65th Berlin International Film Festival


The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky as the president of the jury. German film director Wim Wenders was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The first seven films of the festival were announced on 15 December 2014.
Isabel Coixet's Nobody Wants the Night was the festival's opening film. Iranian docu-drama Taxi, directed by Jafar Panahi, won the Golden Bear, and was the closing film of the festival.
For the first time in 2015, a Berlin Critics' Week ran parallel to the official festival. Similar to Cannes Critics' Week, the section was a sidebar run by the German Film Critics Association dedicated to independent filmmakers.

Juries

Main Competition

The following people were on the jury for the Best Short Film:

Main Competition

The following films were selected for the main competition for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards:

Out of competition

The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:

Panorama

The following films were selected for the Panorama section:

Forum

The following films were selected for the Forum section:
  • Abaabi ba boda boda by Yes! That's Us
  • Al-wadi by Ghassan Salhab
  • Balikbayan #1 by Kidlat Tahimik
  • Beira-Mar by Filipe Matzembacher, Marcio Reolon
  • Ben Zaken by Efrat Corem
  • Brasil S/A by Marcelo Pedroso
  • Ce gigantesque retournement de la terre by Claire Angelini
  • Chaiki by Ella Manzheeva
  • Cheol won gi haeng by Kim Dae-hwan
  • Counting by Jem Cohen
  • Dari Marusan by Izumi Takahashi
  • The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills by Marcin Malaszczak
  • Le dos rouge by Antoine Barraud
  • Exotica, Erotica, Etc. by Evangelia Kranioti
  • Flotel Europa by Vladimir Tomic
  • The Forbidden Room by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson
  • Freie Zeiten by Janina Herhoffer
  • Futaba kara toku hanarete dainibu by Atsushi Funahashi
  • Der Geldkomplex by Juan Rodriganez
  • Il gesto delle mani by Francesco Clerici
  • H. by Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia
  • Hedi Schneider steckt fest by Sonja Heiss
  • Histoire de Judas by Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche
  • Hotline by Silvina Landsmann
  • K by Emyr ap Richard, Darhad Erdenibulag
  • Koza by Ivan Ostrochovský
  • Madare ghalb atomi by Ali Ahmadzadeh
  • La maldad by Joshua Gil
  • Mar by Dominga Sotomayor
  • Mizu no koe o kiku by Masashi Yamamoto
  • La mujer de barro by Sergio Castro San Martín
  • Nefesim kesilene kadar by Emine Emel Balc?
  • La nuit et l'enfant by David Yon
  • Queen of Earth by Alex Ross Perry
  • Rabo de Peixe by Joaquim Pinto, Nuno Leonel
  • La sirene de Faso Fani by Michel K. Zongo
  • Suenan los androides by Ion de Sosa
  • Superwelt by Karl Markovics
  • Thamaniat wa ushrun laylan wa bayt min al-sheir by Akram Zaatari
  • Uber die Jahre by Nikolaus Geyrhalter
  • Viaggio nella dopo-storia by Vincent Dieutre
  • Violencia by Jorge Forero
  • Zurich by Sacha Polak

    Berlinale Special

The following films were selected for the Berlinale Special section:

Berlinale Classics

The following films were selected to be screened in the Berlinale Classics section:
English titleOriginal titleDirectorProduction country
Born in '45 Jahrgang 45Jürgen BöttcherEast Germany
The Cat Has Nine Lives Neun Leben hat die KatzeUla StöcklWest Germany
Goldfinger GoldfingerGuy HamiltonUnited Kingdom
In Cold Blood In Cold BloodRichard BrooksUnited States
Variety VarietéEwald André DupontGermany

Berlinale Series

The Series section, devoted to long-form television series, was introduced in 2015. Better Call Saul had its premiere at the Berlinale.

Official Awards

The following prizes were awarded:

Main Competition

[Teddy Award]

  • Nasty Baby by Sebastián Silva

    FIPRESCI Prize">International Federation of Film Critics">FIPRESCI Prize

  • Competition: Taxi by Jafar Panahi
  • Panorama: A Minor Leap Down by Hamed Rajabi

    Festival appearance

The festival poster was designed by BOROS agency, who made the previous four posters of the festival. Festival director Dieter Kosslick described the poster as "the glamorous and suspense-packed second that precedes every cinema experience is when the curtain opens to reveal the screen. This year's poster motif aims to stir anticipation for that magical moment".