23rd Berlin International Film Festival

The 23rd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 22 June to 3 July 1973. The Golden Bear was awarded to Distant Thunder by Satyajit Ray.

Juries
The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:

Main Competition

 * David Robinson, British writer and film critic - Jury President
 * Freddy Buache, Swiss journalist and film historian
 * Hiram García Borja, Mexican director of the Banco Nacional Cinematrográfico
 * Eberhard Hauff, West-German filmmaker
 * Harish Khanna, Indian director of the International Film Festival of India
 * Paul Moor, American journalist and writer
 * Walter Müller-Bringmann, West-German journalist and film critic
 * René Thévenet, French producer
 * Paolo Valmarana, Italian journalist and film critic

Main Competition
The following films were in competition for the Golden Bear award:

Out of competition

 * Duel, directed by Steven Spielberg (United States)
 * Emperor of the North Pole, directed by Robert Aldrich (United States)

Official Awards
The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:
 * Golden Bear: Distant Thunder by Satyajit Ray
 * Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize: There's No Smoke Without Fire by André Cayatte
 * Silver Bear:
 * The 14 by David Hemmings
 * All Nudity Shall Be Punished by Arnaldo Jabor
 * The Experts by Norbert Kückelmann
 * The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe by Yves Robert
 * The Seven Madmen by Leopoldo Torre Nilsson

FIPRESCI Award

 * Wedding in Blood by Claude Chabrol