Winners of the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.
Aki Kaurismäki, photo by Elena Ringo
On the 18th of February the official prize winners of the Berlinale were announced. The Golden Bear for Best Film went to the picture “On Body and Soul”, a romantic drama about two slaughterhouse workers with identical dreams made by Hungarian writer-director Ildikó Enyedi.
Many thought that “The Other Side of Hope”, a comedy-drama about a Syrian refugee who becomes friends with a Finnish restaurateur by Aki Kaurismäki would win the best picture award. Instead Kaurismäki received the Silver Bear for Best Director and his speech for which he did not bother to go to the stage was very laconic and only consisted of – “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much”.
“A Fantastic Woman”, a drama telling the story of a trans woman whose older lover unexpectedly dies, written and directed by Sebastián Lelio won the Best Screenplay award.
Outstanding directors Volker Schlöndorff and Sally Potter were left without prizes.
