German director İlker Katak's film "Yellow Letters" won the Golden Bear for best film on Saturday at the 2026 Berlin Film Festival. The film tells the story of a Turkish theater director and his actress wife who are suddenly banned from working because of their political views. German actress Sandra Höller, in turn, won the Silver Bear for her role in the drama "Rose."

Published on: 02/21/2026 - 21:10 Last updated: 02/22/2026 - 11:57

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The film "Yellow Letters" won the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday. The Turkish-language film, a drama about the collapse of a marriage under exceptional political pressure, is set in Germany, with Özku Namal and Tansu Piçar playing a couple who lose their jobs and abandon their comfortable lives after the husband is targeted by Turkish authorities for his online criticism.

While receiving the award, Turkish-German director İlker Çatak declared that “the real threat is not among us, but outside,” referring to “tyrants, right-wing parties, and supporters of destructive tendencies” who seek to destroy the way of life.

The film Katak, which was filmed in Germany (and its German title is Gelbe Briefe), tells the story of a Turkish theater director whose relationship with his actress wife fractures as a result of their being prevented from working in Türkiye because of their political opinions.

The head of the jury, German director Wim Wenders, described the film as "a terrifying omen and a glimpse into the near future that our countries may also witness." Wenders added, "This is a film that deals very clearly with the political language of totalitarianism as opposed to the sympathetic language of cinema."

The Grand Jury Prize went to the film “Salvation” by director Emin Alper, who in his speech expressed his solidarity with prominent dissidents imprisoned in Turkey, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu.

Albert also expressed his solidarity with "the people of Iran who suffer from tyranny" and "the Palestinians in Gaza who live and die under very terrifying conditions."

Part of democracy

Wenders' statement at the beginning of the festival sparked controversy, as he said in response to a question about the possibility of issuing a position on the Gaza war, "We must stay away from politics." He added at the same press conference that films have the ability to “change the world,” but in a way different from politics.

This prompted Indian writer Arundhati Roy to withdraw from the festival, stressing that she was “shocked and disgusted” by the answers of Wenders and members of the jury when they were asked about the Palestinian sector.

It was supposed to show a restored version of the movie “In Which Anybody Gives It Ones,” for which Roy wrote the script and starred in it.

Condemning the "silence" of the festival

More than eighty directors and actors, including Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton, quickly denounced the Berlin Film Festival's "silence" regarding Gaza, and expressed their "dissatisfaction" with its "involvement in imposing censorship on artists who oppose the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza."

Read also: 80 international artists denounce the silence of the Berlin Festival over what they consider to be genocide in Gaza

But festival director Trisha Tuttle rejected these accusations, and said in a speech she delivered at the beginning of the awards ceremony on Saturday that “expressing opinions is part of democracy.” "We respect people who speak out because it takes a lot of courage," she added. She continued, "We do not always agree with everything that is said about us."

German Sandra Höller won the title of best male and female acting performance for her role in “Rose” by Austrian director Markus Schleinzer.

In this black and white film, Holler embodies the character of a woman living in the German countryside in the seventeenth century who tries to escape the restrictions of the patriarchal system by pretending to be a man. This is the second time that Sandra Holler has won this award, 20 years after her role in the movie “Requiem” in 2006. Two awards were given to the movie “Queen at Sea” by American director Lance Hammer, starring Juliette Binoche in the role of a woman caring for her mother who suffers from dementia.

Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall, who plays the sick mother in the film, shared the Silver Bear Award for Best Supporting Acting Performance. The film also won the Silver Bear Jury Award, which is the third highest award at the festival.

The Berlin Festival also constituted a platform in which Iranian directors expressed their anger at the Tehran authorities' suppression of the recent anti-Tehran protests.

Iranian opposition director Jaafar Panahi said during a symposium organized during the festival, "A horrific crime has occurred. A mass massacre has occurred. People are not even allowed to mourn their loved ones."

France 24/Reuters/AFP

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