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BERLINALE 2012 Awards

Italian cinema triumphs in Berlin: Ceasar Must Die wins Golden Bear

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It was in the top three predicted to win by the international press, and its magnitude grew so much after its screening in Berlin that Cineuropa decided to make a Film Focus on it. It is therefore under a rain of applause that the 62nd Berlinale’s Golden Bear went to the brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani (Italy) for Ceasar Must Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
film profile
]
.

The Jury Grand Prix went to Just The Wind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bence Fliegauf
film profile
]
by Bence Fliegauf (Hongrie/Allemagne/France).

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The same international jury also confirmed rumours in Berlin went they awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director to German director Christian Petzold, who deserved the award for Barbara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Petzold
film profile
]
(Germany), one of the other great favourites of this competition.

The Silver Bear for Best Script went to Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel for A Royal Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
interview: Nikolaj Arcel
film profile
]
, adapted from a novel by Bodil Steensen-Leth.

Specially acknowledged by the president of the international jury Mike Leigh, Ursula Meier received a special mention in the form of a Silver Bear for Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
interview: Ursula Meier
film profile
]
. The director said she was very honored by the marginal position that the jury had granted her, a position, she said, that suited her very well.

The Silver Bear for Best Actor was awarded to Mikkel Boe Følsgaard for his role in A Royal Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
interview: Nikolaj Arcel
film profile
]
by Nikolaj Arcel, and the Silver Bear for Best Actress went to Rachel Mwanza for her interpretation of Komona, a 14-year-old girl from Sub-Saharan Africa who tells the story of her ruined life to her child-to-be in War Witch, the Canadian film by Kim Nguyen.

The Alfred Bauer Prize was presented to Tabu [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Gomes
interview: Miguel Gomes
film profile
]
by Miguel Gomes who dedicated his film to Portuguese cinema, admitting, not without irony, that he was a little confused by all these new prizes, whereas his only intention was to make an old fashioned film.

Portugal had already been honoured thanks to Portuguese director João Salaviza who received a Golden Bear for his short film Rafa (read more). He also took advantage of this event to draw international attention to the situation of the Portuguese cinematographic industry, currently in the most important crisis of its history.

As for the Best First Feature Award, it went to Cowboy by Dutch director Boudewijn Koole, while the Silver Bear for Best Artistic Contribution was given to German director of photography Lutz Reitemeier for his work in the Chinese film White Deer Plain by Wang Quan'an.

Apart from the Silver Bear for Best Actress, all awards at this 62nd Berlinale went to Europeans, and this makes us very proud!


All the laureates:

Golden Bear for Best Film
Caesar Must Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
film profile
]
- Paolo and Vittorio Taviani

Silver Bear – Jury Grand Prix
Just The Wind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bence Fliegauf
film profile
]
- Bence Fliegauf

Silver Bear for Best Director
Christian Petzold - Barbara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Petzold
film profile
]

Silver Bear for Best Actress
Rachel Mwanza - War Witch

Silver Bear for Best Actor
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard - A Royal Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
interview: Nikolaj Arcel
film profile
]

Silver Bear for Best Script
Rasmus Heisterberg, Nikolaj Arcel - A Royal Affair [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
interview: Nikolaj Arcel
film profile
]

Silver Bear for Best Artistic Contribution
Lutz Reitemeier - White Deer Plain (photographie)

Alfred Bauer Prize
Tabu [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Gomes
interview: Miguel Gomes
film profile
]
- Miguel Gomes

Special Award - Silver Bear
Sister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kacey Mottet Klein
interview: Ursula Meier
film profile
]
- Ursula Meier

Short film awards
Golden Bear: Rafa - João Salaviza
Silver Bear: The Great Rabbi - Atsushi Wada
Special Mention: Licuri Surf - Guile Martin

Prizes of the juries Generation

Children’s Jury Generation Kplus
Crystal Bear for Best Film
Arcadia - Olivia Silver

Special Mention
Just Pretended To Hear - Kaori Imaizumi

Crystal Bear for Short Film
Julian - Matthew Moore

Special Mention
Bino - Billie Pleffer

Youth Jury Generation 14plus
Crystal Bear for Best Film
Night of Silence - Reis Çelik

Special Mention
The Crown Jewels - Ella Lemhagen

Crystal Bear for Short Film
Meathead - Sam Holst

International Jury Generation Kplus

The Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk for Best Film
Kauwboy - Boudewijn Koole

Special Mention
Gattu - Rajan Khosa

The Grand Prix of the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk for Best Short Film
Bino - Billie Pleffer

Special Mention
L - Thais Fujinaga

Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas
Coming Home - Frédéric Videau

C.I.C.A.E. Prize
Panorama: Death for Sale - Faouzi Bensaïdi
Forum: Our Homeland - Yang Yonghi

Teddy Awards
Best Feature Film: Keep The Lights On - Ira Sachs
Best Documentary Film: Call Me Kuchu - Malika Zouhali-Worrall, Katherine Fairfax Wright
Best Short Film: Loxoro - Claudia Llosa
Teddy Jury Award: Jaurés - Vincent Dieutre

Prize of the Berlinale Talent Campus
Score Competition
Christoph Fleischmann (Germany)
Berlin Today Award
Rafael Balulu (Israel) for Batman At The Checkpoint
Special Mention
David Lalé (United Kingdom) for White Lobster

FIPRESCI awards
Competition: Tabu [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miguel Gomes
interview: Miguel Gomes
film profile
]
- Miguel Gomes
Panorama: Atomic Age [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Héléna Klotz
film profile
]
- Héléna Klotz
International Forum of New Cinema: Hemel - Sacha Polak

Europa Cinemas Label
My Brother the Devil [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Sally El Hosaini

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(Translated from French)

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