Frequently Asked Questions

How can I receive accreditation as a member of the press at the Berlinale?
An application for Press Accreditation can be submitted online under Press Accreditation. The precise steps can be found under Accreditation Process.

What is the deadline for submitting a Press Accreditation application?
The deadline is January 9, 2025 and the accreditation must be paid in advance online by January 30, 2025 (payments on-site are not possible).

I do not have all the required documents for my accreditation application. Can I submit them later?
An application cannot be submitted without uploading the required documents. Members of the press have until January 9 at the latest to submit an application with all the required documents.

I am both a film professional and a journalist. Can I apply for both accreditations?
No, only one form of accreditation can be issued. To verify which kind of accreditation corresponds best to your professional profile, please check the respective pages for Professionals & EFM or Press.

Can I apply for accreditations for different types of media (e.g. print and TV)?
No, multiple accreditation for different types of media is not possible. Please select the Press Accreditation that corresponds to your main field of work during the Berlinale in the accreditation application form.

What are my access options?
Information can be found under Access Information.

Where and when can I collect my accreditation badge?
Starting from one week before the festival begins, accredited visitors will receive an email to the email address saved in their Berlinale account containing their individual information about the badge collection location and opening times of the accreditation counter.

Will there be press screenings? How can I access them?
Once the 2025 Berlinale programme has been published, you will find the dates of the press screenings on the Berlinale website. Tickets for press screenings can only be booked in advance online. The tickets are subject to availability on a first come, first served basis. They are exclusively issued for the personal use of accredited visitors and are only valid in combination with an accreditation badge (the badge must be presented for inspection at the cinema entrance). A maximum of one ticket per screening, film and (90 minute) time slot may be booked. There is no guarantee that you will obtain a ticket for a specific screening or that a specific number of tickets will be available. Tickets for press screenings can be booked online until shortly before the event begins. Cancellations must be made by 30 minutes before the start of the event.
Accredited press can book tickets online for the public screenings. An allocated number of press tickets for the films of all sections are available.

Will there be online press screenings?
No. Press screenings and public screenings will only take place in cinemas. There will be no online screenings.

Can I attend the Press Conferences with my accreditation badge?
Yes. Admission subject to availability of seats.

My application for Press Accreditation was accepted but I do not have access to bookings in the Berlinale Hotels. What can I do?
After your application for Press Accreditation has been accepted, it may take a few minutes for the partner hotel booking service to become active for technical reasons. If you still do not have access after ten minutes, please email or phone +49 30 25920 800.

How can I gain access to press materials?
For information on the availability of press materials and their download periods, please see the menu item "Press Material" on this website.

How do I apply for an Accreditation?

The precise steps for industry professionals can be found under Accreditation Process and for members of the press under Press Accreditation Process.

Payment

How can I pay for my accreditation?
You may pay for your accreditation only online by using a credit card (Mastercard, VISA, American Express) or PayPal. You will find the link to the online payment procedure in your Berlinale Account overview by clicking on "Order Confirmations / Accepted Applications / Payment".

Can I also pay the accreditation fee when I pick up my badge at the counter?
Payment at the accreditation counter is not possible. The accreditation must be paid for online in advance by January 30, 2025.

What happens if I have not paid the accreditation fee by January 30, 2025?
Late payments may lead to delays in collecting the accreditation badge and in gaining access to the Online Ticket Shop and/or the EFM Online Services. The Early Bear / Regular rate for Market Badges, Online Market Badges and Festival Accreditations only applies until January 30, 2025. As of January 31, 2025, these orders will be charged the rate valid on the date of payment (exception: Press Accreditation).

Will I receive an invoice?
After completing your payment, you will receive an invoice by email. You may also download this invoice via your Berlinale Account by clicking on "Invoices" in your account overview. If you wish to change your billing address, you may submit a request to change the billing address.  For doing so, please click on the pencil icon at the end of the line of the respective invoice in the table listing your invoices. You will be notified as soon as this request has been processed.

How can I cancel my accreditation?
Press, Student and Festival Accreditations that have already been paid for may be cancelled and reimbursed until January 30, 2025 upon sending a written notice of cancellation to .
Market Badges and Online Market Badges, however, cannot be cancelled after payment.

Why does PayPal show that my payment is going to KBB GmbH?
The Berlinale is a division of Kulturveranstaltungen des Bundes in Berlin GmbH (Cultural Events of the Federal Government in Berlin Ltd), KBB for short. Payments are therefore made to the KBB GmbH account. The PayPal address for the Berlinale is still, nonetheless, paypal@berlinale.de.

Ticketing / Cinema Access

Who has access to online ticketing?
Holders of paid-for or free-of-charge festival accreditations, student and press accreditations will receive their personal login to the separate online ticket shop by e-mail, approximately  one week before the start of the Festival. Accredited participants who have only acquired a (Online) Market Badge will not be granted access to the online ticket shop.

