72nd Berlin International Film Festival Award Winners

Festival opening ceremony was not much entertaining and even do definitively I'm biased towards what Cannes does, official remarks, fun/light entertainment, film clips and juries presentation, this year Berlinale had too-much industry remarks addressed to industry and audiences. The later needs to go back to cinema, we got that; but, certainly audiences will do considering new terms as they already tasted what is to have options in time-free, device-free and clothes-optional stay-at-home comfortably film watching. Sigh.

Very glad closing ceremony went directly to the awards with no time-consuming speeches and most of all was very-thankful to festival for negotiating the rights to show clips from winning films (lol) as yes, finally international audiences could watch film clips!!!

Usually closing ceremony is on Saturday but this year as organizers fought to have an in-person festival, the award ceremony was on Wednesday and today most awards have been announced with the exception of few that will be known on Friday.

My first reaction to awards was they were quite remarkable as honored a diverse range of films from established directors like Rithy Panh, Hong Sangsoo and Claire Denis as well as newcomers that still have to develop their style, like Natalia López Gallardo or still in-developing mode but leaping towards a great style like Carla Simón. Current edition marks the second year with no Best Actress nor Best Actor categories and instead has non-genre categories to honor Lead and Supporting roles; but, most interesting is that both awards went to female actors! On top add that main Encounters award and Best First Feature award also wnet to female directors. It's a long-overdue female cinema world celebration.

Talking about the role of women in cinema industry it's kind of obvious that they just needed a chance for festivals to (forcefully) really consider their work as continuing with last year Cannes and Venice top award female winners, Berlinale also gave top award to a female director. Hope trend continues with excellent work from both male and female directors.

The Winners List

Golden Bear for Best Film:  Alcarràs, Carla Simón, Spain and Italy



Silver Bear Jury Grand Prize:  소설가의 영화 So-seol-ga-ui Yeong-hwa (The Novelist's Film), Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
Silver Bear Jury Prize:  Robe of Gems, Natalia López Gallardo, Mexico, Argentina and USA

Special Mention:  Drii Winter (A Piece of Sky), Michael Koch, Switzerland and Germany

Silver Bear for Best Director:  Claire Denis for Avec amour et acharnement (Both Sides of the Blade), France

Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance:  Meltem Kaptan in Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush (Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush), Andreas Dresen, Germany and France
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance:  Laura Basuki in Nana (Before, Now & Then), Kamila Andini, Indonesia

Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Laila Stieler for Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush (Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush), Andreas Dresen, Germany and France

Silver Bear for Outstanding Contribution: Rithy Pan and Sarit Mang for Everything Will Be Ok, Rithy Panh, France and Camboida (documentary)

Best First Feature Award: Sonne, Kurdwin Ayub, Austria

Documentary Award: Myanmar Diaries, The Myanmar Film Collective, Netherlands, Myanmar and Norway
Special Mention: No U-Turn, Ike Ninaebue, Nigeria, South Africa, France and Germany

Encounters
Best Film:  Mutzenbacher, Ruth Beckermann, Austria (documentary)
Special Jury Award:  À vendredi, Robinson (See You Friday, Robinson), Mitra Farahani, France, Switzerland, Iran and Lebanon (documentary)
Best Director: Cyril Schäublin for Unrueh (Unrest), Switzerland

Short Films
Golden Bear: Trap, Anastasia Veber, Russia and Lithuania, 20'
Silver Bear: Manhã de Domingo (Sunday Morning), Bruno Ribeiro, Brazil, 25'
Special Mention: Bird in the Peninsula, Atushi Wada, France and Japan, 16'
Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards: El Sembrador de Estrellas (The Sower of Stars), Lois Patiño, Spain, 25'

Generation
Generation KPlus
Prizes of Children's Jury
Crystal Bear for Best Film: Comedy Queen, Sanna Lenken, Sweden
Special Mention: An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl), Colm Bairéad, Ireland
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: Vlekkeloos (Spotless), Emma Branderhorst, Netherlands, 16'
Special Mention: Luce and the Rock, Britt Raes, Belgium, France and Netherlands, 16'
Prizes of International Jury Generation Kplus
Grand Prix for Best Film: An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl), Colm Bairéad, Ireland
Special Mention: Shabu, Shamira Raphaëla, Netherlands
Special Prize for Best Short Film: Gavazn (Deer), Hadi Babaeifar, Iran, 14'
Special Mention: To Vancouver, Artemis Anastasiadou, Greece, 24'

