The Prizes of the International Jury
The Prizes
The International Jury is selected every year by the Festival Director and presents the following awards:
- Golden Bear for Best Film (awarded to the film’s producers)
- Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
- Silver Bear Jury Prize
- Silver Bear for Best Director
- Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance
- Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance
- Silver Bear for Best Screenplay
- Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution
None of the Bears may be awarded ex aequo. The Jury may not award more than one prize to the same film, except in the case of the acting awards, which may be awarded in addition to any other prize (Golden Bear, Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize etc.).
International Jury 2026
Wim Wenders (Germany) - Jury President
Director, writer and photographer Wim Wenders is among the most significant representatives of New German Cinema and has been a global presence since the 1970s. His work has inspired generations of filmmakers and captivated audiences worldwide. With his early films such as The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty (1972), Alice in the Cities (1974), and The American Friend (1977), he shaped a new cinematic language and redefined the image of German film. He was a founding member of the German Film Academy and co‑founded the European Film Academy, serving as its president for more than two decades. With Paris, Texas (Cannes Palme d’Or Winner 1984), Wings of Desire (1987), Until the End of the World (1991), and Buena Vista Social Club (1999 — European Film Award for Best Documentary, Oscar nomination in 2000), Wim Wenders created milestones of international cinema. His adventurousness in exploring new cinematic expressions — as seen in the 3D dance film Pina, which premiered in the Berlinale Competition in 2011 and won Best Documentary at the German Film Awards — underscores his distinctive style and insatiable artistic curiosity. Most recently Wenders impressed audiences and critics with Perfect Days (2023) which earned an Oscar nomination, and with the 3D documentary Anselm (2023) about artist Anselm Kiefer. Wenders has long been closely connected to the Berlinale: In addition to Pina, The Million Dollar Hotel (Opening Film 2000), and the 3D feature Every Thing Will Be Fine (2015), he has presented numerous works in the festival programme. In 2015, he was honoured with the Berlinale’s Honorary Golden Bear.
Min Bahadur Bham (Nepal)
Min Bahadur Bham is a filmmaker at the heart of Nepal’s "New Wave" cinema, known for bringing the soul of the Himalayas to the global stage. His short film The Flute (2012) was the first Nepali film to screen at the Venice Film Festival. His debut feature, The Black Hen (2015), received the FEDEORA Best Film Award at Venice and served as Nepal’s official entry for the Oscars. His second feature, SHAMBHALA (2024), was the first Nepali film to compete for the Golden Bear at the Berlinale. It also was the first film from Nepal and the second South Asian film to grace Locarno’s Piazza Grande, later winning the Cultural Diversity Award at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and marking his second Oscar entry. Bham is a committed producer and mentor for emerging voices across Nepal and Asia. His collaborative efforts as a producer have been recognised at major festivals, including Venice, Berlin, San Sebastian, Rotterdam, and Busan. Currently, he is developing his third feature film, The Last Stanza of Breath.
Bae Doona (South Korea)
Bae Doona is one of South Korea’s most celebrated actors and has been honoured with numerous prestigious awards, including the Blue Dragon Award for Best New Actress and the Asian Film Award for Best Actress. She made her acting debut in 1999 in the TV series School. Her breakthrough came soon after with Bong Joon-ho’s Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000) and Park Chan-wook’s Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), followed by standout performances in Take Care of My Cat (2001) by Jeong Jae-eun, The Host (2006) by Bong Joon-ho and Air Doll (2009) by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Her international renown was anchored by collaborations with the Wachowskis in Cloud Atlas (2012) and Jupiter Ascending (2015), as well as in Netflix’s Sense8 (2015–2018). She further demonstrated her versatility in A Girl at My Door (2014) by July Jung, and Broker (2022) by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Soon she will be seen in the sci-fi comedy Alpha Gang by David and Nathan Zellner, scheduled for release in 2026.
Shivendra Singh Dungarpur (India)
Director, producer, and archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur founded the production company Dungarpur Films in 2001 and has created numerous award-winning commercials and documentaries. His first documentary, Celluloid Man (2012), won two National Film Awards and was screened at more than 50 international festivals. It was followed by The Immortals (2015), which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and received the Special Jury Award at the Mumbai International Film Festival. His seven-hour documentary epic CzechMate: In Search of Jiří Menzel (2018) was voted among the top five films of the year 2020 (Blu-ray and DVD releases) by the British Film Institute. In 2014, Dungarpur established the Film Heritage Foundation, the only non-governmental organisation in India dedicated to the preservation of India’s film heritage that is internationally renowned for its work in the field. He is the Festival Director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and was honoured with the Vittorio Boarini Award for outstanding contributions to safeguarding cinema as cultural heritage in 2025.
Reinaldo Marcus Green (USA)
Reinaldo Marcus Green is a screenwriter, director, and producer known for authentic, socially engaged storytelling. His early short films screened at Cannes and Sundance; in 2016 he participated in Berlinale Talents. In 2018, his feature debut, Monsters and Men won the Special Jury Award for Outstanding First Feature at the Sundance Film Festival. His acclaimed biographical sports drama King Richard (2021) — starring Will Smith — earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, with Smith winning Best Actor. He also directed three episodes of Top Boy (2019), the first Netflix series inducted into the BFI National Archive, and HBO’s We Own This City (2022). Most recently, he directed and cowrote the global box office success Bob Marley: One Love (2024) starring Kingsley Ben-Adir. His upcoming projects include Marvel Studios’ Punisher Special Presentation and a Tiger Woods biopic in development.
HIKARI (Japan)
HIKARI is an award-winning Japanese director, writer, and producer based in Los Angeles. Her feature debut, 37 Seconds (2019), had its world premiere at the 69th Berlinale, where it won the Panorama Audience Award and the CICAE Art Cinema Award, while also earning a nomination for Best First Feature. Most recently, she co-wrote and directed her second feature, Rental Family (2025), starring Brendan Fraser. The film premiered at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, where HIKARI was honoured with the TIFF Emerging Talent Award. The film went on to gather audience awards around the USA, including at the Chicago International Film Festival. HIKARI also received the Directing Award from the Critics Choice Association for AAPI Cinema & Television, as well as the Filmmaker on the Rise Award at the Astra Film Awards. Her other work includes directing the pilot episode of the Emmy-winning Netflix series Beef (2023), episodes of Tokyo Vice (2023), and acclaimed short films such as Tsuyako (2011), which screened at over 100 international film festivals and received more than 50 awards, including the DGA Student Award. Rental Family is currently being released theatrically worldwide.
Ewa Puszczyńska (Poland)
Producer Ewa Puszczyńska joined Opus Film in 1995. She collaborated with David Lynch on Inland Empire (2006) and produced workshops for renowned cinematographers at Camerimage. During her 20 years with Opus Film, she worked as a co-producer, executive producer and producer on over a dozen films, including Devil’s Island (2010) by Marius Holst, and The Congress (2013) by Ari Folman. Her work with Paweł Pawlikowski on Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018) brought international acclaim, including an Oscar for Ida. In 2012 she founded Extreme Emotions, producing Silent Twins (2022) by Agnieszka Smoczyńska and Kill It and Leave This Town (2020) by Mariusz Wilczyński, which premiered in the former Berlinale Encounters section. She also coproduced Hostages (2017) by Rezo Gigineishvili, which premiered in the Berlinale Panorama, and Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020) by Jasmila Žbanić. Her recent successes include The Zone of Interest (2023) by Jonathan Glazer, winner of the Academy Award for Best International Feature, and A Real Pain (2024) by Jesse Eisenberg.