The 63rd Berlin International Film Festival came to a close with the presentation of the awards. The Romanian film Poziţia Copilului, (Child’s Pose) by Călin Peter Netzer took the top prize, GOLDEN BEAR for the Best Film. The Bosnian film Epizoda u životu berača željeza, (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker) by Danis Tanović was awarded the JURY GRAND PRIX (Silver Bear).
In Poziţia Copilului, (Child’s Pose), Călin Peter Netzer portrays a mother consumed by self-love in her struggle to save her lost son and her own, long since riven family, after he son is arrested. One cold evening in March, Barbu is tearing down the streets 50 kilometres per hour over the speed limit when he knocks down a child. The boy dies shortly after the accident. A prison sentence of between three and fifteen years awaits. High time for his mother, Cornelia, to intervene. A trained architect and member of Romania’s upper class, who graces her bookshelves with unread Herta Müller novels and is fond of flashing her purse full of credit cards, she commences her campaign to save her lethargic, languishing son. Bribes, she hopes, will persuade the witnesses to give false statements. Even the parents of the dead child might be appeased by some cash. In quasi-documentary style, the film meticulously reconstructs the events of one night and the days that follow, providing insights into the moral malaise of Romania’s bourgeoisie and throwing into sharp relief the state of societal institutions such as the police and the judiciary.
Danis Tanović weaves dramatic events, including economic hardship and fear of death into a wintery tale in Epizoda u životu berača željeza, (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker). Featuring a non-professional cast re-enacting an episode from their own lives contributes greatly to the film’s sense of authenticity and social realism.
THE AWARDS OF THE 63rd BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
GOLDEN BEAR for the Best Film
Poziţia Copilului
Child’s Pose by Călin Peter Netzer
JURY GRAND PRIX (Silver Bear)
Epizoda u životu berača željeza
An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker by Danis Tanović
ALFRED BAUER PRIZE (Silver Bear) – in memory of the Festival Founder – for a feature film that opens new perspectives
Vic+Flo ont vu un ours
Vic+Flo Saw a Bear by Denis Côté
AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR (Silver Bear)
David Gordon Green for Prince Avalanche (Prince Avalanche)
AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS (Silver Bear)
Paulina García in Gloria (Gloria) by Sebastián Lelio
AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR (Silver Bear) Nazif Mujić in
Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker) by Danis Tanović
AWARD FOR BEST SCRIPT (Silver Bear)
Jafar Panahi for
Pardé (Closed Curtain) by Jafar Panahi, Kamboziya Partovi
AWARD FOR AN OUTSTANDINGARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION IN THE CATEGORIES CAMERA, EDITING,
MUSIC SCORE, COSTUME DESIGN OR SET DESIGN (Silver Bear)
Aziz Zhambakiyev for the camera in Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons) by Emir Baigazin
SPECIAL MENTION
Promised Land
Promised Land by Gus Van Sant
SPECIAL MENTION
Layla Fourie
Layla Fourie by Pia Marais
BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD
BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD, endowed with 50,000 Euros, funded by GWFF
The Rocket
The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt
SPECIAL MENTION
A batalha de Tabatô
The Battle of Tabatô by João Viana
PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY
GOLDEN BEAR for the Best Short FilmLa Fugue
The Runaway by Jean-Bernard Marlin
THE JURY PRIZE (Silver Bear)
die ruhe bleibt
remains quiet by Stefan Kriekhaus
BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
Misterio
Mystery by Chema García Ibarra
DAAD SHORT FILM AWARD
Aşura
Ashura by Köken Ergun
PRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION
Children’s Jury Generation Kplus
CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
The Rocket
The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt
SPECIAL MENTION
Satellite Boy
Satellite Boy by Catriona McKenzie
CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
The Amber Amulet
The Amber Amulet by Matthew Moore
SPECIAL MENTION
Ezi un lielpilseta
Hedgehogs and the City by Ēvalds Lācis
International Jury Generation Kplus
THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature film, endowed with € 7,500 by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk
Mammu, es Tevi mīlu