Generation 14Plus
Prizes of Youth Jury
Crystal Bear for Best Film: Alis, Clare Weiskopf and Nicolás van Hemelryck, Colombia, Chile and Romania (documentary)
Special Mention: Stay Awake, Jamie Sisley, USA
Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: Born in Damascus, Laura Wadha, UK, (documentary), 15'
Special Mention: Nada Para Ver Aqui (Nothing to See Here), Nicolas Bouchez, Portugal, Belgium and Hungary (documentary), 17'
Prizes of the International Jury
Grand Prix for Best Film: (tie)
Kind Hearts, Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes, Belgium (documentary)
Skhema (Scheme), Farkhat Sharipov, Kazakhstan
Special Prize for Best Short Film: Au revoir Jérôme! (Goodby Jerome!), Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet, and Chloé Farr, France, 8'
Special Mention: Blaues Rauschen (Blue Noise), Simon Maria Kubiena, Germany and Austria, 17'
Special Mention: Tinashé, Tig Terera, Australlia, 18'

Perspektive Deutches Kino
Compass-Perspektive-Award: Ladies Only, Rebana Liz John, Germany and India (documentary)

Collateral Awards - Prizes from Independent Juries

FIPRESCI Awards:
Competition:  Leonora addio, Paolo Taviani, Italy
Encounters: Coma, Bertrand Bonello, France
Panorama: Bettina, Lutz Pehnert, Germany (documentary)
Forum: Super Natural, Jorge Jácome, Portugal (documentary)

Ecumenical Jury Awards
Competition: Un año, una noche (One Year, One Night), Isaki Lacuesta, Spain and France
Panorama:  Klondike, Maryna Er Gorbach, Ukraine and Turkey
Forum: Geographies of Solitude, Jaquelyn Mills, Canada (documentary)

AG Kino Gilde - Cinema Vision 14plus: Stay Awake, Jamie Sisley, USA

Amnesty International Film Award: Myanmar Diaries, The Myanmar Film Collective, Netherlands, Myanmar and Norway (documentary)

Caligari Film Prize: Geographies of Solitude, Jaquelyn Mills, Canada  (documentary)

Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai (C.I.C.A.E.)
Panorama: Produkty 24 (Convenience Store), Michael Borodin, Russia, Slovenia and Turkey
Forum: Geographies of Solitude, Jaquelyn Mills, Canada (documentary)

Label Europa Cinemas: Berdreymi (Beautiful Beings), Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, and Czech Republic

Guild Film Prize: Rabiye Kurnaz gegen George W. Bush (Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush), Andreas Dresen, Germany and France

Heiner Carow Prize: Gewalten, Constantin Hatz, Germany

Peace Film Prize: Sab changa si (All Was Good), Teresa A, Braggs, India (documentary)

Teddy Awards
Best Film: Três Tigres Tristes (Three Tidy Tigers Tied a Tie Tighter), Gustave Vinagre, Brazil
Nominated
Bashtaalak sa'at (Shall I Compare You to a Summer’s Day?), Mohammad Shawky Hassan,Egypt, Lebanon, and Germany
Tytöt tytöt tytöt (Girl Picture), Alli Haapasalo, Finland
Jury Award: Nelly & Nadine, Magnus Gertten, Sweden, Belgium, and Norway
Best Documentary: Alis, Clare Weiskopf, Colombia, Chile, Romania
Nominated
Nel mio nome (Into My Name), Nicolo Bassetti, Italy
Nelly & Nadine, Magnus Gertten, Sweden, Belgium, and Norway
Best Short Film: Mars Exalte (Exalted Mars),Jean-Sebastien Chauvin, France
Nominated
Starfuckers, Antonio Marziale, USA
West by God, Scott Lazer, USA

Development Awards

ArteKino International Award: Girls Will Be Girls, Shuchi Talati, India

Euroimages Co-Production Development Award: My Favorite Cake, Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha, Iran

Kompagnon-Fellowship
Kurinji, Payal Sethi, India
She Makes and Unmakes, Jonas Bak, Germany
Honorary Mention: Traces of the Phoenix, Jide Akinleminu, Denmark

VFF Talent Highlight Award: Girls Will Be Girls, Shuchi Talati, India

Talents Footprints
Amar Azis for Girl's Sexual Abuse Prevention Program, Pakistan
Laura Helena Bermúdez Mesquita for Third Cinema, Honduras
Shuchi Talati for Bright Squad, India

Audience Awards

Panorama Audience Awards

Prize Winner Fiction Film 2022
1st Place: Baqyt (Happiness), Askar Uzabayev, Kazakhstan
2nd Place: Klondike, Maryna Er Gorbach, Ukraine and Turkey
3rd Place: Fogaréu, Flávia Neves, Brazil and Frane

Prize Winner Documentary Film 2022
1st Place: Aşk, Mark ve Ölüm (Love, Deutschmarks and Death), Cem Kaya, Germany (docuemntary)
2nd Place: Nel mio nome (Into My Name), Nicolò Bassetti, Italy (documentary)
3rd Place: Myanmar Diaries, The Myanmar Film Collective, Netherlands, Myanmar and Norway (documentary)

Honorary Golden Bear: Isabelle Huppert