By Melissa Eddy
BERLIN (AP) --The Turkish film “Bal,” or “Honey,” won the top Golden Bear award Saturday at the 60th annual Berlin film festival, whose jury also crowned Roman Polanski best director.
Polanski, whose film “The Ghost Writer,” debuted at the festival, was unable to attend the ceremony, as he remains under house arrest in his Swiss chalet in Gstaad.
Producer Alain Sarde, who accepted the prize on Polanski’s behalf, said the director told him he would not have attended the festival even if he had been free, “because the last time I traveled to accept an award I landed in jail.”
Polanski was arrested when he arrived in Zurich on Sept. 26 to receive a lifetime achievement award from a film festival. The Swiss must decide whether to extradite him to the U.S. to face possible further sentencing in a 32-year-old sex case.
A joint Silver Bear for best actor was awarded to the stars of the Russian film, “How I Ended the Summer.” Grigory Dobrygin and Sergy Puskpalis played opposite one another as an older and younger researcher who clash at a polar station on an island in the Arctic Circle.
Shinobu Terajima won the best actress for starring as a wife forced to tolerate the tyranny of her husband who returns disabled from the second Chinese-Japanese war in the Japanese film “Caterpillar.”
A Romanian film, “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle” by Florin Serban of Romania was awarded the Silver Bear runner-up prize. It depicts the tough story of a youth who panics that his mother will flee the country with his younger brother while he is in a juvenile reform center.
The winning film, “Honey,” tells the story of a 6-year-old boy who stops speaking when his father disappears. It was filmed in the lush mountains of the Turkish countryside where the boy goes in search of his father, a beekeeper.
Director Semih Kaplanoglu said the award was “like a rebirth” and he hoped that it would be an inspiration to young filmmakers in Turkey.
“The Ghost Writer,” based on a novel by Robert Harris, stars Pierce Brosnan as a former British prime minister, Olivia Williams as his wife and Ewan McGregor as a ghost writer hired to complete his memoirs on a rain-swept island off the U.S. east coast.
The movie, Polanski’s first since “Oliver Twist” in 2005, was nearly complete at the time of his arrest.
The Many Hires Jeremiah Wassom As Group Creative Director
Independent agency The Many has added Jeremiah Wassom as group creative director.
Wassom most recently worked a decade at Deutsch LA where, as SVP/creative director, he led the Taco Bell account and won new business for the agency. His agency past also includes AKQA and TBWAChiatDay. His creative work has touched the QSR, video games, automotive, fashion, and culture brand sectors. He also served eight years with the United States Marine Corps.
“Throughout his career, Jeremiah has helmed work that has not only made me personally jealous but has consistently pushed brands to show up in memorable and innovative ways,” said Josh Paialii, head of creative at The Many. “One look at his body of work and you will see his passion for storytelling and craft has raised the bar for entire categories, driving participation with many brands’ most loyal fans. Beyond being a world-class creative director and maker, Wassom is a proven team player and strategic thought leader. He’ll be a great addition to the leadership team at The Many working across all accounts. His role will be immediately felt as he guides and supports each of the creative leads in the department.”
A 20-year creative with agency, brand, and freelance experience, Wassom has forged a creative approach which focuses on crafting engaging connections rather than simply make ads. He sees the need for advertising to mean more, not simply do more.
The Many believes that true business growth is made possible by harnessing the power of participation and partners with brands to forge deeper connections with consumers, cultivate trust and loyalty, and maximize marketing spend and execution. The agency is built around a flexible model that offers a suite of capabilities, including... Read More