All awards & juries

The Prizes of the International Jury

The most important awards at the Berlinale are the Golden Bear and the Silver Bears. They are presented by the International Jury to films in the Competition and belong to the most renowned awards in the international film industry.

International Jury 2023

Kristen Stewart (USA) - Jury President

American actor, screenwriter and director Kristen Stewart is considered one of Hollywood’s major young talents. In 1999, at the age of nine, she celebrated her screen debut. Just three years later, she starred alongside Jodie Foster in David Fincher’s Panic Room and achieved wider public recognition. Her international breakthrough came with the five-part Twilight saga (2008–2012). In 2010, she attended the Berlinale with the independent production Welcome to the Rileys (directed by Jake Scott). That same year, she received the Orange Rising Star Award for Best Newcomer at the BAFTAs.

In 2014, she played alongside Juliette Binoche in Clouds of Sils Maria, directed by French auteur Olivier Assayas, and in 2015 she became the first American to receive the French film award César for her role in the film. She continued her work with Assayas in 2016 on Personal Shopper, in which she played the lead. The following year, she celebrated her directorial and screenwriting debut with the short film Come Swim and in 2018, she was a member of the International Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, she made a foray into the action genre in Charlie’s Angels (directed by Elizabeth Banks) and delivered a fascinating performance in the biopic Seberg (directed by Benedict Andrews) which celebrated its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival. In 2020, she presented her next work as a director – the short film Crickets. Most recently, she wowed audiences as Princess Diana in Pablo Larraín’s film drama Spencer, garnering nominations for an Academy Award and at the Critics Choice Awards for Best Actress. She has just completed production on Love Me, opposite Steven Yeun and just wrapped production on Love Lies Bleeding, directed by Rose Glass.

Kristen Stewart has become one of the most eminent international actors, thrilling audiences and critics alike. She is currently working on her feature-length directorial debut, the film adaptation of the bestseller “The Chronology of Water” by Lidia Yuknavitch.

© Ali Ghandtschi / Berlinale 2023

Manufacturing of the Berlinale Bears at the Fine Art Foundry Hermann Noack

The International Jury is selected every year by the Artistic Director and presents the following awards:

  • Golden Bear for Best Film (awarded to the film’s producers)
  • Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
  • Silver Bear for Best Director
  • Silver Bear Jury Prize
  • 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.).

In recent years, internationally recognised personalities from the world of film such as James Schamus, Wong Kar Wai, Mike Leigh, Isabella Rossellini, Werner Herzog, Tilda Swinton, Darren Aronofsky, Meryl Streep and Paul Verhoeven were invited to head the jury. Jury members include directors, actresses and actors as well as producers, but also writers and artists.