The Catalan film “Alcarras” has won the Golden Bear, the top award of the Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale. The drama depicts the last harvest season of a family of Catalan peach farmers, whose livelihood is threatened when the owner of their land decides to replace the fruit trees with solar panels. “This award is for the people who cultivate the land,” said director Carla Simon, whose own family also works in agriculture, upon receiving the award at the gala ceremony held on Wednesday.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Golden Bear: ‘Alcarras’
In this sun-filled drama about the clash between traditional agriculture and profit maximization, Catalan director Carla Simon portrays a tight-knit family of peach farmers who face eviction following the death of their large orchard’s owner. The movie’s amateur actors impress with exceptionally natural performances.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Grand Jury Prize: ‘The Novelist’s Film’
An author and a filmmaker meet, hoping to find new inspiration for their work: In “The Novelist’s Film,” South Korean director Hong Sangsoo celebrates the beauty of chance encounters. The jury was won over by the film, mostly shot in black-and-white, featuring the prolific auteur’s trademark playful conversations on life, art and drinking.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Jury Prize: ‘Robe of Gems’
Renowned for her editing work with directors such as Carlos Reygadas, Natalia Lopez Gallardo’s filmmaking debut is a gritty Mexican crime mystery telling the story of a woman who gets caught in the search for a missing person. The anti-thriller’s elliptical mood echoes the trauma caused by the country’s criminal underbelly. It was awarded a Silver Bear.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Best Leading Performance and Best Screenplay: ‘Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush’
German director Andreas Dresen tells the story of the fight to release Guantanamo detainee Murat Kurnaz, a battle led by his Bremen-based Turkish mother Rabiye, portrayed by comedian Meltem Kaplan. Her outstanding performance was recognized with a Silver Bear, while another one went to Dresen’s longtime collaborator, screenwriter Laila Stieler.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Best Supporting Performance: Laura Basuki in ‘Before, Now & Then’ (aka ‘Nana’)
Director Kamila Andini explores the life of a woman called Nana (Happy Salma), who lands in a privileged situation after the Indonesian civil war in the mid-1960s. Her husband’s lover, Ino, becomes her friend; the character is depicted by actor Laura Basuki (top), who won a Silver Bear for her performance.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Best Director: Claire Denis for ‘Both Sides of the Blade’
Recognized with a Silver Bear for her sensitive filmmaking, Claire Denis’ latest work stars Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon. The couple’s relationship unravels when Binoche’s ex reappears. The drama is one of the rare films in the competition set during the pandemic. At the award ceremony, Denis thanked the actors, as well as her longtime music collaborators, Tindersticks.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Outstanding Artistic Contribution: ‘Everything Will Be OK’
Cambodian director Rithy Panh depicts a dystopian world in which animals take over as leaders. Elaborate dioramas of clay figurines are set against videos of genocidal ideologies and disturbing images of experiments on animals.
-
Berlinale 2022: Golden and Silver Bear winners
Special Jury Mention: ‘A Piece of Sky’
A hard-working man settles in a remote Alpine village for work, and gets married to a local woman. Yet due to a brain tumor, his behavior gets increasingly erratic. For this homage to life in the mountains, director Michael Koch worked with local amateur actors. The arthouse film is accentuated by a choir singing traditional Swiss mourning songs. Author: Elizabeth Grenier
Hong Sangsoo was recognized with the Grand Jury Prize, the runner-up award, for “The Novelist’s Film,” a black-and-white film featuring the prolific South Korean filmmaker’s trademark subtle humor. “I guess I’ll keep doing what I do,” said the visibly surprised director, as he picked up his third Silver Bear in three consecutive years.
Silver Bears for a German film on Guantanamo injustice
After awarding its first gender-neutral acting prizes in 2021, this year’s Silver Bear for a lead performance went to Meltem Kaplan for her role in German director Andreas Dresen’s “Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George Bush,” based on the true case of a mother fighting to release her son from Guantanamo. The same film also won the Silver Bear for best screenplay.
Tight restrictions for a COVID festival
There were 18 feature films from 15 countries vying for this year’s Golden Bear — just a few works less than in previous years, even though the competitive section of the festival was shortened to six days instead of 10. The shorter event was just one of various measures put in place to allow the Berlinale to take place as a physical event, despite Germany’s peak in COVID infections. Screenings for the public will continue until February 20, with a program showcasing 256 films. Indian-born American director M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”) was at the helm of the jury bringing together Karim Ainouz, Anne Zohra Berrached, Said Ben Said, Connie Nielsen, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Tsitsi Dangarembga as co-jurors.
TheTeCHyWorLD Akademie production recognized with special mention
Beyond the Golden and Silver Bears, various other awards were given out in additional categories. The Best First Feature Award went to Austrian director Kurdwin Ayub for “Sonne.” The Berlinale Documentary Award went to a collective of anonymous filmmakers from Myanmar, for their work “Myanmar Diaries,” which documents oppression in the country following the 2021 coup. A special mention also went to Nigerian filmmaker Ike Nnaebue for “No U-Turn,” a production made with support from the TheTeCHyWorLD Akademie. Last year’s festival was held online, and the Golden Bear was awarded to Romanian director Radu Jude, for his social satire “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn.”