The 59th Berlinale set a record for ticket sales in its 59-year history, with over 270,000 tickets sold by the halfway point alone.
Key Facts
- Dates
- 5 February – 15 February 2009
- Golden Bear Winner
- The Milk of Sorrow (Claudia Llosa)
- Jury President
- Tilda Swinton
- Tickets sold at midpoint
- 270,000 tickets
- Previous year total tickets
- 240,000 tickets
- Opening Film
- The International (Tom Tykwer)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Berlin International Film Festival, established as an annual showcase for international cinema, reached its 59th edition in 2009, continuing its tradition of competitive screenings, retrospectives, and public programming under jury president Tilda Swinton.
Held from 5 to 15 February 2009 in Berlin, the festival screened Tom Tykwer's The International as its opening film and awarded the Golden Bear to Peruvian director Claudia Llosa's The Milk of Sorrow. A retrospective titled '70mm – Bigger than Life' highlighted the golden age of widescreen filmmaking from 1955 to 1970.
The festival recorded its highest-ever ticket sales in its 59-year history, with 270,000 tickets sold by the halfway mark surpassing the prior year's total of 240,000, signaling broad public engagement and growing international interest in the event.