End of the Berlin Festival2026: Golden Bear Awarded to Yellow Letters in a Ceremony Filled with Political Messages
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Ilker Catak won the Golden Bear at the 76th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival with his film Yellow Letters. Tricia Tuttle served as Berlinale president for the second consecutive year and attempted to keep the event away from politics. However, as in previous editions, winners used the closing ceremony to deliver political messages and condemn what they described as Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Jury president Wim Wenders had already sparked anger among many celebrities at the opening press conference by claiming that art should not be political.
Host Desiree Nosbusch became emotional several times during the winners’ speeches and reminded some attendees shouting “Free Palestine” that Berlinale hears their voices but asks them to respect the festival. At the start of the closing ceremony, Tuttle described the tense atmosphere surrounding the event, saying it had taken place in “a world that appears wounded and fractured.”
Sandra Huller won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance for Rose, while Grant Gee received the award for Best Director for Everybody Digs Bill Evans. Queen at Sea, directed by Lance Hammer, in addition to winning the Jury Prize, also earned Best Supporting Performance awards for Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay.
Marie Rose Osta, who won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film for Someday a Child, criticized the “collapse of international law” on stage, stating: “In reality, the children of Gaza, across all of Palestine, and in my country Lebanon do not have a superhero to shield them from bombardment.”
Emin Alper, who won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for Salvation, sent a message to the people of Palestine, Turkey, and Iran, saying: “You are not alone.”
Amir Fakher Eldin, a member of the short film jury, and Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, who won the GWFF Best First Feature Award in the Perspectives section for Chronicles From the Siege, condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon on stage.
After receiving his award, Al-Khatib described the German government as “complicit” in Israel’s actions in Gaza and said: “Palestinians will be free, and one day we will have a great film festival in Gaza and other Palestinian cities. Our festival will stand in solidarity with those under siege, occupation, and dictatorship around the world. We will speak of politics before cinema, of resistance before art, of freedom before beauty, of humanity before culture.”
He continued: “We will remember all those who supported us. And all those who stood against us and our right to live with dignity, and those who chose to remain silent. Some told me to be careful about what I say because I am a refugee in Germany and there are many red lines. But that does not matter to me. What matters to me are the Palestinian people. So my final word to the German government is this: you are complicit in the genocide in Gaza. I believe you are intelligent enough to know this claim is true. But you chose not to care. Free Palestine, now and until the end of the world.”
Çatak compared a scene from Yellow Letters to the political controversies of this year’s Berlinale: “In Yellow Letters, there is a scene where former friends argue with one another. Intellectuals versus artists, all of them free thinkers. It reminded me of what happened in Berlin over the past few days. Filmmakers versus filmmakers. Artists versus creators. But we are not enemies. We are allies. The real danger is not among us. It is out there. The danger of autocrats, right-wing parties, and the nihilists of our time who seek to gain power and destroy our way of life. Let us not fight each other. Let us fight them.”
Several section winners, including Panorama and the Crystal Bear, had already been announced prior to the ceremony. The 28th Panorama Audience Award for Best First Feature went to Prosecution, directed by Faraz Shariat. Four Minus Three, directed by Adrian Goiginger, and Mouse, directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson, placed second and third, respectively.
International Jury Awards
Golden Bear — Yellow Letters, directed by Ilker Çatak
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize — Salvation, directed by Emin Alper
Silver Bear Jury Prize — Queen at Sea, directed by Lance Hammer
Best Director — Grant Gee for Everybody Digs Bill Evans
Best Leading Performance — Sandra Hüller for Rose
Best Supporting Performance — Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay for Queen at Sea
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay — Genevieve Dulude-De Celles for Nina Roza
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution — Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird) directed by Anna Fitch and Banker White (United States)
Perspectives Section
GWFF Best First Feature Award — Chronicles From the Siege, directed by Abdallah Al-Khatib
Special Mention: Forest High (Forêt Ivre) directed by Manon Coubia
Berlinale Documentary Award
If Pigeons Turned to Gold, directed by Pepi Lojyak (Czech Republic)
Short Films
Golden Bear for Best Short Film — Someday a Child, directed by Marie Rose Osta (Lebanon)
Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) — A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere, directed by Fanny Tixier (United States)
CoPro Award — Jingkai Guo for Kleptomania (China)
