Nous (We) by Alice Diop (France) - documentary form - won the Best film Prize of the Encounters selection.
Jury statement:
"A work that shows true delicacy and sensitivity in crafting a collective, choral portrait that is rich in meanings, nuance and, above all, lived experience."


The Award Winners of the Competition
The members of the International Jury - Ildikó Enyedi (Hungary), Nadav Lapid (Israel), Adina Pintilie (Romania), Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran), Gianfranco Rosi (Italy) and Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia and Herzegovina) - have decided on the prizes in the Competition at the 71st Berlinale.
The festive Award Ceremony will take place at the Summer Special (June 9 to 20, 2021).
Golden Bear for Best Film
(awarded to the film's producers)
Babardeală cu bucluc sau porno balamuc (Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn)
by Radu Jude (Romania / Luxembourg / Croatia / Czech Republic)
produced by Ada Solomon
Jury statement:
"The Golden Bear goes to a film which has that rare and essential quality of a lasting art work. It captures on screen the very content and essence, the mind and body, the values and the raw flesh of our present moment in time. Of this very moment of human existence.
It does so by provoking the spirit of our time (i.e., zeitgeist), by slapping it, by challenging it to a duel. And while doing that, it also challenges this present moment in cinema, shaking, with the same camera movement, our social and our cinematic conventions.
It is an elaborated film as well as a wild one, clever and childish, geometrical and vibrant, imprecise in the best way. It attacks the spectator, evokes disagreement, but leaves no one with a safety distance."
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
Guzen to sozo (Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy) by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
Jury statement:
"In the place where dialogues and words usually end, the dialogues of this film only begin. That's when they go deeper, so deep that, amazed and troubled, we ask ourselves: How much deeper can it go? The words of Hamaguchi are substance, music, material.
At first it looks almost minor: a man and a woman, sometimes two women, stand in a room with white walls. Then the scene moves forward, and as it advances you feel that the whole universe, including yourself, is standing there with them inside this simple room."
Silver Bear Jury Prize
Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse (Mr Bachmann and His Class) by Maria Speth (Germany) - documentary form
Jury statement:
"In a film, you can draw attention to deep problems by sticking your finger into the wound or showing hope and giving inspiration as how to achieve a positive change. The latter is the strategy that the director of this tenderly powerful documentary chose to follow.
Always keeping the right distance, the film focuses on one of those ‘field workers' of our society who defines the most formative years of our children, influencing deeply their attitude towards life. As seen through the eyes of the director, this teacher is unique: he reshapes, softens, and makes more human, and through that humanity makes much more efficient a system in crisis - our European educational system.
The film shows how far you can go simply with true respect, sincere communication, and with that magic all great teachers possess: sparking the fire of passion in their students by activating their fantasy."
Silver Bear for Best Director
Dénes Nagy for Természetes fény (Natural Light) - debut film
(Hungary / Latvia / France / Germany)
Jury statement:
"Appalling and beautifully shot, mesmerising images, remarkable direction and a masterful control of every aspect of the craft of filmmaking, a narration that transcends its historical context. A portrait of war in which the observant gaze of the director reminds us again of the need to choose between passivity and taking individual responsibility."
Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance
Maren Eggert in Ich bin dein Mensch (I'm Your Man) by Maria Schrader (Germany)
Jury statement:
"Her presence made us curious. Her charm made us empathic. And her palette of performing qualities allowed us to feel, laugh and ask questions. Confidently bringing to life an excellent script, supported by wonderful colleagues and her director, she created a memorable character that we can identify with - leading us to think about our presence and our future, our relations and what we really want for ourselves."
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance
Lilla Kizlinger in Rengeteg - mindenhol látlak (Forest - I See You Everywhere) by Bence Fliegauf (Hungary)
Jury statement:
"Among the many outstanding miniature performances of Forest - I See You Everywhere we found one in particular especially strong and memorable. Lilla Kizlinger bears on her young shoulders with grace and delusive natural lightness a special responsibility. By the power of her interpretation alone, by her intensive presence, she pulls to the surface the hidden layers of the scene, actually defining the motive behind the film: the chilling menace of the world, what the children of today inherit from us grownups. Instead of telling us, explaining to us, she accomplishes the much more difficult task of raising in us the need to think about haunting, disquieting questions of our present. She enchanted us, and through enchantment, she made us think."
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay
Hong Sangsoo for Inteurodeoksyeon (Introduction) by Hong Sangsoo (Republic of Korea)
Jury statement:
"More than telling a story, or advancing a narration with efficiency, this script fabricates those momentary intervals between one action and another, where, for an instant, a hidden truth of human life is suddenly revealed, bright and lucid."
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution
Yibrán Asuad for the editing of Una película de policías (A Cop Movie)
by Alonso Ruizpalacios (Mexico) - documentary form
Jury statement:
"The Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution goes to the masterful editing concept of a daring, innovative work of cinema which blurs the boundaries between fiction and reality and boldly explores the cinematic language's ability to shift our perspective on the world. Playing an essential role in supporting the filmmaker's unique vision, the montage skilfully deconstructs the multiple layers of reality and language to offer an in-depth, thought-provoking look into one of Mexico's most controversial institutions."
Awards in the Encounters Section
The Encounters jury - programmer Florence Almozini (France), artistic director Cecilia Barrionuevo (Argentina) as well as author and critic Diedrich Diederichsen (Germany) - has decided on the prizes.
The festive Award Ceremony will take place at the Summer Special (June 9 to 20, 2021).
Best Film
Nous (We) by Alice Diop (France) - documentary form
Jury statement:
"A work that shows true delicacy and sensitivity in crafting a collective, choral portrait that is rich in meanings, nuance and, above all, lived experience."
