The 69th annual

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

took place from 7 to 17 February 2019. French actress

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress and dancer. She has appeared in more than sixty feature films and has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Silver Bear, ...

served as the Jury President.

Lone Scherfig Lone Scherfig (; born 2 May 1959) is a Danish film director and screenwriter who has been involved with the Dogme 95 film movement and who has been widely critically acclaimed for several of her movies, including the Oscar-nominated film '' An ...

's drama film '' The Kindness of Strangers'' opened the festival. The

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The win ...

was won by Israeli-French drama '' Synonyms'' directed by

Nadav Lapid Nadav Lapid () is an Israeli screenwriter and film director. Film critics consider him to be among the most internationally acclaimed filmmakers from Israel. Biography Lapid was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to a family of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. H ...

, which also served as the closing film of the festival.

Jury

Main competition

The following were on the jury for the Berlinale Competition section: International jury *

, actress (France) - Jury President *

Justin Chang Justin Choigee Chang (born January 3, 1983) is an American film critic and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times''. He previously worked for ''Variety''. Early life Justin Chang graduated from the University of Southern California in 2004. Chan ...

, journalist and film critic (United States) *

Sandra Hüller Sandra Hüller (; born 30 April 1978) is a German actress. She gained critical praise for her portrait of Anneliese Michel in Hans-Christian Schmid's drama ''Requiem'' (2006), and is best known internationally for her starring role in Maren Ad ...

, actress (Germany) *

Sebastián Lelio Sebastián Lelio Watt (born 8 March 1974) is a Chilean director, screenwriter, editor and producer. He received critical acclaim for directing the films ''Gloria'' (2013) and ''A Fantastic Woman'' (2017), the latter of which won an Academy Award ...

, film director and screenwriter (Chile) * Rajendra Roy, chief curator of MoMA (United States) *

Trudie Styler Trudie Styler (born 6 January 1954) is an English actress and film producer. Early life and family Styler was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, the daughter of Pauline and Harry Styler, a farmer and factory worker. When Styler was two years ...

, actress, producer and film director (United Kingdom)

First Feature Award Jury

The following people were on the jury for the Best First Feature Award: * Katja Eichinger, journalist, writer and film producer (Germany) *

Alain Gomis Alain Gomis (born 6 March 1972) is a French-Senegalese film director and screenwriter. His 2017 film '' Félicité'' was selected as the Senegalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, making the December shortli ...

, film director and screenwriter (France) *

Vivian Qu Vivian Qu (; Wen Yan) is a Chinese film director, screenwriter and producer who directed the award-winning 2013 film '' Trap Street''. She also produced '' Night Train'', released in 2007, ''Knitting'', in 2008 and ''Black Coal, Thin Ice'' in 20 ...

, director, screenwriter and film producer (China)

Documentary Award Jury

The following people were on the jury for the Documentary Award: * Maria Bonsanti, artistic director and director of the Eurodoc program (Italy) *

Gregory Nava Gregory James Nava (born April 10, 1949) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Personal life Nava was born in San Diego, of Mexican and Basque heritage. Nava graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego and went on t ...

, film director, screenwriter and producer (United States) *

Maria Ramos Maria Ramos (born 1959) is a South African businesswoman, banker and corporate executive who has been serving the chairperson of AngloGold Ashanti since 2020. She previously served as chief executive officer (CEO) of Absa Group Limited. Prior to ...

, film director (Brazil)

International Short Film Jury

The following people were on the jury for the Berlinale Shorts section: * Jeffrey Bowers, curator (United States) * Vanja Kaludjercic, programmer and purchasing director of

MUBI Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; The Auteurs before 2010) is a global curated film streaming platform, production company and film distributor. Mubi produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusivel ...

(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

and

Silver Bear The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fes ...

awards:

Out of competition

The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:

Panorama

The following films were selected for the Panorama section:

Panorama Dokumente

The following films were selected for the Panorama Dokumente section:

Berlinale Special

The following films were selected for the Berlinale Special section:

Key

Awards

The following prizes were awarded: *

– '' Synonyms'' by

Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (also Jury Grand Prix, Grand Prize of the Jury) is an award given by the jury at the Berlin International Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition. It is the runner-up to the Golden Bear prize an ...

– ''

By the Grace of God By the Grace of God ( la, Dei Gratia, abbreviated D.G.) is a formulaic phrase used especially in Christian monarchies as an introductory part of the full styles of a monarch. For example in England and later the United Kingdom, the phrase was fo ...

'' by

François Ozon François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeli ...

Alfred Bauer Prize The Alfred Bauer Prize was an annual film award, presented by the Berlin International Film Festival, as part of its Silver Bear series of awards, to a film that "opens new perspectives on cinematic art". The prize was suspended in 2020 after it w ...

(

) – ''

System Crasher ''System Crasher'' (german: Systemsprenger) is a 2019 German drama film directed by Nora Fingscheidt. Plot The nine-year-old Bernadette, known as “Benni”, is considered aggressive and wayward. If anyone but her mother touches her face, she l ...

