Who has won the most Golden Bears at the Berlin Film Festival?
Throughout the Berlin Film Festival, most eyes are on the highly-coveted Golden Bear award, the highest honour the Berlinale international jury gifts to the most impressive film each year. The bear itself is representative of the heraldic animal of Berlin, which is depicted on the city’s coat of arms and official flag.
The first Golden Bears were awarded in 1951 across four categories by a West German jury with Four in a Jeep (Drama), Without Leaving an Address (Comedy), In Beaver Valley (Documentary), Justice is Done (Thriller & Adventure) and Cinderella (Music Film) each being adorned with the prize.
Between 1952 and 1955, the festival’s audience voted for the Golden Bear winner, but at the 1956 iteration, the Berlinale switched to an international jury format, a decision that lasted until the present day, reflecting the global appeal of cinema and the festival itself.
The Golden Bear looks to be one of the most elusive prizes in global cinema competition, though, as only one person has ever won the prestigious award more than once. Ang Lee, the director of Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life of Pi, has won the Golden Bear twice.
However, interestingly, neither of Lee’s Golden Bear wins came with the aforementioned movies. Rather, his first arrived in 1993 with his romantic comedy film The Wedding Banquet. Taking place in New York City, Lee’s movie focuses on Wai-Tung, a gay Taiwanese immigrant who faces the issues of his parents’ expectations for him to marry.
To appease his parents’ wishes, Wai-Tung decides to conveniently marry his tenant Wei-Wei, an artist in desperate need of a green card. But when Wai-Tung’s parents arrive to organise an expensive wedding banquet, the pair must maintain their romantic façade whilst growing more attached to one another.
In 1996, Lee made history at the Berlinale, history that stands even today, with his period drama Sense and Sensibility, which also won the Golden Bear. A brilliant adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel, Lee’s film takes place in 19th-century England and focuses on the Dashwood sisters as they traverse the societal expectations of the time, the pressures of romance and the financial strain following the death of their father.
Starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Grant, Sense and Sensibility perfectly captures the wit and social commentary of Austen’s writing while exploring the resilience amid the societal oppression of women during Regency-era England with a genuine charm and passion for romance.
It was Sense and Sensibility that saw Lee make his Hollywood breakthrough, leading to further acclaim with Brokeback Mountain. It’s also the film that made Lee a true hero of the Berlin Film Festival, setting a record as the director with the most Golden Bear wins, a record that has yet to be beaten.
