"The Grand Budapest Hotel" wins grand jury honor; Linklater named best director for "Boyhood"
By Geir Moulson
BERLIN (AP) --Director Diao Yinan's "Black Coal, Thin Ice," a detective thriller set in northern China, won the Berlin International Film Festival's main Golden Bear prize on Saturday. The movie also picked up the best actor award, which went to Liao Fan.
Dreams come true
"Black Coal, Thin Ice," Diao's third feature film, stars Liao as a former policeman turned detective investigating a mysterious series of killings in a gritty industrial region that started when he was an officer. He is drawn to a mysterious woman who appears to be connected to the victims.
"It's really hard to believe that this dream has come true — a dream that I've had for such a long time and that didn't come true for such a long time," Diao said as he accepted the Golden Bear statuette. "It's wonderful."
Liao told the jury he turned 40 on Friday and "this is the most wonderful birthday present you could have given me."
"Before I left Beijing to come here I said to my mom, I'm not coming back if I don't win this prize," he joked. "Thank you very much for not leaving me in the lurch."
Absent Wes
Wes Anderson's "The Grand Budapest Hotel," a caper set in a fictional spa town in pre-World War II Europe with a strong ensemble cast including Ralph Fiennes, Bill Murray and Edward Norton, won the jury grand prize, which comes with a runner-up Silver Bear. Anderson presented the movie when it opened the festival Feb. 6, but couldn't make it to Saturday's award ceremony — so festival director Dieter Kosslick picked up the prize on his behalf.
The ceremony presenters read out what they said was an acceptance message from Anderson, in which he said he had previously received a "palme de chocolat" in a gift bag at the Cannes Film Festival — but "this Silver Bear is the first both full-scale and genuinely metallic prize I have ever received from a film festival, so I feel particularly honored, moved and indeed thrilled to accept it." Kosslick said he is flying to the U.S. next week and would bring Anderson the award.
Linklater's labor
American filmmaker Richard Linklater took the best director honor for "Boyhood." Made over 12 years, it follows a boy — played by Ellar Coltrane — from first grade to college, watching him grow up as his divorced parents (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke) chart their course through parenthood and relationships. Linklater said he was accepting the award "on behalf of the over 400 people who worked on my movie all these years, cast and crew."
"It says best director, but I'll think of it as best ensemble," he said.
Japanese maestro
Japan's Haru Kuroki was named best actress for her part in "The Little House," from veteran director Yoji Yamada, a film about a covert love affair in Japan set against the backdrop of World War II. Kuroki said she wasn't expecting the honor — "it's only because director Yamada has made such a wonderful film that I'm able to stand up here this evening."
Other honors
Diao's winning entry was one of three Chinese films in the 20-movie competition this year. Another Chinese entry, director Lou Ye's "Blind Massage" — an adaptation of a popular novel that's set largely in a massage center run by the blind — won the festival's outstanding artistic contribution prize for its cinematography.
German director Dietrich Brueggemann's "Stations of the Cross," a tragic tale of a teenage girl in an ultraconservative Catholic community striving for spiritual perfection, was honored for the best script. And the festival's Alfred Bauer prize for innovation went to 91-year-old French director Alain Resnais' "Life of Riley," an adaptation of a play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn.
An eight-member jury under "Brokeback Mountain" producer James Schamus chose the winners.
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More