'' by

Nora Fingscheidt Nora Fingscheidt ( ) is a German director and screenwriter. She has been a participant of the film festival since 2011 for her short films, winning the prize in 2017 for ''Without This World'' (''Ohne diese Welt''). She became widely known for ...

Silver Bear for Best Director The Silver Bear for Best Director (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Regie) is an award presented annually at the Berlin International Film Festival since 1956. It is given for the best achievement in directing and is chosen by the International Jury ...

–

Angela Schanelec Angela Schanelec (; born 14 February 1962) is a German actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Places in Cities'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. At the 69th Berlin International Film ...

for '' I Was at Home, But'' *

Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress (german: Silberner Bär/Beste Darstellerin) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chos ...

–

Yong Mei Yong Mei (; born 14 February 1970) is a Chinese actress. In 2019, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance in the film '' So Long, My Son'' directed by Wang Xiaoshuai. Early lif ...

for '' So Long, My Son'' *

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor (german: Silberner Bär/Bester Darsteller) was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by ...

–

Wang Jingchun Wang Jingchun (; born 12 February 1973) is a Chinese actor. Awards He won the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2013 for his performance in Ning Ying's film ''To Live and Die in Ordos''. In 2019, he won the Silver ...

for '' So Long, My Son'' *

Silver Bear for Best Script The Silver Bear for Best Screenplay (german: Silberner Bär/Bestes Drehbuch) is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in Screenwriting. Winners See also * Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay References Ex ...

– Maurizio Braucci,

Claudio Giovannesi Claudio Giovannesi (born 20 March 1978) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Biography After graduating in Modern Letters at the Sapienza University of Rome and in Film Directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Experimental ...

and

Roberto Saviano Roberto Saviano (; born 22 September 1979) is an Italian writer, essayist, journalist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book '' Gomorrah'', he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic reali ...

for ''

Piranhas A piranha or piraña (, , or ; or , ) is one of a number of freshwater fish in the family Serrasalmidae, or the subfamily Serrasalminae within the tetra family, Characidae in order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, ...

'' *

for Outstanding Artistic Contribution – Rasmus Videbæk for Cinematography in '' Out Stealing Horses'' * Golden Bear for Best Short Film – ''

Umbra The umbra, penumbra and antumbra are three distinct parts of a shadow, created by any light source after impinging on an opaque object. Assuming no diffraction, for a collimated beam (such as a point source) of light, only the umbra is cast. T ...

'' by Florian Fischer and Johannes Krell * Panorama Audience Award ** 1st Place: ''

37 Seconds ''37 Seconds'' is a 2019 Japanese drama film written and directed by . The film features amateur actress Mei Kayama, who has cerebral palsy, as 23-year-old Yuma Takada, a talented artist who wants to make her name in manga. A sympathetic magazi ...

'' by Hikari ** 2nd Place: '' Stitches'' by Miroslav Terzić ** 3rd Place: ''

Buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is an upward force exerted by a fluid that opposes the weight of a partially or fully immersed object. In a column of fluid, pressure increases with depth as a result of the weight of the overlying fluid. Thus the ...

'' by

Rodd Rathjen Rod Rathjen is an Australian film director. Life He was born in Colbinabbin and graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2010. Rodd is a graduate from the Victorian College of the Arts. His final year film 'Thirst' won 'Best Directing' a ...

* Panorama Audience Award – Documentaries ** 1st Place: '' Talking About Trees'' by Suhaib Gasmelbari ** 2nd Place: ''

Midnight Traveler ''Midnight Traveler'' is a 2019 documentary film directed by Hassan Fazili. Filmed on three smartphones by Fazili and his wife, Fatima Hussaini, and their two daughters, it chronicles their three-year journey from their home in Afghanistan to Euro ...

'' by Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian ** 3rd Place: ''

Shooting the Mafia ''Shooting the Mafia'' is a documentary film directed by Kim Longinotto about Italian photographer Letizia Battaglia and her career documenting the life and crimes of Sicilian Mafia, the Mafia in and around Palermo. Battaglia offers a glimpse in ...

'' by

Kim Longinotto Kim Longinotto ( Sally Anne Longinotto-Landseer; born 8 February 1948, London) is a British documentary film maker, well-known for making films that highlight the plight of female victims of oppression or discrimination. Longinotto has made mo ...

Teddy Award The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale). In the most part, the jury consists of organisers of gay ...

** 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 Falk Richter (born 23 October 1969) is a German author, theater director, and playwright. Early life and education Falk Richter was born on 23 October 1969 in Hamburg. His father was a merchant. He studied linguistics, philosophy and theatre dir ...

FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

** Competition: '' Synonyms'' by

** Panorama: ''

Dafne ''Dafne'' is the earliest known work that, by modern standards, could be considered an opera. The libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini survives complete; the mostly lost music was completed by Jacopo Peri, but at least two of the six surviving fragment ...

