Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud’s latest Dreams (Sex Love) has won the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. Scroll down for the full list of winners.
The film is the third entry in a trilogy from Haugerud. The other films in the trology are Sex and Love, both released in 2024.
Other stand out winners included Andrew Scott and Rose Byrne, who took acting honors during the closing ceremony. Scott picked up Best Supporting Performance for his role in Richard Linklater’s competition title Blue Moon while Byrne won Best Leading Performance for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.
Chinese filmmaker Huo Meng won Best Director for Living The Land and Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude won Best Screenplay for Kontinental ’25.
This year’s festival was Tricia Tuttle’s first at the helm. Events began on February 13 with a screening of Tom Tykwer’s latest The Light. The opening ceremony also featured a fiery and political speech from Honorary Golden Bear winner Tilda Swinton.
Earlier today, the festival announced the winners in its Panorama sidebar competition. Sorda by Eva Libertad picked up best feature film while The Möllner Letters by Martina Priessner won best documentary. Sorda (translated as Deaf) is written and directed by Eva Libertad, a continuation of her 2023 Goya Award-nominated short film of the same name that starred her sister, Miriam Garlo.
Films playing in the main competition this year in Berlin included Richard Linklater’s latest feature Blue Moon, starring Ethan Hawke, Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Scott. Mexican filmmaker Michel Franco’s latest title Dreams, starring Jessica Chastain, also debuted alongside Radu Jude Kontinental ’25 and Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s Hot Milk starring Emma Mackey, Fiona Shaw, and Vicky Krieps.
The Berlin Specials program also featured the international premieres of A Complete Unknown and Bong Joon-ho’s latest feature Mickey 17.
See the full list of this evening’s winners below.
Prizes of the International Jury
Golden Bear — Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud
Silver Bear Jury Prize — The Message by Iván Fund
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize — The Blue Trail (O último azul) by Gabriel Mascaro
Best Leading Performance — Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Best Supporting Performance — Andrew Scott, Blue Moon
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution — The Ice Tower by Lucile Hadžihalilović
Best Director — Living The Land by Huo Meng
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay — Kontinental ’25 by Radu Jude
GWFF Best First Feature Award
GFF First Feature Award — The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box by Ernesto Martínez Bucio
Berlinale Documentary Award
Holding Liat by Brandon Kramer
Shorts
Golden Bear Best Short Film – Lloyd Wong, Unfinished by Lesley Loksi Chan
Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film) — Ordinary Life (Futsu no seikatsu) by Yoriko Mizushiri
CUPRA Filmmaker Award — Quenton Miller for Koki, Ciao
