Golden Bear
The Golden Bear is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, widely considered among the most prestigious film festival awards. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin.
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 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.
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.File:Ingmar Bergman.jpg|thumb|120px|Ingmar Bergman won for Wild Strawberries.
File:PierPaoloPasolini.jpg|thumb|120px|Pier Paolo Pasolini won for The Canterbury Tales.
File:Satyajit Ray in New York .jpg|thumb|120px|Satyajit Ray won for Distant Thunder.
File:PER51895 061.jpg|thumb|120px|Rainer Werner Fassbinder won for Veronika Voss.
File:John Cassavetes Johnny Staccato 1959.jpg|thumb|120px|John Cassavetes won for Love Streams.
File:Zhang Yimou from "Full River Red" at Red Carpet of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2023.jpg|thumb|180x180px|Zhang Yimou won for Red Sorghum.
File:Ang Lee - Festival.jpg|thumb|120px|Ang Lee won twice for The Wedding Banquet and Sense and Sensibility.
File:Asghar Farhadi, Viennale 2009.jpg|thumb|120px|Asghar Farhadi won for A Separation.
File:Jafar Panahi, Cines del Sur 2007-1.jpg|thumb|167x167px|Jafar Panahi won for Taxi.
File:Adina Pintilie-9078.jpg|thumb|120px|Adina Pintilie won for Touch Me Not.
File:Carla Simón Winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film 2022 Nr 5.JPG|thumb|120px|Carla Simón won for Alcarràs.
File:Nicolas Philibert with Golden Bear, Berlinale 2023-1.jpg|thumb|right|120 px|Nicolas Philibert won for On the Adamant.
File:Mati Diop with Golden Bear of Berlinale 2024-1.jpg|thumb|120px|Mati Diop won for Dahomey.