69th Berlin International Film Festival
The 69th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 7 to 17 February 2019.[1] French actress Juliette Binoche served as the Jury President. Lone Scherfig's drama film The Kindness of Strangers opened the festival.[2] The Golden Bear was won by Israeli-French drama Synonyms directed by Nadav Lapid, which also served as the closing film of the festival.[3]
Opening film | The Kindness of Strangers |
---|---|
Closing film | Synonyms |
Location | Berlin, Germany |
Founded | 1951 |
Awards | Golden Bear (Synonyms) |
Festival date | 7–17 February 2019 |
Website | http://www.berlinale.de |
Jury
Main competition
The following were on the jury for the Berlinale Competition section:[4][5]
International jury
- Juliette Binoche, actress (France) - Jury President
- Justin Chang, journalist and film critic (United States)
- Sandra Hüller, actress (Germany)
- Sebastián Lelio, film director and screenwriter (Chile)
- Rajendra Roy, chief curator of MoMA (United States)
- Trudie Styler, actress, producer and film director (United Kingdom)
First Feature Award Jury
The following people were on the jury for the Best First Feature Award:[6]
- Katja Eichinger, journalist, writer and film producer (Germany)
- Alain Gomis, film director and screenwriter (France)
- Vivian Qu, director, screenwriter and film producer (China)
Documentary Award Jury
The following people were on the jury for the Documentary Award:[6]
- Maria Bonsanti, artistic director and director of the Eurodoc program (Italy)
- Gregory Nava, film director, screenwriter and producer (United States)
- Maria Ramos, film director (Brazil)
International Short Film Jury
The following people were on the jury for the Berlinale Shorts section:[7]
- Jeffrey Bowers, curator (United States)
- Vanja Kaludjercic, programmer and purchasing director of MUBI (Croatia)
- Koyo Kouoh, author, curator and artistic director of RAW Material Company (Cameroon)
In competition
The following films were selected for the main competition for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards:[8][9][10]
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
By the Grace of God | Grâce à dieu | François Ozon | France |
Elisa & Marcela* | Elisa y Marcela | Isabel Coixet | Spain |
Ghost Town Anthology | Répertoire des villes disparues | Denis Côté | Canada |
God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija | Gospod postoi, imeto i' e Petrunija | Teona Strugar Mitevska | Belgium, Croatia, France, Macedonia, Slovenia |
The Golden Glove | Der Goldene Handschuh | Fatih Akin | France, Germany |
The Ground Beneath My Feet* | Der Boden unter den Füßen | Marie Kreutzer | Austria |
The Kindness of Strangers | Lone Scherfig | Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States | |
I Was at Home, But | Ich war zuhause, aber | Angela Schanelec | Germany, Serbia |
Mr Jones | Agnieszka Holland | Poland, Ukraine, United Kingdom | |
Öndög | Wang Quan'an | China | |
Out Stealing Horses | Ut og stjæle hester | Hans Petter Moland | Denmark, Norway, Sweden |
Piranhas | La paranza dei bambini | Claudio Giovannesi | Italy |
So Long, My Son | Di jiu tian chang | Wang Xiaoshuai | China |
Synonyms* | Synonymes | Nadav Lapid | France, Germany, Israel |
System Crasher | Systemsprenger | Nora Fingscheidt | Germany |
A Tale of Three Sisters | Kız Kardeşler | Emin Alper | Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Turkey |
Out of competition
The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:[10]
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Amazing Grace | Alan Elliott | United States | |
Farewell to the Night | L'adieu à la nuit | André Téchiné | France, Germany |
Marighella | Wagner Moura | Brazil | |
The Operative | Yuval Adler | France, Germany, Israel, United States | |
Varda by Agnès | Varda par Agnès | Agnès Varda | France |
Vice | Adam McKay | United States |
Panorama
The following films were selected for the Panorama section:[11][12]
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
37 Seconds | 37秒 (37-Byō) | Hikari | Japan |
Acid* | Кислота | Alexander Gorchilin | Russia |
All My Loving | Geschwister | Edward Berger | Germany |
The Breath | Der Atem | Uli M Schueppel | Germany |
Brief Story from the Green Planet* | Breve historia del planeta verde | Santiago Loza | Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain |
Buoyancy | Rodd Rathjen | Australia | |
Chained | עינויים שלי (Eynayim Sheli) | Yaron Shani | Germany, Israel |
Dafne | Federico Bondi | Italy | |
The Day After I'm Gone | היום שאחרי לאחת | Nimrod Eldar | Israel |
Divine Love | Divino Amor | Gabriel Mascaro | Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Uruguay |
A Dog Barking at the Moon* | 再见南屏晚钟 | Xiang Zi | China, Spain |
Family Members* | Los miembros de la familia | Mateo Bendesky | Argentina |
Flatland | Jenna Bass | Germany, Luxembourg, South Africa | |
Flesh Out | Michela Occhipinti | Italy | |
Greta* | Armando Praça | Brazil | |
