The documentary about the export of cultural values ​​from Benin won at Berlinale 2024 – News

Mati Diop with the award

berlinale.de

The closing ceremony of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival took place on Saturday, February 24. This year’s winners were announced and Golden and Silver Bears were distributed, for which 20 ribbons competed.

The winners were chosen by an international jury headed by an Oscar-winning Kenyan actress and film director Lupita Nyong’o. In addition to the star of “2 Years a Slave” and “Black Panther”, the jury included a Ukrainian writer Oksana Zabuzhkodirector from Hong Kong En HuiSpanish director Albert Serraactress and director Jasmin Trinkadirector and actor from the USA Brady Corbett and the director Christian Petzold from Germany.

The main award of Berlinale 2024 is Golden Bear for Best Film – received a documentary tape “Dahomey” director with French and Senegalese roots Mati Diop. The tape tells about the return to the West African country of Dahomey (now Benin) of cultural values ​​taken away by colonial troops in the 19th century.

So Mother Diop, who in 2019 won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for her debut film Atlantic, made history as the first black director to win the Berlinale Golden Bear. In addition, she received an award from the hands of jury president Lupita Nyong’o, who also became the first black woman to head the jury of the main competition.

“When I first imagined what restitution might look like in reality, I heard a sound, a frequency, something shaking like an earthquake…it was the sound of a wall crumbling, a wall of silence, a wall of denial that each of us can and must together destroy To rebuild, we must first make amends. And what does restitution mean? To do justice“, – said Mati Diop behind the scenes.

Silver bear in the nomination Jury Grand Prix got the movie “Needs of a traveler” South Korean director Hong Sangsu. The tape with the French actress Isabelle Huppert in the main role tells about a strange woman who comes to South Korea and starts teaching French to local girls.

Special jury prize received the tape “Empire” French director Bruno Dumont. It’s a film the producers call “a parody of Star Wars. Dumont accepted the award with the help of artificial intelligence technology, giving his speech to a bot who read it from his phone.”There is no sex in the movie, there is no skin color in the movie, the movie – this is a motion picture“, – said a synthetic voice.

Victory in the nomination The best director and the director won the Silver Bear Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias. In his in the drama “Pepe” he retells the story of a hippopotamus escaping from Pablo Escobar’s camp.

Silver bear for The best role acquired Sebastian Stan for the role in the film “Another Man”.

Award for Best supporting role got the actress Emily Watson for the film “Such trifles”.

Silver bear for Best case scenario — Matthias Glasner for the film “to die”.

Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution reached Martin Gshlacht for cinematography in the film “The Devil’s Bath”.

In addition, a documentary film received a special award from the ecumenical jury in the Forum section “Peaceful People” directed by Oksana Karpovych. Also, the tape, in which the fragments of conversations between the Russian occupiers and their relatives in Russia were used, received a special mention from the Amnesty International jury.

The prize of the Ecumenical Jury is awarded at the same time for the artistic quality of the film and the coverage of religious, social and humanistic issues. Members of the Ecumenical Jury are chosen by the Catholic Film Center (SIGNIS) and the Protestant “Interfilm”.

74th Berlin International Film Festival lasted February 15-25, 2024.

It started last week with the world premiere of the film “Such little things” from Irish director Tim Millants and starring BAFTA 2024 winner Cillian Murphy.

The legendary American director received the honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievements at Berlinale 2024 Martin Scorsese.