40th Berlin International Film Festival

The 40th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 February 1990. The festival opened with Steel Magnolias by Herbert Ross, which was shown out of competition.

The Golden Bear was awarded ex aequo to the American film Music Box directed by Costa-Gavras and Czechoslovak film Larks on a String directed by Jiří Menzel.

The retrospective of this edition included two programs: The Year 1945, dedicated to international productions released in 1945, and 40 Years Berlinale, dedicated to some of the most significant films presented during the past editions of the festival.

Jury
The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:
 * Michael Ballhaus, West-German director of photography - Jury President
 * Margaret Ménégoz, French producer - Jury Co-president
 * Vadim Abdrashitov, Soviet filmmaker
 * Suzana Amaral, Brazilian filmmaker
 * Steven Bach, American writer and producer
 * Roberto Benigni, Italian actor, filmmaker
 * Lívia Gyarmathy, Hungarian director and screenwriter
 * Helke Misselwitz, East-German filmmaker
 * Otto Sander, West-German actor
 * Stephen Silverman, American actor
 * Rita Tushingham, British actress

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

Out of competition

 * 300 mil do nieba, directed by Maciej Dejczer (Poland)
 * Everybody Wins, directed by Karel Reisz (United States, United Kingdom)
 * Crimes and Misdemeanors, directed by Woody Allen (United States)
 * Steel Magnolias, directed by Herbert Ross (United States)
 * A Terra-Cotta Warrior, directed by Ching Siu-tung (Hong Kong)
 * Conte de printemps, directed by Éric Rohmer (France)
 * Resan till Melonia, directed by Per Åhlin (Sweden)
 * Spur der Steine, directed by Frank Beyer (East Germany)

Retrospective
The following films were shown in the retrospective titled "The Year 1945":

Official Awards
The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:
 * Golden Bear:
 * Music Box by Costa-Gavras
 * Larks on a String by Jiří Menzel
 * Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize: The Asthenic Syndrome by Kira Muratova
 * Silver Bear for Best Director: Michael Verhoeven for The Nasty Girl
 * Silver Bear for Best Joint Performance: Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman
 * Silver Bear for Best Actor: Iain Glen for Silent Scream
 * Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement: Black Snow by Xie Fei
 * Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution: Coming Out
 * Alfred-Bauer Prize: Karaul
 * FIPRESCI Award
 * Karaul by Aleksandr Rogozhkin