61st Berlin International Film Festival Awards Winners

With a nice, fast and entertaining ceremony the fest gave the main awards to winners and here are almost all the winners of the many awards from the festival.

Buzz, news and me were expecting Bela Tar's oeuvre to win, but was a surprise that top award went to another film that also got both actors Silver Bears: Nader and Simin, A Separation.

During the festival most news talked about the "flat" festival as seems that those that covered it didn't got excited with any of the films; still fest was a big success selling tickets and most important, selling films to buyers from many countries including USA who seems was most interested in Scandinavian films. Have to share that when I read the news had the most obscure premonition that told me that USA buyers want audiences to identify movies that are fit for a Hollywood remake! That's almost a nightmare, but my nightmarish premonition probably is true. Sigh.

Everyday checked everything Berlinale even when I didn't wrote a thing here, the daily blog coverage still belongs only to Cannes; by the way, is true that my mind is already there especially after checking the movies that many speculate will make the Official Selection.

So, the Berlinale is over and next week will be all about the French Cesar and predictions for Oscar.

Competition Awards

Golden Bear: Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader And Simin, A Separation), Asghar Farhadi, Iran

Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix: A Torinói Ló (The Turin Horse), Béla Tar, Hungary, France, Germany, Switzerland, and USA

Silver Bear Best Director: Ulrich Köhler for Schlafkrankheit (Sleeping Sickness), Germany, France and Netherlands

Silver Bear Best Actress: Female ensemble in Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader And Simin, A Separation), Asghar Farhadi, Iran
Silver Bear Best Actor: Male ensemble in Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader And Simin, A Separation), Asghar Farhadi, Iran

Silver Bear Outstanding Artistic Achievement (tie):
Wojciech Starton for the camera in El Premio (The Prize), Paula Markovitch, Mexico, France, Poland, and Germany
Barbara Enriquez for the production design in El Premio (The Prize), Paula Markovitch, Mexico, France, Poland, and Germany

Silver Bear for Best Script: Joshua Marston and Andamion Murataj for The Forgiveness Of Blood, Joshua Marston, USA, Albania, Denmark and Italy

Alfred Bauer Prize: Wer wenn nicht wir (If Not Us, Who), Andres Veiel, Germany

To check the official announcement go here.

Best First Feature Award: On the Ice, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, USA, 2011
Special Mentions
The Guard, John Michael McDonagh, Ireland, and UK
Die Vaterlosen (Fatherless), Marie Kreutzer, Austria

To check the official announcement go here.

Generation

Generation Kplus

Children's Jury
Crystal Bear for Best Film: Keeper`n til Liverpool (The Liverpool Goalie), Arild Andresen, Norway, 2010
Special Mention: Mabul (The Flood), Guy Nattiv, Israel, Canada, Germany and France, 2010
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: Lily, Kasimir Burgess, Australia, 2010
Special Mention: Minnie Loves Junior, Matthew Mullins, Australia, 2010

International Jury
Grand Prix: Jutro będzie lepiej (Tomorrow will be better), Dorota Kędzierzawska, Poland and Japan, 2010
Special Mention: Keeper`n til Liverpool (The Liverpool Goalie), Arild Andresen, Norway, 2010
Special Prize Best Short Film: Land of Heroes, Sahim Omar Kalifa, Belgium, 2010
Special Mention: Dimanche (Sunday), Patrick Doyon, Canada, 2011

Generation 14plus Youth Jury

Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film: On the Ice, Andrew Okpeaha MacLean, USA, 2011
Jury Statement: This film had us in its grip from the very first moment and it never let go, right up to the end. Between solitude and endless expanses, a stifling and constricting atmosphere has been created, using simple means. Our winning film took us off to a world that was totally unknown to us. A world where everything seems submerged in darkness, even though the sun never goes down.

Special Mention for Feature Film: Apflickorna (She Monkeys), Lisa Aschan, Sweden, 2011
Jury Statement: Showing your feelings makes you vulnerable. And being vulnerable makes you lose control. A game of love and power. A film that is confusing and disturbing, chilling and startling, it triggers an avalanche of thoughts and questions but also some answers.

Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: Manurewa, Sam Peacocke, New Zealand, 2010
Special Mention: Get Real!, Evert de Beijer, Netherlands, 2010

To read official announcement go here.

Short Films

Golden Bear: Paranmanjang (Night Fishing), PARKing CHANce (Park Chan-wook and Park Chan-Kyong), South Korea, 2011
Silver Bear Jury Prize: Pu-Seo-Jin Bam (Broken Night), Yan Hyo-joo, South Korea, 2010

EFA Short Film Nominee Berlin: Aterfödelsen (The Unliving), Hugo Lija, Sweden, 2010
DAAD Prize: La Ducha (The Shower), Maria José San Martín, Chile, 2010

To read official announcement go here.

Prizes from Independent Juries

FIPRESCI Awards
Competition: A Torinói Ló (The Turin Horse), Béla Tar, Hungary, France, Germany, Switzerland, and USA
Panorama: Dernier étage gauche gauche (Top Floor Left Wing), Angelo Cianci, France and Luxemburg
Forum: Heaven’s Story, Zeze Takahisa, Japan, 2010

Prizes of the Ecumenical Jury
Competition: Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader And Simin, A Separation), Asghar Farhadi, Iran
Special Mention: The Forgiveness Of Blood, Joshua Marston, USA, Albania, Denmark and Italy
Panorama: Lo Roim Alaich (Invisible), Michal Aviad, Israel and Germany
Special Mention: Barzakh, Mantas Kvedaravicius, Finland and Lithuania
Forum: En terrains connus (Familiar Ground), Stéphane Lafleur, Cananda, 2011
Special Mention: De Engel van Doel (An Angel in Doel), Tom Fassaert, Netherlands and Belgium, 2011

NETPAC Prize: Heaven’s Story, Zeze Takahisa, Japan, 2010
Special Mention: Halaw (Ways of the Sea), Sheron Dayoc, Philippines, 2010

C.I.C.A.E. Prizes
Panorama: Here, Braden King, USA
Forum: Amnistia (Amnesty), Bujar Alimani, Albania, Greece, and France, 2011

Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas: Wer wenn nicht wir (If Not Us, Who), Andres Veiel, Germany, 2011
Label Europa Cinemas: Über uns das All (Above Us Only Sky), Jan Schomburg, Germany
Dialogue en Perspective: Die Ausbidung (The Education), Dirk Lütter, Germany, 2011
Caligari Film Prize: The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Marie Losier, USA and France, 2011
CINEMA fairbindet Prize: Bad o Meh (Wind & Fog), Mohammad Ali Talebi, Iran, 2011

Femina Film Prize: Julia Brandes for costumes in Lollipop Monster, Ziska Reimann, Germany, 2011

Peace Film Award: Jutro będzie lepiej (Tomorrow will be better), Dorota Kędzierzawska, Poland and Japan, 2010
Amnesty International Film Prize: Barzakh, Mantas Kvedaravicius, Finland and Lithuania

Audience Awards
Panorama Fiction Film: También la lluvia (Even The Rain), Icíar Bollaín, Spain, France, Mexico, 2010
Panorama Documentary Film: Im Himmel, Unter der Erde. Der Jüdische Friedhof Weißensee (In Heaven Undreground – The Weissensee Jewish Cementery), Britta Wauer, Germany

Berliner Morgenpost Reader's Prize: Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Nader And Simin, A Separation), Asghar Farhadi, Iran
ELSE Siegessäule Readers' Choice Award: Stadt Land Fluss (Harvest), Benjamin Cantu, Germany, 2011
Tagesspiegel REaders' Prize: Nesvatbov (Matching Mayor), Erika Hníková, Czech Republic and Slovak Republic, 2010

To read all prizes from Independent Juries go here.

This is it for this year and hope next year's Berlinale will have many more films, especially the kind that compete for a Teddy award!

Danke schön Berlinale!