Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud took home the Golden Bear at the 2025 Berlinale for his film Dreams. This touching queer love story wraps up his Sex, Love, Dreams trilogy, known for its rich dialogue and subtle visuals.
The film centers on a teenage girl’s crush on her female teacher, presented through the girl’s nostalgic reflections as she writes a novel about her experiences. Critics from The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as “tender, captivating, and often very funny,” highlighting the impressive feat of Haugerud completing three thematically linked films in one year, all of which received acclaim.
The jury, led by Carol director Todd Haynes, selected Dreams from a competitive lineup of 19 films at this year’s festival.
Rose Byrne and Andrew Scott also shined, with Byrne winning the award for Best Leading Performance for her role in Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You. Andrew Scott earned the Best Supporting Performance award for portraying Broadway composer Richard Rogers in Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon.
In If I Had Legs, Byrne delivers a compelling mix of humor and intensity as a therapist facing her own crisis. A24 will release this standout film in the U.S., while Sony Pictures Classics will handle Blue Moon.
The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to The Blue Trail, a dystopian tale from Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro. It features a determined older woman who defies a system that tries to push her into a seniors’ colony, choosing instead to chase her own dreams.
Huo Meng from China received the Silver Bear for Best Director for Living the Land. This drama portrays a family of struggling farmers as they navigate the changes brought on by China’s rapid economic transformation.
The Silver Bear Jury Prize was awarded to Ivan Fund for his film The Message, a black-and-white road movie about a young girl who believes she can read animals’ minds.
Radu Jude, known for his bold filmmaking, claimed the Best Screenplay award for Kontinental ’25, a sharp critique set in contemporary Romania.
“I’m a bad screenwriter, so this is funny to receive,” Jude joked while accepting his award. He also made a political comment about Germany’s current climate, hoping for a more positive tone in future festival openings.
The ensemble cast of Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s The Ice Tower, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution. Marion Cotillard stars in a dual role, showcasing her range as both a film icon and a winter queen.
“I don’t think films change the world,” Hadzihalilovic remarked while accepting her award, “but films help us dream, especially in tough times. Vive le cinéma!”
Brandon Kramer’s documentary Holding Liat won the best documentary prize. The film explores the struggles of an Israeli-American family after two of their members were kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Kramer expressed that the film does not provide easy answers but aims to shed light on the complexities of one family’s crisis.
The Best Feature Debut was awarded to Mexican director Ernesto Martínez Bucio for The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box). This family drama set in 1990s Mexico City follows five siblings and their mentally ill grandmother as they grapple with reality and imagination.
2025 Berlin Film Festival Winners
- Golden Bear for Best Film: Dreams, director Dag Johan Haugerud
- Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: The Blue Trail, director Gabriel Mascaro
- Silver Bear Jury Prize: The Message, director Ivan Fund
- Silver Bear for Best Director: Huo Meng for Living the Land
- Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance: Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You
- Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance: Andrew Scott for Blue Moon
- Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Radu Jude for Kontinental ’25
- Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Ensemble of The Ice Tower, director Lucile Hadzihalilovic
- Best Directorial Debut in Perspectives: The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box), director Ernesto Martínez Bucio
- Best Documentary: Holding Liat, director Brandon Kramer
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