The 77th Berlin Film Festival will run from February 10-21 in 2027, opening on a Wednesday rather than Thursday as in previous years.

Under the change, the official awards ceremony will be held on the festival’s 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 Tuesday revealed that this year’s lineup, featuring 278 films from 80 countries, generated a record 350,000 tickets sales, compared to 340,000 in 2025.

The Berlinale said the changed starting day next year would open up additional space to introduce the first ever Audience Days (Berlinale Publikumstage) on February 20-21.

“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.

Industry dates and figures

Linked to the changes, the European Film Market 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 the following Tuesday (February 16).