Latin American cinema was the big winner at the 65th edition of the Berlinale as many filmmakers from the region were awarded prizes in most of the competitive sections of the German festival.
The Chilean film El club / The Club by director Pablo Larraín was the winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, while the Guatemalan film Ixcanul by Jayro Bustamante won the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer award. It was the first time a film from Guatemala participated in the official competition of the festival.
Patricio Guzmán was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for El botón de nácar / The Pearl Button. The film was also the winner of the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.
For second year in a row a Mexican film was awarded with the prize for Best First Feature Film. Gabriel Ripstein’s (pictured below left) debut feature 600 millas / 600 Milles follows on the footsteps of Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Güeros, which won last year. The Best First Feature Award is endowed with 50,000 Euros.
The Brazilian film The Second Mother / Que Horas Ela Volta? by Anna Muylaert was the winner of the Audience Award in the Panorama competition, as well as the winner of the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai Art Cinema Award.
As it was previously announced, three Latin American films were presented with the Teddy Award, honoring the best LGBT productions: Nasty Baby by Chilean director Sebastián Silva was the winner for Best Feature Film; El hombre nuevo / The New Man by Uruguayan director Aldo Garay was the winner for Best Documentary; and San Cristóbal by Chilean director Omar Zúñiga Hidalgo was the winner for Best Short Film.
And in the Berlinale’s Co-Production Market, Los Perros by Marcela Said from Chile was the winner of the Arte International Prize with 6,000 euros, and the Panamanian project Biencuidao by Abner Benaim was the winner of the VFF Talent Highlight Pitch Award with a cash prize of 10,000 euros.
The 65th edition of the Berlinale took place February 5-15 in Germany.
