French Documentary Clinches Top Prize At Berlinale
Umer Jamshaid Published February 26, 2023 | 09:40 AM
Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2023 ) :The Berlin film festival on Saturday awarded its Golden Bear top prize to a documentary by French director Nicolas Philibert in what jury chief Kristen Stewart described as a "boundary-pushing" event.
"On the Adamant", coming more than 20 years after Philibert's acclaimed education documentary "To Be and To Have", is about a floating day-care centre for people with psychiatric problems on the Seine in Paris.
Thanking the jury, Philibert, 72, said "that documentary can be considered to be cinema in its own right touches me deeply".
Stewart, at 32 the youngest president in the festival's history, said the jury had been asking themselves all week "what makes a movie a movie".
They had set aside "invisible parameters" in awarding the Golden Bear, she said, because "when you focus too much on what something is you tend to lose track of what it does.
"This is a boundary-pushing festival and so it offers us the opportunity to be expansive in how we define those things, how we value works of art, how we categorise them," she said.
There was more success for France as Philippe Garrel, 74, won the Silver Bear for best director for "The Plough", a drama about three siblings from a family of puppeteers coping with the death of their father.
Garrel dedicated the prize to his children and to French-Swiss director Jean-Luc Godard, "a great master for many of us", who died last September.
Second prize went to "Afire" from German director Christian Petzold, about a group of friends whose holiday retreat to the Baltic coast goes horribly wrong.
Variety called it "wincingly well-observed and acidly funny", while the Hollywood Reporter said it was "a deceptively simple and straightforward but emotionally layered film".
Coming in third was "Bad Living" by Portugal's Joao Canijo, about several female members of the same family who run a dilapidated hotel and are also struggling with their relationships to one another.
"On the Adamant" offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of adults and their carers in the Parisian day-care centre, which puts an accent on offering them a creative outlet.
The film is "an attempt to overturn the image we have" of people with psychiatric problems, Philibert said.
"The cliches are deep-rooted. The film tries to unravel them (but) there is a long way to go." The Hollywood Reporter praised the film's "warmth and enthusiasm", calling it "a portrait of several individuals who, despite their noticeable disabilities, are capable of producing original and moving works of art".
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated both Philibert and his subjects on the win, calling the film a "story of humanity and commitment".
Documentaries are regularly selected in major international film competitions, but rarely win awards.
Last year, the Venice Film Festival awarded its Golden Lion to a documentary about the opiate crisis in the United States by Laura Poitras ("All The Beauty And The Bloodshed").
After two years of a reduced format due to pandemic restrictions, the 11-day Berlinale got back in full swing this year, with A-listers such as Cate Blanchett, Helen Mirren and Steven Spielberg walking the red carpet.
The festival, which ranks alongside Cannes and Venice as one of Europe's top cinema showcases, also marked the first anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
There were 19 films from around the world vying for this year's Golden Bear, which was awarded at a gala ceremony by a jury led by Stewart.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
KP Assembly to pass caretaker govt's budget to fulfill constitutional responsibi ..
No plans for taxation on solar net metering: Power minister
Musadik urges political dialogue to resolve past conflicts
Funerals held for victims of attack on DR Congo camp
Federal govt reduces petrol price by Rs15.39 per litre
CM Bugti announces Rs 50 bln tube-wells solarization project
Vawda demands evidence about alleged interference in judiciary
Paramedical Association delegation calls on provincial president of PA Salam in ..
NCRC delegation discusses out of school children issue with Sindh Education mini ..
PFA imposes fine on bakeries on expired items
Maritime Affairs Minister attends 16th Annual All Pakistan Chambers Presidents' ..
Iranian cultural counselor stresses family's role in societal resilience amid Pa ..
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Japanese singer performed Pakistani, Japanese, English songs at NAPA
3 days ago -
Conducive environment for investors to stimulate sustainable growth
4 days ago -
Initiatives urged to facilitate people in getting access to quality healthcare services
4 days ago -
Hunza-The sleeping beauty
4 days ago -
Collective efforts vital to eradicate drugs addiction
6 days ago -
Concerted efforts urged to ease traffic flow on city roads
11 days ago
-
Land degradation: A threat to food security
11 days ago -
Revamping health sector, a gigantic task ahead
11 days ago -
American band promotes intercultural harmony thru music fusions
12 days ago -
Waste Management – A persistent challenge for MWMC
13 days ago -
Experts for ending child labour
15 days ago -
Labour Day - A reminder for better facilities to workers
15 days ago