Berlinale 74 ends – Filmmakers against the genocide in Gaza

The French filmmaker of African descent, Mati Diop, announced her support for the Palestinian people and her full support for the people of Gaza against the brutal attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation army.

This announcement came as she received the Golden Bear award, the highest award at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany. Diop called for a ceasefire in Gaza, along with Brazilian director Juliana Rojas, winner of the Best Director award for the film « The Country City » in the « Encounters » section. Also joining in this call were Ben Russell and co-director Guillaume Cailleau, winners of the Best Film award in the same section for their film « The Direct Action ».

Russell stated on stage, « We are against genocide. »

The International Jury awarded the Audience Award for Best Documentary to « No Other Land » directed by a group of Palestinian filmmakers, shedding light on the occupation’s attempts to expel Palestinians from a village in the occupied West Bank.

Two directors of the film took the stage, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and for Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank, emphasizing the need for Germany to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

The Rightful Return

Actress Lupita Nyong’o, an Oscar winner for her films « 12 Years a Slave » and « Black Panther, » who chaired the festival’s jury, announced the documentary « Dahomey » as the winner. The film revolves around the return of looted treasures of the Dahomey Kingdom to the Republic of Benin in Africa.

« Dahomey » is the second African film to win the top award in the history of the Berlinale, following South African opera drama Mark Dornford-May’s « Breathe Umphefumlo » in 2015.

This is the second consecutive year that a documentary film wins the Golden Bear at Berlin, following Nicolas Philibert’s « On the Adamant » last year.

Fourth Silver

South Korean director Hong Sang-soo won the Silver Bear award for the film « Traveler’s Needs, » marking his fourth win at the Berlinale after his victories in 2020 for « The Woman Who Ran, » 2021 for « Introduction, » and 2022 for « The Novelist. »

The Best Director award went to Dominican filmmaker Nelson Carlo for the film « Pepe, » which tells the story of a river horse brought by drug lord Pablo Escobar to Colombia. The satirical science fiction film « The Empire » by director Bruno Dumont won the Silver Bear award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution from the Jury.

Emily Watson won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film « Small Things Like This, » while American actor Sebastian Stan won the Best Actor award for his role in the film « Different Man. »

Matthias Glasner won the Silver Bear award for Best Screenplay for the film « Death, » and Martin Gschlacht won the Silver Bear award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution for Cinematography for the film « The Devil’s Bath » directed by Veronika Franz.