'' by

Federico Bondi Federico (; ) is a given name and surname. It is a form of Frederick, most commonly found in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian. People with the given name Federico Artists * Federico Ágreda, Venezuelan composer and DJ. * Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, ...

** Forum: '' Die Kinder der Toten'' by Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska *

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury The Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (french: Prix du Jury Œcuménique) is an independent film award for feature length films shown at major international film festivals since 1973. The award was created by Christian film makers, film critics and ot ...

** Competition: ''

God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija ''God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija'' ( mk, Господ постои, името ѝ е Петрунија, Gospod postoi, imeto ì e Petrunija), also spelt ''Petrunya'' in English translation, is a 2019 Macedonian drama film directed by Teona S ...

'' by

Teona Strugar Mitevska Teona (foaled 13 March 2018) is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2020 when she won the second of her two races by nine lengths. In the following spring she ran disappointingly in the ...

** Panorama: ''

'' by

*** Special Mention: ''

'' by Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian ** Forum: ''

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

'' by

Nikolaus Geyrhalter Nikolaus Geyrhalter (born 1972) is an Austrian filmmaker. He has directed, produced, written, and worked as cinematographer for numerous documentaries. He has won awards for ''Das Jahr nach Dayton'' (1997), ''Pripyat'' (1999), '' Elsewhere'' (2001 ...

CICAE The International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE, from French Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai) is an international non-profit association with address of record in Paris which tries to support and to promote ar ...

Art Cinema Award ** Panorama: ''

'' by

HIKARI may refer to: Places *Hikari Station, a station on Sanyō Main Line in Hikari, Yamaguchi * Hikari, Chiba, a former town in Sousa District, Chiba, Japan *Hikari, Yamaguchi, a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan People *Hikari (name), people and ...

** 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 is a unisex Japanese name although it is more commonly used by males. As a noun, Makoto means "sincerity" (誠) or "truth" (真, 眞). People Given name *Makoto (musician) (born 1977), drum and bass artist *Makoto (Sharan Q) ( まこと), dr ...

** Crystal Bear for Best Short Film: ''

Tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

'' by Farhad Delaram *** Special Mention: ''

Four Quartets ''Four Quartets'' is a set of four poems written by T. S. Eliot that were published over a six-year period. The first poem, ''Burnt Norton'', was published with a collection of his early works (1936's ''Collected Poems 1909–1935''). After a f ...

'' by

Marco Alessi Marco Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera '' Neighbours'', played by Felice Arena. He made his first screen appearance as Marco during the episode broadcast on 5 May 1992. Marco was the first character introduced from t ...

* Generation KPlus ** Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Film: ''

House of Hummingbird ''House of Hummingbird'' () is a 2018 South Korean drama film written and directed by Kim Bora. The film debuted in competition at the Busan International Film Festival's New Currents section in October 2018, where it won the NETPAC Award and th ...

'' by

Kim Bo-ra Kim Bo-ra (Korean: 김보라, born September 28, 1995) is a South Korean actress. She gained recognition for her role in the hit drama ''Sky Castle'' (2018). She started her career as a child when she was in the film ''For Horowitz'' (2006), and ...

*** Special Mention: ''

Bulbul Can Sing ''Bulbul Can Sing'' is a 2018 Indian Assamese language drama film directed by Rima Das. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. The film centres on three teenagers trying to come ...

'' by

Rima Das Rima Das (born 1982) is an Indian filmmaker best known for her 2017 film '' Village Rockstars'', which won several national and international awards and became India's official entry for the 90th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Fi ...

** Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Short Film: ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' by Faren Humes *** Special Mention: '' The Jarariju Sisters'' by Jorge Cadena *

Berliner Morgenpost ''Berliner Morgenpost'' is a German newspaper, based and mainly read in Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous c ...

Readers' Jury Award ** Prize Winner: ''

'' by

Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...

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: ''

'' by

* Caligari Film Prize ** Prize Winner: '' Heimat Is A Space in Time'' by

Thomas Heise Thomas Heise (born August 22, 1955 in East Berlin), is a German documentary filmmaker. Life and work Heise is the son of philosophy professor Wolfgang Heise. He was a printer's apprentice between 1971 and 1973. After a year in the National Peopl ...

* 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 A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

'' by Julian Pörksen ** Berlinale Talents: '' Transit Times'' by Ana-Felicia Scutelnicu * ARTEKino International Prize ** Prize Winner: '' A Responsible Adult'' by

Shira Geffen Shira Geffen ( he, שירה גפן; born April 23, 1971) is an Israeli actress, screenwriter, film director and children's book writer. Biography Shira Geffen was born in 1971. Her father, Yehonatan Geffen, was an author.Jordan HoffmanShira Geffen ...

Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages ...

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: ''

'' by Hassan Fazili and Emelie Mahdavian

References

External links

Berlin International Film Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin International Film Festival, 69th 69 2019 film festivals 2019 in Berlin 2019 festivals in Europe 2019 in German cinema