A Hungarian love story about two slaughterhouse workers who connect in shared dreams won the top award Saturday at this year's Berlin Film Festival.
"On Body and Soul" by writer-director Ildiko Enyedi contrasts the harsh reality of the abattoir with the magical world of slumber.
Enyedi was previously best known for her 1989 debut film, "My 20th Century," which won the Golden Camera award in Cannes that year.
The Golden Bear had been expected to go to the comedy "The Other Side of Hope," which instead earned veteran filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki a Silver Bear for best director. The film sees a young Syrian refugee befriending a grouchy Finn, with Kaurismaki's deadpan humor delivering poignant messages about the horrors of war and the current refugee crisis in Europe.
The jury award went to "Felicite," a film by French-Senegalese director Alain Gomis about a singer in a Congolese night club.
South Korea's Kim Min-hee received the best actress award for her role in "On the Beach at Night Alone," about a woman coming to terms with the end of an affair.
Georg Friedrich from Austria was named best actor for "Bright Nights," in which he portrays a father trying to reconnect with his teenage son.
"A Fantastic Woman" by Chilean director Sebastian Lelio received a Silver Bear for best screenplay, shared with Gonzalo Maza. It tells the tale of a transgender woman mourning for her dead lover even as most of those around her remain unwilling to empathize.
The jury also awarded Dana Bunescu a prize for outstanding artistic contribution for her editing of "Ana, mon amour," about a Romanian couple struggling to make their relationship work despite mental illness.
A final Silver Bear award for features that "open new perspective" went to movie "Spoor," a murder mystery set in rural Poland.
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app
Canada announced Wednesday it won't block access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering the dissolution of its Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind it.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
"The government is not blocking Canadians' access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice," Champagne said.
Champagne said it is important for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity practices, including protecting their personal information.
He said the dissolution order was made in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada's national security. He said the decision was based on information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other government partners.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of local jobs.
"We will challenge this order in court," the spokesperson said. "The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive."
TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny... Read More