Mother, I Love You by Jānis Nords
SPECIAL MENTION
Satellite Boy
Satellite Boy by Catriona McKenzie
THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film, endowed with € 2,500 by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk
Cheong
Cheong by Kim Jung-in
SPECIAL MENTION
Ezi un lielpilseta
Hedgehogs and the City by Ēvalds Lācis
Youth Jury Generation 14plus
CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
Baby Blues
Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec
SPECIAL MENTION
Pluto
Pluto by Shin Su-won
CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Rabbitland
Rabbitland by Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak
SPECIAL MENTION
Treffit
The Date by Jenni Toivoniemi
International Jury Generation 14plus
THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature film, endowed with € 7,500 by the Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
Shopping
Shopping by Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland
SPECIAL MENTION
Baby Blues
Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec
THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film, endowed with € 2,500 by the Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
Första gången
The First Time by Anders Hazelius
SPECIAL MENTION
Barefoot
Barefoot by Danis Goulet
INDEPENDENT JURIES
PRIZES OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY
Competition Gloria (Gloria), by Sebastián Lelio
Special Mention Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker), by Danis Tanović
Panorama The Act of Killing (The Act of Killing), by Joshua Oppenheimer
Special Mention Inch’Allah (Inch’Allah), by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette
Forum Krugovi (Circles), by Srdan Golubović
Special Mention Senzo ni naru (Roots), by Kaoru Ikeya
PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY
Competition Poziţia Copilului (Child’s Pose), by Călin Peter Netzer
Panorama Inch’Allah (Inch’Allah), by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette
Forum Hélio Oiticica (Hélio Oiticica), by Cesar Oiticica Filho
PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ART HOUSE CINEMAS
Gloria (Gloria), by Sebastián Lelio
C.I.C.A.E. PRIZES
Panorama Rock the Casbah (Rock the Casbah), by Yariv Horowitz
Forum Grzeli nateli dgeebi (In Bloom), by Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß
LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS
The Broken Circle Breakdown (The Broken Circle Breakdown), by Felix Van Groeningen
TEDDY AWARD
Best Feature Film W imie… (In the Name of), by Małgośka Szumowska
Best Documentary/Essay Film Bambi (Bambi), by Sébastien Lifshitz
Best Short Film Ta av mig (Undress Me), by Victor Lindgren
Teddy Jury Award Concussion (Concussion), by Stacie Passon
MADE IN GERMANY – PERSPEKTIVE FELLOWSHIP, endowed with 15,000 Euros, funded by Glashütte Original
Jan Speckenbach for Das Klopfen der Steine (The sound of stones)
FGYO-AWARD DIALOGUE EN PERSPECTIVE, endowed with 5,000 Euros, funded by the French-German Youth Office
Zwei Mütter (Two Mothers), by Anne Zohra Berrached
Special Mention Chiralia (Chiralia), by Santiago Gil
CALIGARI FILM PRIZE
Hélio Oiticica (Hélio Oiticica), by Cesar Oiticica Filho
NETPAC PRIZE
Lamma shoftak (When I Saw You), by Annemarie Jacir
PEACE FILM PRIZE
A World Not Ours (A World Not Ours), by Mahdi Fleifel
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM PRIZE
The Rocket (The Rocket), by Kim Mordaunt
CINEMA FAIRBINDET PRIZE
Art/Violence (Art/Violence), by Udi Aloni, Batoul Taleb, Miriam Abu-Khaled
HEINER CAROW PRIZE
Naked Opera (Naked Opera), by Angela Christlieb
READERS’ JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARDS
PanoramaAudienceAward PPP – fiction film
The Broken Circle Breakdown (The Broken Circle Breakdown), by Felix Van Groeningen
PanoramaAudienceAward PPP – documentary film
The Act of Killing (The Act of Killing), by Joshua Oppenheimer
BERLINER MORGENPOST READERS’ PRIZE
Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons), by Emir Baigazin
TAGESSPIEGEL READERS’ PRIZE
Vaters Garten – Die Liebe meiner Eltern (Father’s Garden – The Love of My Parents), by Peter Liechti
SIEGESSÄULE READERS’ AWARD
W imie… (In the Name of), by Małgośka Szumowska
PRIZES OF THE BERLINALE TALENT CAMPUS
VFF TALENT HIGHLIGHT PITCH AWARD, endowed with 10,000 Euros
Geordie Sabbagh (Canada) for Two Guys Who Sold the World (Two Guys Who Sold the World)
ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE, endowed with 6,000 Euros
Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria) for Urok (The Lesson)
DOLBY® SOUND MARK AWARD
Rutger Reinders (Netherlands)