Winners at the Berlin International Film Festival
A sex-filled movie on intimacy and consent took home the Golden Bear at the Berlinale, Germany's largest film festival. Other winners included Wes Anderson for "Isle of Dogs" and Ana Brun in Paraguay's first entry.
Best Film: 'Touch Me Not' by Adina Pintilie
Crossing over between fiction and documentary, "Touch Me Not" is an exploration of physical intimacy that won over the Berlinale jury. Romanian filmmaker Adina Pintilie offers a timely contribution to current debates on sexual consent. Featuring sophisticated aesthetics, the work includes kink scenes, "abnormal" bodies, and intellectualizes sex in a way that's bound to disturb some viewers.
Jury's Prize: 'Mug'
Malgorzata Szumowska took home the Silver Bear for "Mug." The story of a heavy metal-loving misfit, Jacek, whose life is thrown off after a disfiguring accident, is a parable with subtle commentary on contemporary society. The acerbic satire exploring modern Poland shows a country undergoing a religious revival.
Best Actress: Ana Brun in 'The Heiresses'
Variety magazine described the female-driven drama "The Heiresses" as "a finely-crafted, beautifully realized debut that exquisitely balances character study with shrewd commentary on class, desire, and the lingering privileges of Paraguay's elite." Ana Brun won best actress for her work in it. The Paraguayan entry also obtained the Alfred Bauer Prize and the FIPRESCI award.
Best Actor: Anthony Bajon in 'The Prayer'
"The Prayer," directed by Cédric Kahn, follows the 22-year-old Thomas (played by Bajon) as he tries to kick a drug habit in a remote mountain town. There, he lives with a group of young men also fighting addiction under the watchful eye of a Catholic priest. Their daily struggle in the secluded monastic environment is a coming-of-age story that allows audiences to ponder religion.
Best Director: Wes Anderson for 'Isle of Dogs'
US indie filmmaker Wes Anderson has a reputation for creating colorful, twee films. "Isle of Dogs" is no different. The impeccable stop-motion animated feature about dogs banished from society is brimming with detail. "I never thought I'd go to work as a dog and come home with a bear," quipped actor Bill Murray, who picked up the Silver Bear award for the director.
Best screenplay: 'Museum' by Alonso Ruizpalacios
Mexican director Alonso Ruizpalacios and his script co-author Manuel Alcala took home the Silver Bear for best screenplay for this movie based on a museum heist that took place in Mexico in the 1980s. Ruizpalacios' film is a universal coming-of-age story dealing with themes of identity, family and friendship. The arthouse crowdpleaser stars Gael Garcia Bernal.
Best costume design: 'Dovlatov' by Alexei German Jr.
The Berlinale's jury recognized the detailed work of costume designer Elena Okopnaya on the competition's Russian entry, "Dovlatov." Set in Leningrad in 1971, the movie traces six days in the life of Soviet dissident author Sergei Dovlatov. Featuring strong visuals, it's a timely portrait of a non-conformist in an authoritarian society.
Ecumenical Jury's Prize: 'In the Aisles' by Thomas Stuber
Director Thomas Stuber transforms a wholesale market located in former East Germany into a world of unsuspected poetry, as a romantic encounter unfolds amid waltzing forklifts. This German entry starring two of the country's most in-demand actors, Sandra Hüller ("Toni Erdmann") and Franz Rogowski ("Transit") charmed the critics, but didn't pick up any of the coveted Bear awards.