The 27th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1977. The festival opened with Nickelodeon by Peter Bogdanovich. The Golden Bear was awarded to The Ascent directed by Larisa Shepitko. Since this edition the annual Retrospective and Homage events has been coordinated jointly between the festival organization and the Deutsche Kinemathek. The retrospective shown at the festival was dedicated to German actress Marlene Dietrich, which was divided into two parts, with Part 1 being shown this year along with the retrospective called ''Love, Death and Technology. Cinema of the Fantastical 1933–1945''. The guest of the Homage was West German filmmaker Wilfried Basse.

Juries

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

Main Competition

Official Sections

Main Competition

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

Out of competition

Retrospective and Homage

The following films were shown in the retrospective dedicated to Marlene Dietrich (Part 1): The following films were shown in the retrospective "Love, Death and Technology. Cinema of the Fantastical 1933–1945":

Official Awards

The following prizes were awarded by the Jury:

Independent Awards

FIPRESCI Award