With Berlin Fashion week now slowly (but surely) receding from our minds, the next annual winter institution is about to grip the city in the form of the Berlin International Film Festival, better known as the Berlinale.  For the uninitiated, the Berlinale is a little bit like the German version of the Oscars and is part of the international film awards circuit, coming hot on the heels of the famed Sundance Film Festival which itself is currently coming to an end just now. Filmakers, actors, directors and producers from all over the world are getting ready to come to town to showcase new work in the form of feature films, documentaries, and short movies, all in the hope of emulating last year’s winner from Romania Poziţia Copilului, by taking home the top prize – the Golden Bear.

This year over 400 films will be screened, with big stars of the silver screen such as Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon, Ann Hathaway, and Meryl Streep (pictured above) dropping by in recent years. Throughout the film festival we will be bringing you stories from the red carpet, a review of some of the more interesting and zany films we see, as well as the highlights from all the many events associated with the Berlinale. If you wish to attend any of the screenings check out the full programme here, set a reminder for February 3rd when tickets go on sale through their website at berlinale.de, and be sure not miss out on extra special screenings like this movie at the Brandenburger Tor in recent years.

Check out the vid below for a look back at some of last year’s Berlinale highlights.

(Credit for all photos goes to berlinale.de)