Berlin Film Festival opens its 76th edition with No Good Men
Shafaq News- Berlin
The 76th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) opens in Germany with the world premiere of No Good Men, directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat, while German filmmaker Wim Wenders presides over the International Jury.
The opening ceremony, held at the Berlinale Palast on February 12, introduces the festival juries and presents the Honorary Golden Bear to Academy Award–winning actress Michelle Yeoh. The gala is led by Festival Director Tricia Tuttle and hosted by Désirée Nosbusch, with filmmaker Sean Baker delivering the laudatory speech.
Government officials, juries, and international guests are expected on the red carpet, including Germany’s Minister of State for Culture and the Media Wolfram Weimer and Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner.
Opening Film
The opening film, No Good Men, is an international co-production between Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, and Afghanistan. Production companies include Adomeit Film, La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma, Motlys, Amerikafilm, and Wolf Pictures.
Honorary Golden Bear
Michelle Yeoh receives the 2026 Honorary Golden Bear in recognition of her career and contribution to international cinema. Yeoh, who previously served on the Berlinale jury in 1999, is known globally for roles in films including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The Honorary Golden Bear is awarded to figures who have made lasting contributions to film. Previous recipients include Helen Mirren, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, and Tilda Swinton.
Main Competition Jury
The Main Competition jury, chaired by Wim Wenders, includes:
- Min Bahadur Bham (Nepal), director and producer.
- Bae Doona (South Korea), actor.
- Shivendra Singh Dungarpur (India), director and archivist.
- Reinaldo Marcus Green (US), director and producer.
- HIKARI (Japan), director and screenwriter.
- Ewa Puszczyńska (Poland), producer.
The jury will award:
- Golden Bear for Best Film.
- Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
- Silver Bear Jury Prize.
- Silver Bear for Best Director.
- Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance.
- Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance.
- Silver Bear for Best Screenplay.
- Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution.
Talks and Special Events
The festival program includes discussions with award guests, including a conversation between Sean Baker and Michelle Yeoh. The event also features the premiere of Sandiwara, a short film directed by Baker and starring Yeoh, produced within the Berlinale residency program.
Festival Overview
The 76th Berlinale runs from February 12 to February 22, 2026, under the direction of Tricia Tuttle. The program consists of Competition sections such as Main Competition, Perspectives Competition, Generations Competition, Panorama, Forum, Shorts, Documentary, and the non-competition category, including Special Screening and Classic Cinema Screening.
For more info: https://www.berlinale.de/en/home.html
Credit: Independent journalist and reporter Mansour Jahani
