The Berlin International Film Festival, commonly known as the Berlinale, is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany, and is considered one of the world's leading film festivals, alongside Venice and Cannes. Founded in 1951, it has been held every February since 1978. The festival showcases around 400 films across various genres and sections, with approximately twenty films competing for its top awards, the Golden Bear and Silver Bears. It is notable for having the largest public attendance of any film festival globally, selling around 300,000 to 325,000 tickets annually and attracting thousands of film industry professionals from over 120 countries. Since April 2024, Tricia Tuttle serves as the festival's artistic director.