For which screenings can I book a ticket?
For festival screenings in every section - but not for every time slot or for every venue - as well as for the public events of Berlinale Talents. In the online ticket shop, you will only be offered tickets for films to which you have access in accordance with your accreditation.

Where do I book my free tickets?
In a separate online ticket shop for accredited visitors. In order to gain personal access to the online ticket shop before the festival, you must pay the accreditation fee by February 1, 2024. Your personal login to access the separate online ticket shop for accredited visitors will be emailed to you approximately one week before the start of the Berlinale.

How many tickets can I book?
A maximum of one ticket is issued per film and time slot. There is no guarantee of tickets for a certain screening or a specific total number of tickets. All accredited tickets are issued according to availability on a first-come, first-served basis.

How can I cancel my ticket? 
Accredited persons are not permitted to allow their tickets to go unused. Tickets that have already been booked but cannot be used must be cancelled online at least 60 minutes (for press screenings 30 minutes) before the start of the screening.

Can I use my account to book tickets for colleagues?
No. Tickets are exclusively for your personal use and are only valid in combination with your accreditation badge.

During the Festival

When and where can I collect my badge?
That depends on the type of accreditation. About one week before the festival starts, you will receive an e-mail containing all the relevant information about how and when to pick up your accreditation. The badge may only be collected if it has already been paid for online in advance. 

Are group collections possible for members of the same company?
Group collection is only possible for groups of at least ten people. Please contact your designated accreditation office for further information.

What do I do if I have lost my accreditation badge?
Please immediately report the loss of your accreditation badge to the office that issued your accreditation. The reissue of your badge will cost €30 and may take up to 24 hours.

I have experienced/witnessed abusive or discriminatory behaviour at the Berlinale, what can I do?
During and shortly after the Berlinale, additional Awareness Teams are available to offer preliminary advice to any visitors or employees who observe, experience or are affected by discrimination in connection with the festival. The availability of the Awareness Teams for the next Berlinale will be announced in the run-up to the festival.

The Awareness Teams are there to listen, understand and advise people in a supportive, confidential and initially strictly anonymous manner. At the request of the person seeking advice, the Awareness Team will inform the Berlinale and will consult it about possible measures to be taken. The implementation of these measures is the responsibility of the Berlinale. The Berlinale is grateful for your active collaboration and encourages all witnesses and those affected to contact our Awareness Teams should such incidents occur.

Practical Information and Miscellaneous

I am an invited guest of the Berlinale/member of a film crew. How can I gain access to the EFM?
A festival accreditation grants limited access to the stands in the EFM locations (Gropius Bau and Marriott Hotel) as follows: February 13 all day; February 14–17 from 5 pm; February 18 and 19 all day. To gain unrestricted access to the EFM venues, Market Screenings, Industry Sessions and the EFM online features, please order an additional Market Badge (which you will have to pay for) via .

I was invited as a guest of the EFM. How can I also take part in the festival?
To get access to tickets for public festival screenings, you can either order a festival accreditation (which you will need to pay for) via  or alternatively try to purchase tickets via the Berlinale's public ticket sale.

What is the Berlinale doing to protect my data?
The Berlinale takes great care in handling your private data. See the Privacy Policy for all relevant information on what happens to your data. For further questions regarding data protection, please contact the data protection officer at .

Does the Berlinale provide any support for visa applications?
Participants who require a visa to enter Germany can request support from the respective festival departments (Professionals & EFM or Press) as soon as their accreditation application has been approved. They will then receive an official “Confirmation of Accreditation” from the Berlinale and, from mid-December, the Berlinale will inform the respective German diplomatic mission abroad about their participation in the festival in order to ease the visa application process.
Embassies and consulates have specific deadlines for making appointments and for visa processing. Please book an appointment as early as possible with the relevant German embassy/consulate (or via an external service provider). Please check their websites to find out which documents are required for a Schengen visa and submit them together with the Berlinale’s official “Confirmation of Accreditation”. A valid passport is required in all cases.

Networking

Is there a list of everyone participating in the Berlinale?
The Attendee List is a directory which contains all the industry professionals, members of the press and students accredited for the festival.
The EFM Participants Guide (only accessible to Market Badge or Online Market Badge holders) offers a comprehensive overview and contains all the contact details of the EFM exhibitors, buyers and other EFM participants.

Will my contact details be published in the Attendee List or the EFM Participants Guide?
Yes. Your contact details will be published in the Attendee List and, if applicable, in the EFM Participants Guide (only for Market Badge and Online Market Badge holders) for professional networking purposes. In the accreditation form, you can voluntarily provide an email address and a telephone number for publication. From early January 2025, you can edit your details for the Attendee List and, if applicable, in the EFM Participants Guide via your Berlinale account.

Why can’t I view the complete EFM Participants Guide, including contact details?
The full version of the Guide, including contact details, is only available if you are registered for the EFM with a Market Badge or an Online Market Badge and have completed your payment. You also need to be logged into “your Berlinale Account” to access the guide.