Berlin International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_3214" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Poziţia Copilului Child’s Pose by Călin Peter Netzer[/caption]

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)

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[caption id="attachment_3006" align="alignnone" width="550"]Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec[/caption]

Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec, Poland 2012, was awarded the Crystal Bear for the Best Film by the the members of the Youth Jury in Generation 14plus at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival.  The jury commented, “In this film we were completely unprepared for the extreme way the story unfolds. Its bold editing style, colorful cinematography and innovative direction gave the film great dynamism. The film showed us strong and complex characters who often behaved in contradictory ways. These teenagers seem to be unable to acknowledge their mistakes and take responsibility for them. They are caught between the desire for freedom and the duties of being a young parent.”

The members of the new International Jury Generation 14plus awarded The Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best feature film, to Shopping by Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland, New Zealand 2013. The Jury described the film as ” An extremely compelling first film with a fantastic lead actor. We loved watching him on screen and felt a deep empathy with him. Sharp editing, strong visual choices and a complex, painful and loving portrayal of family. We appreciated the specificity of the world you brought us into. Your dedication to your vision is palpable.”

Other winners (with Jury comments) include:

The members of the Youth Jury in Generation 14plus give the following awards:

Crystal Bear for the Best Film: Special Mention: Pluto
by Shin Su-won, Republic of Korea 2012
Jury commented “Our special mention goes to a film that critiques the educational structures and more broadly society in an original way, reflecting its deep injustices. The characters in this film draw us into a universe of isolation and powerlessness in the face of brutal peer pressure to conform. We felt the cosmic dimensions of the story and the protagonist’s sense that, although being alone in school is harsh, being alone in the universe is devastating.”

Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film: Rabbitland
by Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak, Serbia 2012
Jury commented: “This year’s winner conveyed a thought-provoking theme to us combined with ironic merit and dark humor. Simply and effectively, it critiques the political structures we live under and makes us feel slightly uncomfortable about our everyday lives. The film is of worldwide relevance and was presented to us in a highly skilled and original fashion.”

Special Mention: Treffit
by Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland 2012
Jury commented: “Two young people cross paths in an unusual situation. Before you know it, a common procedure develops into an unconventional date. We were convinced by the film’s ability to tell us far more than it showed. It presented us with a humorous interaction that didn’t immediately reveal the complexity of its themes. The multi-layered meanings of the film stayed with us long after we left the cinema.”

The members of the new International Jury Generation 14plus give the following awards:

The Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best feature film
Special Mention: Baby Blues
by Kasia Rosłaniec, Poland 2012
Jury commented: “We celebrate a fantastic, strong cinematic voice that confronts harsh realities with unexpected humour and style. Your strong imagery, compelling characters and a hard-hitting narrative captivated us.”

The Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best short film
by Anders Hazelius, Sweden 2013
Jury commented: “For Best Short Film we would like to recognize a funny and surprising film that defies expectations. Insecurity and social pressure force two awkward people together to share a moment of beautiful and genuine honesty. This film displays a strong visual style and is the work of an insightful and relevant filmmaker.”

Special Mention: Barefoot
by Danis Goulet, Canada 2012
Jury commented: “In the short film category the jury would like to thank this filmmaker for taking us into a fascinating world seldom shown on screen. This is a sensitive portrayal of a girl going to extreme and painful lengths to fit in. Your storytelling is important and has strong emotional impact. We are very much looking forward to seeing your future work.”

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[caption id="attachment_3094" align="alignnone" width="550"]Side Effects[/caption] 

Another nine films have been selected for the Competition Programme of the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. Among the nine films is the International Premiere of Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum and the World Premiere of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s Parde (Closed Curtain).

Camille Claudel 1915
France
By Bruno Dumont (The Life of Jesus, Humanity, Flanders)
With Juliette Binoche, Jean-Luc Vincent 
World Premiere

Elle s’en va (On my Way)
France
By Emmanuelle Bercot (Clément, Backstage, Les infidèles)
With Catherine Deneuve
World Premiere

Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker)
Bosnia and Herzegovina/France/Slovenia
By Danis Tanovic (No Man’s Land, Hell, Circus Columbia) 
With Senada Alimanovic, Nazif Mujic, Sandra Mujic, Semsa Mujic
World Premiere

Gold
Germany
By Thomas Arslan (Dealer, Vacation, In the Shadows)
With Nina Hoss, Marko Mandic, Uwe Bohm, Lars Rudolph, Peter Kurth, Rosa Enskat, Wolfgang Packhäuser
World Premiere

La Religieuse (The Nun)
France/Germany/Belgium
By Guillaume Nicloux (The Flying Children, A Private Affair, That Woman)
With Pauline Etienne, Isabelle Huppert, Louise Bourgoin, Martina Gedeck 
World Premiere

Layla Fourie
Germany/South Africa/France/Netherlands 
By Pia Marais (The Unpolished, At Ellen’s Age)
With Rayna Campbell, August Diehl, Rapule Hendricks
World Premiere

The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman
USA
By Fredrik Bond – feature debut
With Shia LaBeouf, Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, Til Schweiger, Rupert Grint, James Buckley
International Premiere

Parde (Closed Curtain)
Iran
By Jafar Panahi (The Circle, Offside, This Is Not A Film) and Kambozia Partovi (The Fish, Café Transit)
With Kambozia Partovi, Maryam Moghadam,Jafar Panahi, Hadi Saeedi, Azadh Torabi, Agha Olia, Zeynab Khanum, Boy
World Premiere

Side Effects
USA
By Steven Soderbergh (sex, lies, and videotape; Erin Brockovich, Haywire)
With Jude Law, Rooney Mara, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Channing Tatum 
International Premiere

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[caption id="attachment_3045" align="alignnone" width="550"]Hélio Oiticica by Cesar Oiticica Filho[/caption]

The 8th Forum Expanded film program of the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival will feature the work of Isabella Rossellini, Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, and Richard Foreman. Isabella Rossellini returns to the festival to showcase her new work,  Mammas, described as the continuation of the Green Porno series of short films, which she presented at the Berlinale in 2008. Once again, the actress and director takes on a broad range of different animal roles – this time round in order to explore the maternal instincts of different species. 

Another key focus of this year’s Forum Expanded program is the work of Brazilian artist Hélio Oiticica, who died in 1980. The festival will present the film Hélio Oiticica, a documentary by Cesar Oiticica Filho, the artist’s nephew and curator for his estate. Max Jorge Hinderer Cruz, the co-curator of this section of the program, presents a selection of historical Super 8 film material with and by Oiticica.

Richard Foreman is another guest at this year’s Forum Expanded. The founder of the legendary New York Ontological Hysteric Theatre returns to the big screen for the first time in over 30 years with his film Once Every Day. The piece is edited together from loops, ellipses and fragments to form a congenial cinematic realization of his unique approach to theatew and will be receiving its European premiere at HAU Hebbel am Ufer.

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