The unique thing about the Berlinale: moviegoers gather with movie stars and moviemakers from all over the world.

The event is open to the public and around 400 movies are shown, including cinematic works of art and documentaries that are banned in their countries of origin.

21 movies will celebrate their world premiere at the festival this year and 19 are competing for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards. Around 400 companies and more than 8,000 professionals from 95 countries will gather at this year’s Berlinale to socialize, find partners to collaborate with, and clinch deals for movie rights.

30,000 tickets will be on sale for movie enthusiasts from February 2 from selected sales points and online. But demand is so high that the tickets you want could be sold out within the first few days. So please book quickly!

PS: Satisfy your hunger pangs with a delicious dinner between screenings. Visit the Culinary Cinema page on the Berlinale Web site for more information.