İlker Catak’s ‘Yellow Letters’ Wins Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival
This was a strong Berlinale lineup, especially relative to last year’s, where Norwegian filmmaker Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Dreams (Sex Love),” unfortunately underseen by a broader public post-festival, won the Golden Bear. But last year, Rose Byrne’s performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” won the Silver Bear for Best Actress, helping propel her to an eventual Oscar nomination. Will any such traveling word-of-mouth and awards buzz repeat this year?
Unlike last year’s Warner Bros. launch of Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17,” there were no American studio movies presented at Berlin this year, unless you count A24’s Sundance holdover “The Moment.” The potentially starriest world premiere, Kornél Mundruczó’s “At the Sea,” occurred without its lead, Amy Adams, in attendance to walk the shivery Palast red carpet. Adams, who gave well wishes to the debut from afar, plays a dancer emerging from rehab and on the redemption trail in the film. It landed like a stone down an empty well with harsh reviews.
Main Competition
Golden Bear: “Yellow Letters,” İlker Çatak
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: “Salvation,” Emin Alper
Silver Bear Jury Prize: “Queen at Sea,” Lance Hammer
Silver Bear for Best Director: “Everybody Digs Bill Evans,” Grant Gee
Silver Bear for Best Lead Performance: “Rose,” Sandra Huller
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance: Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay for “Queen at Sea,” Lance Hammer
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: “Nina Roza,” Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: “Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird),” Anna Fitch and Banker White
Perspectives
Best First Feature (with a prize of 50,000 euros): “Chronicles of the Siege,” Abdallah Alkhatib
Documentary Prizes
Documentary Award (with a prize of 40,000 euros): “If Pigeons Turn to Gold,” Pepa Lubojacki
Documentary Award (Special Mention): “Tutu,” Sam Pollard
Documentary Award (Special Mention): “Sometimes I Imagine Them All at a Party,” Daniela Magnani Hüller
Short Film Prizes
Golden Bear for Short Film: “Someday, a Child,” Marie-Rose Osta
Silver Bear Jury Prize: “A Woman’s Place Is Everywhere,” Fanny Texier
CUPRA Filmmaker Award: “Kleptomania,” Jingkai Qu
PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience Award (Fiction): “Prosecution,” Faraz Sharia
First Runner-up: “Four Minus Three,” Adrian Goiginger
Second Runner-up: “Mouse,” Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson
Audience Award (Documentary): “Traces,” Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk
First Runner-up: “The Other Side of the Sun,” Tawfik Sabouni
Second Runner-up: “Bucks Harbor,” Pete Muller
GENERATION COMPETITION
International Jury
Grand Prix for the Best Film in Generation Kplus: “Gugu’s World,” Allan Deberton
Special Mention: “Atlas of the Universe,” Paul Negoescu
Special Prize for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus: “Spi,” Navroz Shaban
Special Mention: “Under the Wave off Little Dragon,” Luo Jian
Grand Prix for the Best Film in Generation 14plus: “Sad Girlz,” Fernanda Tovar
Special Mention: “Matapanki,” Diego Mapache Fuentes
Special Prize for the Best Short Film in Generation 14plus: “The Thread,” Fenn O’Meally
Special Mention: “Memories of a Window,” Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar
Youth Jury
Crystal Bear for the Best Film in Generation Kplus: “Gugu’s World,” Allan Deberton
Special Mention: “Not a Hero,” Rima Das
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film in Generation Kplus: “Whale 52 – Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale,” Daniel Neiden
Special Mention: “Under the Wave off Little Dragon,” Luo Jian
Crystal Bear for the Best Film in Generation 14plus: “Sad Girlz,” Fernanda Tovar
Special Mention: “A Family,” Mees Peijnenburg
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film in Generation 14plus: ”Memories of a Window,” Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar
Special Mention: ”Nobody Knows the World,” Roddy Dextre
TEDDY AWARDS
Best Feature Film: “Ivan & Hadoum,” Ian de la Rosa
Best Documentary: “Barbara Forever,” Brydie O’Connor
Best Short Film: “Taxi Moto,” Gaël Kamilindi
Jury Award: “Trial of Hein,” Kai Stänicke
Special Award: Céline Sciamma
FIPRESCI AWARDS
Competition: “Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Perspectives: “Animol,” Ashley Walters
Panorama: “Narciso,” Marcelo Martinessi
Forum: “AnyMart,” Yusuke Iwasaki
ECUMENICAL JURY AWARDS
Competition: “Flies,” Fernando Eimbcke
Panorama: “Bucks Harbor,” Pete Muller
Forum: “River Dreams,“ Kristina Mikhailova
LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS AWARD
“Four Minus Three,” Adrian Goiginger
PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ARTHOUSE CINEMAS
“Yellow Letters,” İlker Çatak
Special Mention: “The Loneliest Man in Town,” Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel
READERS’ JURIES
Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Award: “Flies,” Fernando Eimbcke
Tagesspiegel Readers’ Award: “I Built a Rocket Imagining Your Arrival,” Janaína Marques
CALIGARI FILM PRIZE
“If Pigeons Turned to Gold,” Pepa Lubojacki
PEACE FILM PRIZE
“Tutu,” Sam Pollard
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARD
“What Will I Become?,” Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos
HEINER CAROW PRIZE
“Prosecution,” Faraz Shariat
PRIZE AG KINO – GILDE – CINEMA VISION 14PLUS
“What Will I Become?,” Lexie Bean and Logan Rozos
Special Mention: ”Sunny Dancer,” George Jaques
C.I.C.A.E. Art Cinema Award
“Prosecution,” Faraz Shariat
“On Our Own,” Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
