Iranian Film TAXI Wins Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival

Taxi by Iranian director Jafar PanahiTaxi by Iranian director Jafar Panahi

Taxi by Iranian director Jafar Panahi was awarded Golden Bear for Best Film, at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival

A yellow cab is driving through the vibrant and colourful streets of Tehran. Very diverse passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being interviewed by the driver who is no one else but the director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio captures the spirit of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive…

Panahi who is reportedly banned from filmmaking in Iran and not allowed to travel, said in an earlier statement, “I’m a filmmaker. I can’t do anything else but make films. Cinema is my expression and the meaning of my life. Nothing can prevent me from making films. Because when I’m pushed into the furthest corners I connect with my inner self. And in such private spaces, despite all limitations, the necessity to create becomes even more of an urge. Cinema as an Art becomes my main preoccupation. That is the reason why I have to continue making films under any circumstances to pay my respects and feel alive.”

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY

GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM (awarded to the film’s producer)
Taxi Taxi by Jafar Panahi

SILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZE
El Club The Club by Pablo Larraín

SILVER BEAR ALFRED BAUER PRIZE for a feature film that opens new perspectives
Ixcanul Ixcanul Volcano by Jayro Bustamante

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Radu Jude for Aferim! (Aferim!)

ex aequo Małgorzata Szumowska for Body (Body)

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years (45 Years) by Andrew Haigh

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR
Tom Courtenay in 45 Years (45 Years) by Andrew Haigh

SILVER BEAR FOR BEST SCRIPT
Patricio Guzmán for El botón de nácar (The Pearl Button) by Patricio Guzmán

SILVER BEAR FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION in the categories camera, editing, music score, costume or set design

Sturla Brandth Grøvlen for the camera in Victoria (Victoria) by Sebastian Schipper

ex aequo Evgeniy Privin and Sergey Mikhalchuk for the camera in Pod electricheskimi oblakami (Under Electric Clouds) by Alexey German Jr.

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD
600 Millas 600 Miles by Gabriel Ripstein

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY

GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST SHORT FILM
HOSANNA HOSANNA by Na Young-kil

BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
Dissonance Dissonance by Till Nowak

AUDI SHORT FILM AWARD
PLANET Σ PLANET Σ by Momoko Seto

PRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION

Children’s Jury Generation Kplus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
Min lilla syster My Skinny Sister by Sanna Lenken

SPECIAL MENTION
Dhanak Rainbow by Nagesh Kukunoor

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Hadiatt Abi Gift of My Father by Salam Salman

SPECIAL MENTION
The Tie The Tie by An Vrombaut

International Jury Generation Kplus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film,
Dhanak Rainbow by Nagesh Kukunoor

SPECIAL MENTION
Min lilla syster My Skinny Sister by Sanna Lenken

 THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film
Giovanni en het waterballet Giovanni and the Water Ballet by Astrid Bussink

SPECIAL MENTION
Agnes Agnes by Anja Lind

Youth Jury Generation 14plus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
Flocken Flocking by Beata Gårdeler

SPECIAL MENTION
Prins Prince by Sam de Jong

 CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
A Confession A Confession by Petros Silvestros

SPECIAL MENTION
Nelly Nelly by Chris Raiber

International Jury Generation 14plus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film
The Diary of a Teenage Girl The Diary of a Teenage Girl by Marielle Heller

SPECIAL MENTION
Nena Nena by Saskia Diesing

THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film
Coach Coach by Ben Adler

SPECIAL MENTION
Tuolla puolen Reunion by Iddo Soskolne and Janne Reinikainen

PRIZES OF INDEPENDENT JURIES

PRIZES OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY

Competition
El botón de nácar (The Pearl Button) by Patricio Guzmán

Panorama
Ned Rifle (Ned Rifle) by Hal Hartley

Forum
Histoire de Judas (Story of Judas) by Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche

PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY

Competition
Taxi (Taxi) by Jafar Panahi

Panorama
Paridan az Ertefa Kam (A Minor Leap Down) by Hamed Rajabi

Forum
Il gesto delle mani (Hand Gestures) by Francesco Clerici

PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ART HOUSE CINEMAS
Victoria (Victoria) by Sebastian Schipper

CICAE ART CINEMA AWARD

Panorama
Que Horas Ela Volta? (The Second Mother) by Anna Muylaert

Forum
Zurich (Zurich) by Sacha Polak

LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS
Mot Naturen (Out of Nature) by Ole Giæver and Marte Vold

TEDDY AWARD

Best Feature Film
Nasty Baby (Nasty Baby) by Sebastián Silva

Best Documentary/Essay Film
El hombre nuevo (The New Man) by Aldo Garay

Best Short Film
San Cristóbal (San Cristóbal) by Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo

Teddy Jury Award
Stories of Our Lives (Stories of Our Lives) by Jim Chuchu

MADE IN GERMANY – PERSPEKTIVE FELLOWSHIP
Oskar Sulowski for Rosebuds

FGYO-AWARD DIALOGUE EN PERSPECTIVE
Ein idealer Ort (A Perfect Place) by Anatol Schuster

Lobende Erwähnung
Im Sommer wohnt er unten (Summers Downstairs) by Tom Sommerlatte C

ALIGARI FILM PRIZE
Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III (Balikbayan #1 Memories of Overdevelopment Redux III) by Kidlat Tahimik

PEACE FILM PRIZE
The Look of Silence (The Look of Silence) by Joshua Oppenheimer

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM PRIZE
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year (Tell Spring Not to Come This Year) by Saeed Taji Farouky and Michael McEvoy

HEINER CAROW PRIZE
B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin (B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West-Berlin) by Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck and Heiko Lange

THINK:FILM AWARD
Oskar Dawicki in The Performer (Oskar Dawicki in The Performer) by Łukasz Ronduda and Maciej Sobieszczański

ex aequo
Untitled (Human Mask) (Untitled (Human Mask)) by Pierre Huyghe

Lobende Erwähnung
Thamaniat wa ushrun laylan wa bayt min al-sheir (Twenty-Eight Nights and A Poem) by Akram Zaatari

READERS’ JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARD

Panorama Audience Award fiction film
Que Horas Ela Volta? (The Second Mother) by Anna Muylaert

Panorama Audience Award documentary film
Tell Spring Not to Come This Year (Tell Spring Not to Come This Year) by Saeed Taji Farouky and Michael McEvoy

BERLINER MORGENPOST READERS’ JURY AWARD
Victoria (Victoria) by Sebastian Schipper

TAGESSPIEGEL READERS’ JURY AWARD
Flotel Europa (Flotel Europa) by Vladimir Tomic

ELSE – SIEGESSÄULE READERS’ JURY AWARD
Zui Sheng Meng Si (Thanatos, Drunk) by Chang Tso-Chi

 PRIZES BERLINALE CO-PRODUCTION MARKET & BERLINALE TALENTS

ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE
Marcela Said (Chile) for Los Perros

EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD
Emily Atef (Germany) for 3 Days in Quiberon

Special Mention
Syllas Tsoumerkas (Greece) for The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea

VFF TALENT HIGHLIGHT PITCH AWARD
Director Abner Benaim (Panama) and producer Gema Juarez Allen (Argentina) for Biencuidao

DOLBY® ATMOS POLICY TRAILER
Warren Santiago (Thailand/ Philippines)

BERLINALE TALENTS DOC STATION DEVELOPMENT GRANT
Marouan Omara (Egypt) for Dream Away

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