Special Jury Award
Vị (Taste) by Lê Bảo (Vietnam / Singapore / France / Thailand / Germany / Taiwan) - debut film
Jury statement:
"A fearlessly clear composed and choreographic abstraction of social relations, using very concrete building blocks - slum architecture, football rules, cooking, the weight of human bodies - to construct a field of tensions, as stable as it is nervous, between a type of ascetic emancipation and dystopic regression."
Best Director (ex-aequo)
Das Mädchen und die Spinne (The Girl and the Spider) by Ramon Zürcher, Silvan Zürcher (Switzerland)
Jury statement:
"A remarkable construction of a rigorous mise en scène serving the ambiguity of each character with grace, humour, subtlety, and ultimately embracing the complexity of human relationships."
Best Director (ex-aequo)
Hygiène sociale (Social Hygiene) by Denis Côté (Canada)
Jury statement:
"The film shows incredible agility in mixing different tones, film historical references and diverse, wonderfully verbose characters, topped off with a delicate yet hearty humour that is something very needed right now."
Special Mention
Rock Bottom Riser by Fern Silva (USA) - experimental film / debut film
Jury statement:
"A tale about the loneliness of a very agitated rock: alone in the ocean, in the galaxies, in the universe. Along the way it encounters - in a virtuoso manner - unexpected and very diverse images for the necessity of a decolonisation of science."
Generation Kplus and 14plus: The Awards of the Generation International Jury
From a selection of a total of 15 feature films, and due to the pandemic with one jury for both competitions, the members of the International Jury of Generation - actress Jella Haase (Germany), director Mees Peijnenburg (Netherlands) and director/writer Melanie Waelde (Germany) - have announced the following winners:
Grand Prix for the Best Film in the Kplus competition
endowed with 7,500 Euros by the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk (German Children's Fund)
Han Nan Xia Ri (Summer Blur)
by Han Shuai
People's Republic of China
Jury statement:
"This film convinces with its energetic strong visual power and its outstanding combination of all levels of filmmaking. Thereby it creates a summer fairy tale that dances on the edge of a nightmare. In every second, one could sense the heat, the thick air and the pressure that is on the main character. The focus is always on the children's feelings, perspective and perception, which gives the possibility to share the pain of finding ourselves and our way."
Special Mention in the Kplus competition
Una escuela en Cerro Hueso (A School in Cerro Hueso)
by Betania Cappato
Argentina
Jury statement:
"With beautiful, heart-warming and strong cinematic vision, the spectator gets invited to a hypnotic and spiritual journey. An intimate and personal film that leaves space and creates space, searches for the similarities, not the differences, looks openly into the world and thus enables a sensitive, hopeful vision of solidarity."
Grand Prix for the Best Film in the 14plus competition
endowed with 7,500 Euros by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
La Mif (The Fam)
by Fred Baillif
Switzerland
Jury statement:
"Like a rushing, energetic, pulsing heartbeat, this film pushes its characters and viewers in brutal honesty through different stories and incidents. Carried by captivating and strong acting performances it never loses its balance between power and vulnerability. The film pulls you in, never let's go and hits straight to the heart."
Special Mention in the 14plus competition
Cryptozoo
by Dash Shaw
USA
Jury statement:
"Portraying sensitive characters in a beautiful and brutal dystopian world, the film gives a ray of hope while it raises big questions. This outstanding artwork naturally handles topics like sex, gender, war, society and relationships. A stepping stone to question society and to never forget to use our imagination for new perspectives. A mind-blowing, disturbing, and visionary trip."
"Stunned and amazed we discovered many different parts of the world and were invited to numerous beautiful, exciting and thrilling homes and realities. The films touched us deeply. Gratefully we experienced this beautiful mirror of society and we are thankful to all the brave filmmakers who hitchhiked us sharing their extraordinary visions," so the three jurors.
The Crystal Bears awarded by the official Berlinale Generation Children's Jury and the Youth Jury will be announced in an award ceremony during the Berlinale Summer Special in June. The independent Jury AG Kino Gilde 14plus which focuses on the Generation 14plus selection will also announce their award during the Summer Special.

The Award Winners of Berlinale Shorts 2021
20 films competed in this year's short film competition of the Berlinale.
The International Short Film Jury, including the Egyptian artist Basim Magdy, the Austrian cinematographer Christine A. Maier and the German actor Sebastian Urzendowsky, announces the prizes for the following films:
Golden Bear for Best Short Film
Nanu Tudor (My Uncle Tudor)
by Olga Lucovnicova
Documentary form / Belgium, Portugal, Hungary
Jury statement:
"In Nanu Tudor (My Uncle Tudor), Olga Lucovnicova leads us through the complexity of unraveling a childhood trauma. While intimate details gradually introduce us to a seemingly idyllic world of innocent nostalgia, her conversation with her Uncle Tudor builds up to expose her childhood horror and his unrepentant denial. Lucovnicova's subtle cinematic gaze circles around her family members with precision. Her personal courage combined with cinematic mastery create a film that is both powerful and emotionally layered."
Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film)
Xia Wu Guo Qu Le Yi Ban (Day Is Done)
by Zhang Dalei
Fiction / People's Republic of China
Jury statement:
"A family visit turns into a slow-paced loving farewell between a grandfather and his grandson. The intricately woven family dynamics and superb acting immerse us in a genuine moment in their lives. The superbly crafted mise-en-scène feels natural and unobtrusive. In Xia Wu Guo Qu Le Yi Ban (Day Is Done), Zhang Dalei's rich cinematic language builds a sensitive family portrait that transcends the duration of the short form."
Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards
Easter Eggs
by Nicolas Keppens
Animation / Belgium, France, Netherlands