Published by Berlin

Feb 17, 2013

The 76th Berlinale will take place from February 12 to 22, 2026 / EFM : Feb 12-18 Our team of festival ambassadors and reporters brings you the dailies from the Berlin Film Festival and...

Main Bears Go To Dark Horses from the East at Berlin

Berlin juries seem to have a penchant for springing surprises in favor of long shot contenders and unknown outsiders.

An unheralded Romanian picture, Pozitsia Capilului (Child's Pose), was awarded the Golden Bear for Best Film,

The Silver Bear (The Grand Jury Prize) went to a film from Bosnia, "Epizoda u Zivotu beraca zeljeza" (An episdode in the life of an Iron Picker) which focuses on the trials and tribulations of a Gypsy (Roma) family in that former Yugosalvian territory.

Another silver bear, the Alfred Bauer Prize (named for the Berlin festival founder) went to an off-beat French-Canadian picture "Vic + Flo ont vu un Ours" (Vic+Flo saw a bear).

The Best actor award went to Nazif Mujic for his work in "Epizodu u Zivotu..."

David Gordon Green was named Best Director for an American pic entitled "Prince Avalanche" which is a remake of an obscure Icelandic film "Á annan veg "(Either Way )from 2011 directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson.

Interestingly enough both Avalanche and Vic+Flo take place out in the woods.

The only prize that was fully expected this year by was the Best Actress award which went to 52 year old Chilean actress Paulina Garcia for her work in Sebastián Lelio’s Spanish language film "Gloria", a dramedy about an ageing divorcee on the swinging singles scene in Santiago. It is rare at this festival for such uninamity of opinion to prevail but it seems that Paulina had this one sewed up from the start. I haven't seen Gloria yet but will see it on getaway day, Sunday, to see what all the talk has been about.

There was no lack of other outstanding female performances by older actress during the festival run, notably Catherine Deneuve (69!) as a chain smoking grandma in "Elle s'en va", Juliette Binoche (49) in "Camille Claudel 1915" or Isabelle Huppert (59) in "La Religieuse" but Ms. Garcia topped a strong field of mature femmes.

There was some speculation of a possible posthumous Best Actor award for River Phoenix who died during the shooting of George Sluizer's "Dark Blood" in 1993. The Fiml was left unfinished at the yong actor's suddeen death of a drug overdose but was saved from the insurance company ashes and finished in a manner of speaking --by a speaker off narrating the missing scenes! --but was stil a gripping piece of work and a memorable performance by the Mr. Phoenix.

Sera t-elle primée à Berlin?

Finally, a Silver bear for Best Script went to Embattled Iranian writer-director Jafar Panahi for "Closed Curtain"a Persian language film made in spite of a 20 year filmmaking ban imposed on him by the mad clerics of Tehran that somehow gained the approval to be shown here. Panahi was named to the jury here and in Canne two years ago but was not only not allowed to leave Iran but was imperisoned for a time. Could this be a sign of softening of the collective fundamentalist brain that rules over there...