Ilker Çatak’s ‘Yellow Letters’ Wins Berlin Golden Bear in Politically-Charged Ceremony

The awards ceremony for the 76th Berlinale transformed into an overtly political stage, as filmmaker after filmmaker used the spotlight to denounce what they called Israeli aggression in the Middle East and to call to “free Palestine.”

The ceremony, held in Berlin, saw the 2026 competition jury, headed by German director Wim Wenders, hand out the festival’s Golden and Silver Bears against a backdrop of sustained controversy that has dogged this year’s Berlinale from its opening day.

While the competition lineup was widely regarded as one of the strongest in recent years — with multiple titles earning critical raves and few outright misfires — there were no clear frontrunners heading into the final night. Instead, politics once again took center stage.

Despite efforts by festival leadership to keep the focus on cinema, the 2026 Berlinale has been defined as much by social media outrage and geopolitical debate as by the films themselves.