Hellhole | Bas Devos | Belgium, Netherlands | |
Holy Beasts* | La fiera y la fiesta | Laura Amelia Guzmán | Argentina, Dominican Republic, Mexico |
Idol | Woo Sang | Lee Su-jin | South Korea |
Jessica Forever | Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel | France | |
Light of My Life | Casey Affleck | United States | |
Mid90s | Jonah Hill | United States | |
Midnight Traveler | Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian | Canada, Qatar, United Kingdom, United States | |
The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea* | To thávma tis thálassas ton Sargassón | Syllas Tzoumerkas | Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Sweden |
Monos* | Alejandro Landes | Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Uruguay | |
O Beautiful Night | Doch wir lächeln zurück | Xaver Xylophon | Germany |
The Shadow Play | 风中有朵雨做的云 | Lou Ye | China |
Skin | Guy Nattiv | United States | |
The Souvenir | Joanna Hogg | United Kingdom, United States | |
Staff Only | Neus Ballús | France, Spain | |
Stitches | Šavovi | Miroslav Terzić | Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia |
Tremors* | Temblores | Jayro Bustamante | France, Guatemala, Luxembourg |
Panorama Dokumente
The following films were selected for the Panorama Dokumente section:[11]
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Beauty and Decay* | Schönheit & Vergänglichkeit | Annekatrin Hendel | Germany |
A Dog Called Money | Seamus Murphy | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
Lemebel* | Joanna Reposi Garibaldi | Chile, Colombia | |
Normal* | Adele Tulli | Italy, Sweden | |
On the Starting Line | La Arrancada | Aldemar Matias | Brazil, Cuba, France |
Searching Eva* | Pia Hellenthal | Germany | |
Selfie | Agostino Ferrente | France, Italy | |
Serendipity | Prune Nourry | United States | |
Shooting the Mafia | Kim Longinotto | Ireland, United Kingdom | |
System K | Système K | Renaud Barret | France |
Talking About Trees | Suhaib Gasmelbari | Chad, France, Germany, Qatar, Sudan | |
Waiting for the Carnival | Estou Me Guardando Para Quando O Carnaval Chegar | Marcelo Gomes | Brazil |
Western Arabs | Omar Shargawi | Denmark, Netherlands | |
What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael | Rob Garver | United States |
Berlinale Special
The following films were selected for the Berlinale Special section:[8][9][10]
English title | Original title | Director(s) | Production country |
---|---|---|---|
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch | Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky | Canada | |
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind | Chiwetel Ejiofor | United Kingdom | |
Brecht | Heinrich Breloer | Austria, Germany, Czech Republic | |
The North | El Norte | Gregory Nava | United Kingdom, United States |
Gully Boy | Zoya Akhtar | India | |
It Could Have Been Worse – Mario Adorf | Es hätte schlimmer kommen können – Mario Adorf | Dominik Wessely | Germany |
Kids in the Spotlight | Lampenfieber | Alice Agneskirchner | Germany |
Peter Lindbergh – Women Stories | Jean Michel Vecchiet | Germany | |
Photograph | Ritesh Batra | Germany, India, United States | |
Watergate | Charles Ferguson | United States | |
Who You Think I Am | Celle que vous croyez | Safy Nebbou | France |
You Only Live Once – Die Toten Hosen on Tour | Weil du nur einmal lebst – Die Toten Hosen auf Tour | Cordula Kablitz-Post | Germany |
Key
* LGBTQ feature; eligible for the Teddy Award
Awards
The following prizes were awarded:[13][14][15]
- Golden Bear – Synonyms by Nadav Lapid
- Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize – By the Grace of God by François Ozon
- Alfred Bauer Prize (Silver Bear) – System Crasher by Nora Fingscheidt
- Silver Bear for Best Director – Angela Schanelec for I Was at Home, But
- Silver Bear for Best Actress – Yong Mei for So Long, My Son
- Silver Bear for Best Actor – Wang Jingchun for So Long, My Son
- Silver Bear for Best Script – Maurizio Braucci, Claudio Giovannesi and Roberto Saviano for Piranhas
- Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution – Rasmus Videbæk for Cinematography in Out Stealing Horses
- Golden Bear for Best Short Film – Umbra by Florian Fischer and Johannes Krell
- Panorama Audience Award
- 1st Place: 37 Seconds by Hikari
- 2nd Place: Stitches by Miroslav Terzić
- 3rd Place: Buoyancy by Rodd Rathjen
- Panorama Audience Award – Documentaries
- 1st Place: Talking About Trees by Suhaib Gasmelbari
- 2nd Place: Midnight Traveler by Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian
- 3rd Place: Shooting the Mafia by Kim Longinotto
- Teddy Award
- Best Feature Film: Brief Story from the Green Planet by Santiago Loza
- Best Documentary/Essay Film: Lemebel by Joanna Reposi Garibaldi
- Best Short Film: Entropia by Flóra Anna Buda
- Special Jury Award: A Dog Barking at the Moon by Xiang Zi
- Special Teddy Award: Falk Richter
- FIPRESCI Prize
- Competition: Synonyms by Nadav Lapid
- Panorama: Dafne by Federico Bondi
