JERICHOW, the story of a love triangle gone bad, has won the prize for best film by the German Film Critics Association. Directed by Christian Petzold, the film, which premiered this past summer at the Venice Film Festival, stars Benno Furmann, Nina Hoss and Hilmi Solzer. In this tale of lies and deception. German actress Karoline Herfurth won the Best Actress award for her portrayal of a girl dealing with her brother’s suicide in Oscar winning director Caroline Link’s A YEAR AGO IN WINTER. Veteran thespian Elmar Wepper handily won Best Actor honors for his role as a grieving widower who travels to Japan to fulfil his dead wife’s dream in Doris Dorrie’s arthouse hit CHERRY BLOSSOMS. These three films were part of the 20 title German Focus section of the Berlinale, giving international critics and programmers a vital survey of what has emerged as a new renaissance of new German cinema.

Sandy Mandelberger, Berlinale Dailies Editor