find new impulses across borders for their work and so become part of the vast Berlinale Talents network.

The 69th Berlin International Film Festival will be held from February 7 to 17, 2019.