- Forum: Die Kinder der Toten by Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska
- Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
- Competition: God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija by Teona Strugar Mitevska
- Panorama: Buoyancy by Rodd Rathjen
- Special Mention: Midnight Traveler by Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian
- Forum: Earth by Nikolaus Geyrhalter
- CICAE Art Cinema Award
- Panorama: 37 Seconds by HIKARI
- Forum: Our Defeats by Jean-Gabriel Périot
- Generation 14Plus
- Crystal Bear for Best Film: Stupid Young Heart by Selma Vilhunen
- Special Mention: We Are Little Zombies by Makoto Nagahisa
- Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: Tattoo by Farhad Delaram
- Special Mention: Four Quartets by Marco Alessi
- Crystal Bear for Best Film: Stupid Young Heart by Selma Vilhunen
- Generation KPlus
- Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Film: House of Hummingbird by Kim Bo-ra
- Special Mention: Bulbul Can Sing by Rima Das
- Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Short Film: Liberty by Faren Humes
- Special Mention: The Jarariju Sisters by Jorge Cadena
- Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Film: House of Hummingbird by Kim Bo-ra
- Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury Award
- Prize Winner: System Crasher by Nora Fingscheidt
- Tagesspiegel Readers' Jury Award
- Prize Winner: Monsters. by Marius Olteanu
- TEDDY Readers’ Award Powered by QUEER.DE
- Prize Winner: Brief Story from the Green Planet by Santiago Loza
- Guild Film Prize
- Prize Winner: God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija by Teona Strugar Mitevska
- Caligari Film Prize
- Prize Winner: Heimat Is A Space in Time by Thomas Heise
- Heiner Carow Prize
- Prize Winner: Beauty and Decay by Annekatrin Hendel
- Compass-Perspektive-Award
- Prize Winner: Born in Evin by Maryam Zaree
- Kompagnon-Fellowship
- Perspektive Deutsches Kino: To Be Continued by Julian Pörksen
- Berlinale Talents: Transit Times by Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu
- ARTEKino International Prize
- Prize Winner: A Responsible Adult by Shira Geffen
- Eurimages Co-Production Development Award
- Award Winner: Avalon PC for Alcarràs
- VFF Talent Highlight Award
- Award Winner: Vincenzo Cavallo for Bufis
- Amnesty International Film Award
- Prize Winner: Your Turn by Eliza Capai
- Label Europa Cinemas
- Prize Winner: Stitches by Miroslav Terzić
- Peace Film Prize
- Prize Winner: Your Turn by Eliza Capai
- Special Mention: System K by Renaud Barret
- Special Mention: Midnight Traveler by Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian
- Prize Winner: Your Turn by Eliza Capai
References
- "33. TEDDY AWARD - SAVE THE DATE". Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- Roxborough, Scott (6 December 2018). "Lone Scherfig's 'The Kindness of Strangers' to Open 2019 Berlin Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- "Berlin Film Festival 2019: Nadav Lapid's 'Synonyms' Wins Golden Bear". Variety. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- Sharf, Zack (11 December 2018). "Juliette Binoche to Serve as Jury President of 2019 Berlin Film Festival". IndieWire. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- Roxborough, Scott (29 January 2019). "Berlin Film Festival Unveils Competition Jury". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
- "Juliette Binoche's Berlinale jury members are all present and correct". 29 January 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- "INTERNATIONALE KURZFILMJURY (INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY)". 21 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- Parfitt, Orlando (13 December 2018). "Fatih Akin, François Ozon films among first Berlin Competition titles". Screen International. Media Business Insight. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- "COMPETITION AND BERLINALE SPECIAL: AGNÈS VARDA, AGNIESZKA HOLLAND, HANS PETTER MOLAND, ISABEL COIXET AND WANG QUAN'AN IN THE COMPETITION PROGRAMME / FEATURE FILM DEBUT OF CHIWETEL EJIOFOR IN THE BERLINALE SPECIAL". 10 January 2019. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "SELECTION FOR COMPETITION AND BERLINALE SPECIAL COMPLETED". 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- "PANORAMA 2019, FIRST HALF OF THE PROGRAM IS SCHEDULED: JOANNA HOGG, JENNA BASS, JONAH HILL, SYLLAS TZOUMERKAS AND PJ HARVEY IN THE PROGRAM". 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- "PANORAMA 2019: BREAKING FREE". 21 January 2019. Archived from the original on 1 February 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- "PRIZES OF THE INDEPENDENT JURIES". Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "BERLINALE 2019: THE PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARDS GO TO 37 SECONDS AND TALKING ABOUT TREES". 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- "AWARDS AND JURIES IN THE GENERATION SECTION". Retrieved 16 February 2019.