39th Berlin International Film Festival

The 39th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 21 February 1989.

The Golden Bear was awarded to American film Rain Man directed by Barry Levinson.

The retrospective was dedicated to German film producer Erich Pommer and another one dedicated to European productions of 1939 titled Europe 1939.

Jury
The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:
 * Rolf Liebermann, Swiss composer - Jury President
 * Leslie Caron, French dancer and actress
 * Chen Kaige, Chinese filmmaker
 * Vadim Glowna, West-German actor and filmmaker
 * Randa Haines, American filmmaker
 * Vladimir Ignatovski, Bulgarian director of Bulgarska Nacionalna Filmoteka
 * Adrian Kutter, West-German founder of the Biberach an der Riß Film Festival
 * Francisco Rabal, Spanish actor
 * Cliff Robertson, American actor
 * Zdeněk Svěrák, Czech actor and screenwriter
 * Boris Vasilyev, Soviet writer and screenwriter

Main Competition
The following films were in competition for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards:

Out of Competition

 * Farewell to False Paradise (Abschied vom falschen Paradies), directed by Tevfik Başer (West Germany)
 * Another Woman, directed by Woody Allen (USA)
 * The Break (1989 film), directed by Frank Beyer (East Germany)
 * Dangerous Liaisons, directed by Stephen Frears (USA)
 * C*A*S*H: A Political Fairy Tale, directed by Norbert Kückelmann (West Germany)
 * Solovky Power (Власть Соловецкая. Свидетельства и документы), directed by Marina Goldovskaya (Soviet Union)
 * War Requiem, directed by Derek Jarman (UK)

Retrospective
The following films were shown in the retrospective dedicated to Erich Pommer:

The following films were shown in the retrospective "Europe 1939":

Official Awards
The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:
 * Golden Bear: Rain Man by Barry Levinson
 * Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize: Evening Bell by Wu Ziniu
 * Silver Bear for Best Director: Dušan Hanák for I Love, You Love
 * Silver Bear for Best Actress: Isabelle Adjani for Camille Claudel
 * Silver Bear for Best Actor: Gene Hackman for Mississippi Burning
 * Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement: Eric Bogosian for Talk Radio
 * Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution: Kaipo Cohen and Gila Almagor for Aviya's Summer
 * Honourable Mention: Gang of Four by Jacques Rivette
 * Alfred-Bauer Prize: The Servant

FIPRESCI Award

 * Gang of Four by Jacques Rivette

UNICEF Award

 * Juliana by Chaski Group (Peru)