Golden Bear

History

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.

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.

The award

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 or third edition by art foundry Hermann Noack.

The original award was redesigned in a larger version in 1960, with the left arm of the bear raised as opposed to the right in the former model.

, the bear is 20 cm high and is fixed onto a base where the winning name is engraved. The figurine consists of a bronze core, which is then plated with a layer of gold. The total weight of the award is 4 kg.

Winners

Below is a list of all Golden Bear winners since 1951:[[File:Gene kelly.jpg|thumb|right|120px|[[Gene Kelly]] won for [[Invitation to the Dance (film)|Invitation to the Dance]] (1956).]]

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple winners

As of 2025, Ang Lee is the only filmmaker to win the award twice, for The Wedding Banquet in 1993 and for Sense and Sensibility in 1996.

Notes

References

References

1. (2024-06-04). "Where was African joy at Cannes or African humour at Sundance? The big film festivals need to look beyond stereotypes". The Guardian.
2. Carey, Matthew. (2023-05-30). "No Documentary Triple Crown, But Cannes Gives Big Platform To Nonfiction Cinema".
3. "Juries 1951".
4. "- Berlinale – Archive – Annual Archives – 1952 – Juries".
5. (February 19, 2020). "Eventful Berlinale".
6. François, Emmanuelle. (2 March 2018). "The woman behind the Bär".
7. (7 February 2022). "Making of the bear: Berlin International Film Festival trophy".
8. "Große kleine Tiere". [[Cicero (magazine).
9. English, James F.. (2008). "The Economy of Prestige: prizes, awards, and the circulation of cultural value". Harvard University Press.
10. Günther, Ulrich. (February 19, 2010). "Berlinale Cineasten blicken auf den Bären". [[Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]].
11. (February 8, 2010). "In pictures". [[Novinite]].
12. "Awards".
13. "Berlinale 1970: Prize Winners". berlinale.de.