The 77th Berlin Film Festival will run from February 10 to 21 in 2027 to open on Wednesday rather than Thursday as in previous years.
Under the change, the Official Awards Ceremony will be held on the second Friday (February 19 ), rather than the Saturday.
The 2027 date announcement comes a month after a tumultuous 76th edition marked by a media storm, unleashed by comments from jury president Wim Wenders that filmmakers should “stay out of politics” in a response to a question on the Israel-Gaza conflict; a political backlash over a raft of pro-Palestinian speeches at the closing ceremony, and the near departure of Festival Director Tricia Tuttle.
The Berlinale‘s public audiences were not deterred by the polemics in the background.
Figures released by the festival on Tuesday revealed the lineup, featuring 278 films from 80 countries, generated a record 343,200 tickets sales, against 340,000 in 2025.
The Berlinale said the changed starting day would open up additional space to introduce the first ever two Audience Days (Berlinale Publikumstage) on February 20 and 21, 2027.
“Berlinale’s not-so-secret weapon is our wonderful audience; this change allows us to better serve them, while also responding to increasing demand from attendees at our highly successful European Film Market. We are already planning for the 77th Berlinale with much excitement,” said Tuttle.
Linked to the changes, the European Film Market (EFM) will now have a full official day on Wednesday, February 10; celebrate its opening reception on the evening of Tuesday(February 9) and run through to Tuesday (February 16).
Berlinale Talents will run February 12–17, and the Berlinale Co-Production Market, February 13–16, following the patterns set in 2026.According to figures released by the Berlinale on Tuesday, approximately 19,500 industry professionals from 135 countries – including 2,288 accredited press representatives – attended the festival.
Source: deadline.com