The Berlinale cherishes its reputation as the pre-eminent film festival for international LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) cinema. The Berlinale, particularly the Panorama section, has had a pink streak for decades. In recent years, it has also helped launch many gay-themed films to significant box office success and international distribution. In addition, Berlin is the place where over 150 gay film festival programmers and film buyers from around the world congregate to search out the newest and bet in queer cinema. And to add some glamour, in 1987 the organizers of the Panorama section launched the Teddy Awards, given to gay filmmakers with titles in the festival, which has become the "hot ticket event" of the entire Berlinale. The Teddys celebrate their 25th anniversary on Friday evening at the former Tempelhof Airport (since closed).

Among the high profile features competing for their own Teddy this year are APFLICKORNA (Sweden), AUF DER SUCHE (Germany), AUSENTE (Argentina), BIZIM BUYUK CARESIZLIGIMIZ (Turkey), CHANG-PI-HAE (South Korea), E-LOVE (France), FJELLET (Norway), VIVA RIVA (Congo/France), LOLLIPOP MONSTER (Germany), ODEM (Israel), OFF BEAT (Switzerland), ROMEOS (Germany), RUNDSKOP (Belgium), SALA SAMOBOJCOW (Poland), STADT LAND FLUSS (Germany), SWANS (Germany/Portugal), TOMBOY (France) and UTOPIANS (USA). The Awards are also given to Documentaries and Short Films screening at the Festival.

The Teddy Awards, often called the "gay Oscars", have launched the careers of many gay-themed filmmakers including such recognizable names as Todd Haynes, John Cameron Mitchell, Tom Kalin, Rose Troche and Cheryl Dunye. In 2008, a Filipino film titled THE AMAZING TRUTH ABOUT QUEEN RAQUEL, about a transexual prostitute who wants to become a star, became an international sensation after winning a Teddy Award.

Panorama head Wieland Speck has also been instrumental in helping inspire gay fim festival events in Warsaw, Hungary, St. Petersburg and Jakarta, where they were certainly controversial for the main population but a source of great pride for the embattled gay communities.

For more information on the films up for Teddy Awards this year, visit: www.teddyawards.com

Sandy Mandelberger, Berlinale Dailies Editor