70th Berlin International Film Festival
The 70th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 20 February to 1 March 2020. It was the first under the leadership of new Berlin Film Festival board: business administration director Mariette Rissenbeek and artistic director Carlo Chatrian.
The festival opening gala was presented by actor Samuel Finzi, followed by the world premiere My Salinger Year, directed by Philippe Falardeau. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Iranian film There Is No Evil, directed by Mohammad Rasoulof.
Juries
Main competition
- Jeremy Irons, British actor - Jury President
- Bérénice Bejo, French actress
- Bettina Brokemper, German producer
- Annemarie Jacir, Palestinian filmmaker and poet
- Kenneth Lonergan, American playwright and filmmaker
- Luca Marinelli, Italian actor
- Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazilian filmmaker, producer and film critic
Encounters
- Shōzō Ichiyama, Japanese producer
- Dominga Sotomayor, Chilean film director, writer and producer
- Eva Trobisch, German film director
First Feature Award
- Ognjen Glavonić, Serbian film director and writer
- Hala Lotfy, Egyptian filmmaker, producer and founder of Hassala Films
- Gonzalo de Pedro Amatria, film scholar
Documentary Award
- Gerd Kroske, German filmmaker
- Marie Losier, French filmmaker and curator
- Alanis Obomsawin, Canadian filmmaker, singer and artist
Short Film Competition
- Réka Bucsi, Hungarian filmmaker
- Fatma Çolakoğlu, Turkish curator
- Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Sotho filmmaker and artist
Official Sections
Main Competition
The following films were selected for the main competition for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards:Encounters
The following films were selected for the new Encounters section:Panorama
The following films were selected for the Panorama section:Berlinale Special
The following films were selected for the Berlinale Special section:Berlinale Shorts
The following films were selected for the Berlinale shorts section:Other sections
The Berlinale retrospective included more than 30 films by Hollywood filmmaker King Vidor. The homage was dedicated to Helen Mirren, with Mirren awarded with the Honorary Golden Bear. The Berlinale Camera was awarded to Ulrike Ottinger followed by the world premiere of Ottinger's documentary Paris Calligrammes.The Series section, introduced in 2015, is devoted to longform television series. In 2020, there were two Australian entries: Stateless and Mystery Road Series 2.
Official Awards
The following prizes were awarded:Main Competition
- Golden Bear: There Is No Evil by Mohammad Rasoulof
- Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: Never Rarely Sometimes Always by Eliza Hittman
- Silver Bear for Best Director: Hong Sang-soo for The Woman Who Ran
- Silver Bear for Best Actress: Paula Beer for Undine
- Silver Bear for Best Actor: Elio Germano for Hidden Away
- Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo for Bad TalesSilver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Jürgen Jürges for DAU. Natasha Silver Bear 70th Berlinale: Delete History by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern
Short Film Competition
- Golden Bear for Best Short Film: Keisha Rae Witherspoon for ''T''
Best First Feature
- Camilo Restrepo for ''Los conductos''
Encounters
Best Film: The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin) by C.W. Winter & Anders EdströmBest Director: Cristi Puiu for MalmkrogSpecial Jury Award: The Trouble with Being Born by Sandra Wollner- * Special Mention: Isabella by Matías Piñeiro
Panorama
Audience Award:- * 1st Place: Father by Srdan Golubović
- * 2nd Place: No Hard Feelings by Faraz Shariat
- * 3rd Place: Hope by Maria SødahlAudience Award – Documentaries:
- * 1st Place: Welcome to Chechnya by David France
- * 2nd Place: Saudi Runaway by Susanne Regina Meures
- * 3rd Place: Little Girl by Sébastien Lifshitz
Generation
Generation 14Plus
Crystal Bear for the Best Film: Our Lady of the Nile by Atiq Rahimi- * Special Mention: White Riot by Rubika ShahCrystal Bear for the Best Short Film: Mutts by Halima Ouardiri
- * Special Mention: Goodbye Golovin by Mathieu GrimardGrand Prix of the Generation 14Plus International Jury for the Best Film: My Name Is Baghdad by Caru Alves de Souza
- * Special Mention: Voices in the Wind by Nobuhiro SuwaSpecial Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Short Film: Mutts by Halima Ouardiri
- * Special Mention: White Winged Horse by Mahyar Mandegar
Generation KPlus
Crystal Bear for Best Film: Sweet Thing by Alexandre Rockwell- * Special Mention: H Is for Happiness by John SheedyCrystal Bear for the Best Short Film: The Name of the Son by Martina Matzkin
- * Special Mention: Miss by Amira Géhanne KhalfallahThe Grand Prix of the International Jury in Generation Kplus for the Best Film: The Wolves by Samuel Kishi Leopo
- * Special Mention:
- ** Cuties by Maïmouna Doucouré
- ** Mum, Mum, Mum by Sol Berruezo Pichon-RivièreSpecial Prize of the International Jury in Generation Kplus for the Best Short Film: The Name of the Son by Martina Matzkin
- * Special Mention: The Kites by Seyed Payam Hosseini
Independent Awards
[Teddy Award]
Best Feature Film: No Hard Feelings by Faraz ShariatBest Documentary/Essay Film: If It Were Love by Patric ChihaBest Short Film: Playback by Agustina ComediSpecial Jury Award: Days by Tsai Ming-liangFIPRESCI Prize">International Federation of Film Critics">FIPRESCI Prize
Competition: Undine by Christian PetzoldPanorama: Mogul Mowgli by Bassam Tariq- * Special Mention: All Hands on Deck by Guillaume BracForum: The Twentieth Century by Matthew Rankin
- * Special Mention: Overtures by The Living and the Dead EnsembleEncounters: The Metamorphosis of Birds by Catarina Vasconcelos
[Prize of the Ecumenical Jury]
Competition: There Is No Evil by Mohammad RasoulofPanorama: Father by Srdan Golubović- * Special Mention: Saudi Runaway by Susanne Regina Meures