Chinese Film Wins Bear
February 17, 2007
"Tuya's Marriage" (Tu ya de hun shi) by Chinese director Wang Quan'an won the Berlin Film Festival's coveted Golden Bear for best film.
The film tells the story of a woman forced to confront the necessity of finding a new husband who can take care of both her family and her partially disabled ex-husband. It was chosen by a seven-member international jury headed by internationally renowned American director Paul Schrader.
Director Wang Quan'an said he could not imagine a better gift for Chinese New Year as he accepted the statuette from jury president Paul Schrader.
"When I started making films, my teacher said film should show people's dreams," he said. "This film made my dreams come true."
Silver bears
The Silver Bear for outstanding artistic achievement went to the cast of Robert de Niro's "The Good Shepherd" while "Hallam Foe" by British director David Mackenzie received the trophy for best music.
The best actor bear went to Julio Chavez for his performance in the Argentinean movie "El Otro," which also got the special jury Silver Bear.
German actress Nina Hoss received the award for best actress in "Yella" by German director Christian Petzold.
"My heart's beating like crazy," Hoss said, adding that she had expected favorite Marianne Faithful to take home the bear for her performance in "Irina Palm."
Make peace, not war
Israeli director Joseph Cedar got a nod as best director for "Beaufort." Cedar, 38, tells of the fraught departure of the last Israeli unit from Lebanon in 2000 in an emotional film made by a crew and cast marked by the conflict.
"I want to wish us all that our leaders be fearful of war and find the courage to end it," he said.
A total of 22 films were competing for the festival's top honors this year.
The festival's best first feature award went to "Vanaja" by Rajnesh Domalpalli from India.
South Korean star director Park Chan-Wook accepted the Alfred Bauer Prize for work of particular innovation for his sci-fi romantic comedy "I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK."