Golden Bear Award at Berlin Film Festival Given to Documentary on Refugee Crisis

The documentary "Fire at Sea" by Italian filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi, focusing on the refugee crisis in Europe, won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The closing ceremony of this year's festival was held on Saturday night at the main palace of the festival, attended by the cast and crew of competing films as well as guests and judges. The award of the Golden Bear to the documentary "Fire at Sea" was anticipated by many cinema enthusiasts and experts due to its subject matter and treatment. The film received positive reviews from critics during its screening at the Berlin festival. "Fire at Sea" narrates the current situation on the island of Lampedusa, the southernmost point of Italy, which is the main entry point for refugees from North Africa to Europe. Majd Mastour from Tunisia and Trine Dyrholm from Denmark won the Silver Bear for Best Actor and Actress respectively. The film follows two parallel narratives: one about the life of a schoolboy living on the island and his family and surroundings, and the other about the activities of the Italian Navy in rescuing refugees. The director of this documentary was allowed to accompany the Italian Navy from the beginning to the end of several rescue operations, capturing impactful and less-seen images along the way. After the film's screening, he criticized the actions of various European countries regarding the migration crisis. Another successful film at the Berlin award night was the Tunisian film "Hedi" directed by Mohamed Ben Attia, which won two Silver Bear awards for Best Actor and Best First Film. This film tells the story of a young man in his thirties in present-day Tunisia, who has always lived according to his mother's wishes and is now on the verge of marriage by her choice, but suddenly his encounter with a free-spirited and attractive girl leads him to rebel against traditional norms. Denis Tanović received the Grand Jury Prize for "Death in Sarajevo." The jury for this year's competition section was chaired by American actress Meryl Streep, with the majority of the jury members being women from cultural and cinematic backgrounds. Current political and social developments in the world, including the migration crisis, cyberattacks, and issues facing the middle class in various countries, were among the main themes of the films in this year's Berlin competition section. From Iran, the film "The Dragon Is Coming" directed by Mani Haqiqi competed with 17 other films for the Golden Bear award. The list of winners at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival includes: Silver Bear for Best First Film: "Hedi" (Mohamed Ben Attia) from Tunisia; Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Tomasz Wasilewski for "United States of Love" (Poland); Silver Bear for Technical Achievement: Mark Lee Ping-bing for cinematography in "Crosscurrent" (China); Silver Bear for Best Actor: Majd Mastour for "Hedi" (Tunisia); Silver Bear for Best Actress: Trine Dyrholm for "The Commune" (Denmark); Silver Bear for Best Director: Mia Hansen-Løve ("Future" - France); Silver Bear for Best Film Opening New Horizons: "Lullaby for a Sad Secret" (Lav Diaz - Philippines); Grand Jury Prize Silver Bear: Denis Tanović ("Death in Sarajevo" - Bosnia and Herzegovina). The International Amnesty Award went to the Iranian documentary "Dreams of Dawn" directed by Mehrdad Oskoui, which was among the Iranian films at the Berlin festival and shared the Human Rights Award with Gianfranco Rosi's "Fire at Sea." This award is given by an independent jury from films screened in competition, Panorama, Forum, and Generation sections, and includes a cash prize of five thousand euros. The aim of this award is to draw attention to human rights issues and encourage filmmakers to address these topics. The documentary "Dreams of Dawn" focuses on the lives of several girls under 18 in a reform and rehabilitation center in Tehran, presenting a glimpse of their lives to the audience. Other Iranian films present at this year's Berlin festival included "Lantouri" by Reza Dormishian in the Panorama section and "Vadraama" by Abbas Amini in the Generation section.