47th Berlin International Film Festival

The 47th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 February 1997.

The Golden Bear was awarded to Canadian-American film The People vs. Larry Flynt directed by Miloš Forman.

The retrospective dedicated to Austrian film director G. W. Pabst was shown at the festival.

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

Main Competition

 * Jack Lang, French politician - Jury President
 * Hark Bohm, German actor and filmmaker
 * Férid Boughedir, Tunisian filmmaker and producer
 * Maggie Cheung, Hong Kong/Chinese actress and model
 * Fred Gronich, American senior executive of the MPAA
 * David Hare, British filmmaker and playwright
 * Per Holst, Danish producer
 * Boleslaw Michalek, Polish screenwriter and film critic
 * Humberto Solás, Cuban director and screenwriter
 * Marianne Sägebrecht, German actress
 * Ning Ying, Chinese filmmaker

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

Main Competition
The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:
 * Golden Bear: The People vs. Larry Flynt by Miloš Forman
 * Silver Bear Special Jury Prize: The River by Tsai Ming-liang
 * Silver Bear for Best Director: Eric Heumann for Port Djema
 * Silver Bear for Best Actress: Juliette Binoche for The English Patient
 * Silver Bear for Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio for Romeo + Juliet
 * Silver Bear for an Outstanding Single Achievement: Zbigniew Preisner for The Island on Bird Street
 * Silver Bear for an Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Raúl Ruiz for Généalogies d'un crime
 * Alfred Bauer Prize: Romeo + Juliet
 * Honourable Mention:
 * Jordan Kiziuk for The Island on Bird Street
 * Life is All You Get by Wolfgang Becker
 * Anna Wielgucka for Miss Nobody
 * Get on the Bus by Spike Lee

Honorary Golden Bear

 * Kim Novak

Berlinale Camera

 * Lauren Bacall
 * Ann Hui
 * Armin Mueller-Stahl
 * Franz Seitz

Blue Angel Award

 * Secretos del corazón by Montxo Armendáriz