29th Berlin International Film Festival

The 29th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 20 February – 3 March 1979. The Golden Bear was awarded to David directed by Peter Lilienthal.

Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter selection for the main competition was surrounded by controversy, as it was accused of racism, and several countries decided to withdraw their films from the festival in protest.

The retrospective was dedicated to Italian actor Rudolph Valentino and to another one titled "We Danced Around the World. Revue Films".

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

Main Competition

 * Jörn Donner, Finnish filmmaker - Jury President
 * Julie Christie, British actress
 * Romain Gary, French writer and screenwriter
 * Ingrid Caven, German actress and singer
 * Georg Alexander, German actor
 * Liliana Cavani, Italian director and screenwriter
 * Paul Bartel, American actor, director and screenwriter
 * Pál Gábor, Hungarian director and screenwriter (Hungary)
 * Věra Chytilová, Czech director and screenwriter

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

Out of Competition

 * Het verloren paradijs, directed by Harry Kümel (Belgium)

Retrospective
The following films were shown in the retrospective dedicated to Rudolph Valentino:

Official Awards
The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:
 * Golden Bear: David by Peter Lilienthal
 * Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize: Alexandria... Why? by Youssef Chahine
 * Silver Bear for Best Director: Astrid Henning-Jensen for Winterborn
 * Silver Bear for Best Actress: Hanna Schygulla for The Marriage of Maria Braun
 * Silver Bear for Best Actor: Michele Placido for Ernesto
 * Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement:
 * Henning von Gierke for Nosferatu the Vampyre
 * Sten Holmberg for Kejsaren
 * Silver Bear: The Marriage of Maria Braun by Rainer Werner Fassbinder