Spanish drama 'Alcarras' wins Golden Bear at Berlin film fest
Baku, February 17, AZERTAC
The 72nd Berlin International Film Festival awarded its Golden Bear top prize on Wednesday to Spanish director Carla Simon's semi-autobiographical drama "Alcarras," about a family of peach farmers fighting for their future, according to AFP.
This year's Berlinale was in-person for the first time in two years but held a shorter competition than usual, with strict regulations for audiences just as COVID-19 infections were peaking in Germany.
There were 18 films from 15 countries vying for the Golden Bear, with the jury led by Indian-born American director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense").
Simon, 35, dedicated the prize to her family, saying that "without them and my closeness to this world I wouldn't have been able to tell this story."
The Berlinale is now the third major European film festival in a row to award its top prize to a female director, following Cannes and Venice last year.
German-Turkish comedian Meltem Kaptan, 41, won the festival's second ever gender-neutral acting prize for her performance in "Rabiye Kurnaz vs George W. Bush".
The film by German director Andreas Dresen tells the true story of a mother's battle to bring her son back from Guantanamo Bay.
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