Israeli Film ‘Synonyms’ wins 2019 Berlinale Golden Bear award

Times of News

5 years ago

The Golden Bear, the top award at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), went to the Israeli-French-German co-production “Synonyms” by Israeli director Nadav Lapid. The fast-paced film follows an ex-Israeli soldier who rejects his nationality as he moves to France to start a new life and find his true identity.

Meanwhile, “So Long, My Son” by Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai, which had been a favorite among critics for the main prize, won the awards for best actor and best actress with outstanding performances by Wang Jingchun and Yong Mei. The film follows two couples who for decades have to navigate their way through the political and economic transformation of China while coming to grips with a great tragedy in their midst.

Double winners: Wang Jingchun and Yong Mei both won top awards for their performances in “So Long, My Son” by Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai

Read more: Politics on the big screen at Berlinale 2019

A celebration of European film

Other winners include:

Silver Bear for Best Director: “I was at Home, But” by Angela Schanelec (Germany/Serbia)
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: “Piranhas” by Claudio Giovannesi (Italy)
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: “By the Grace of God” by Francois Ozon (France/Belgium)
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize (for a feature film that “opens new perspectives on cinematic art”): “System Crasher” by Nora Fingscheidt (Germany)
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution in the categories camera, editing, music score, costume or set design: Rasmus Videbaek, cinematographer on “Out Stealing Horses” by Hans Petter Moland (Norway)

Read more: Do Berlinale film critics always get the best film right?

Star-studded jury (l. to r.): Rajendra Roy, Trudie Styler, Sebastian Lelio, Sandra Hüller, Justin Chang and Juliette Binoche

Meet the jury

French actress Juliette Binoche headed the Berlinale jury this year. She herself had won the Silver Bear in 1997 for her performance in “The English Patient.”

French actress Juliette Binoche was head of the 2019 Berlinale jury

Binoche was joined by German actress Sandra Hüller, also a Silver Bear winner (2006) as well as British actress and director Trudie Styler.

The trio of film industry women was complemented by Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastian Lelio, American film critic Justin Chang and Rajendra Roy, a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Read more: Juliette Binoche: Up close with the 2019 Berlinale Jury head

Awards on the sidelines

A number of independent awards had been announced earlier, including the FIPRESCI jury award, which represents the International Film Critics Association. The association also selected Nadav Lapid’s “Synonyms” as their competition winner.

Festival director Dieter Kosslick retired from the position after 19 years

The Guild Film Prize, awarded by members of the Association of German Art House Cinemas, chose “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya” by Teona Strugar Mitevska (a Macedonian, Belgian, Slovenian, French and Croatian co-production).

The Ecumenical Jury, comprised of the international film organizations of the Protestant and Catholic Churches (INTERFILM and SIGNIS, respectively) also gave their top award to “God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya.”

Meanwhile the readers’ jury award of the Berlin daily newspaper Berliner Morgenpost went to Nora Fingscheidt’s “System Crasher.”

Several days earlier, French director Agnes Varda won the honorary Berlinale Camera award.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

A director looks back: ‘Varda by Agnes’

“Varda by Agnes” is a personal memory on film. In it, French director Agnes Varda looks back at her life and work with charm, artistic finesse and humor, and she’s celebrating its world premiere at the international film festival in Germany’s capital, Berlin. The director received the honorary Berlinale Camera at the Festival Palast on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

‘Faces Places’

“Faces Places” was the title of her last film, which was screened in German cinemas in 2018. It’s a humorous, thoughtful film about her home country and about friendship. Varda traveled through Provence, southern France, with street artist JR, who created photographs of marginalized people they met along the way. The film depicts the troubles, worries and joys of those people.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

A lifetime of art

At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, 82 women drew attention to the fact that they are still underrepresented in the film industry. As the event’s oldest participant, Agnes Varda joined the women on the red carpet. Renowned for her sense of humor, Varda has been a filmmaking pioneer since the mid-1950s. Her influence on the Nouvelle Vague predates the likes of Jean-Luc Godard.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

Pioneering spirit

Varda was long overshadowed by her famous “Nouvelle Vague” colleagues Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol and Jean-Luc Godard — even though her 1955 film “La Pointe Courte,” set in a small French fishing village, pioneered the highly influential French New Wave film movement, which went on to influence countless European filmmakers.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

Debut with ‘La Pointe Courte’

The 1955 film, made by then 27-year-old Varda, received much praise at Cannes. Her debut film was half feature film and half documentary, featuring a young couple in crisis at the French Mediterranean coast. The work also depicts the harsh life of French families who are struggling to survive from fishing. Despite receiving critical acclaim at Cannes, “La Pointe Courte” was a box office flop.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

‘Cleo from 5 to 7’

After her debut flopped at the box-office, Varda spent several years doing commission work, until in 1961 she started her artistic work again with “Cleo from 5 to 7.” In her second feature film, Varda tells the story of a young pop-singer who’s waiting for the results of a cancer test. It’s a film about time, fear and death.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

A surrealist fairy tale: ‘The Creatures’

Two legends of French film, Michel Piccoli and Catherine Deneuve, starred in Varda’s 1966 film “The Creatures.” The two spend their vacation on a small island. He’s a science fiction author, whereas she has been left dumb after an accident. The film contains surrealistic elements while changing between color and black-and-white.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

Return to France

In the second half of the 1960s, Varda shot several documentaries on socially critical topics in the US. After returning to France, she directed “One sings, the Other Doesn’t” (1977), a feminist film that told the story of a strong 15-year friendship between two different but independent women who become advocates for reproductive rights.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

Success with ‘Vagabond’

A turning point in Agnes Varda’s career was the 1985 film “Vagabond,” which earned her a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It tells the story of an aloof young Parisian woman, Mona (Sandrine Bonnaire), who leaves her office-job existence and drifts as a vagabond through the French wine country in what becomes a failing struggle for survival. It’s also a reflection on the director’s career.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

Working with Jane Birkin

Following “Vagabond,” the director devoted two films to singer and actress Jane Birkin. After shooting a docudrama of Birkin, she shot “Kung Fu Master” in 1987, featuring a love affair between a 40-year-old woman and a 14-year-old boy. Starring opposite Jane Birkin were Varda’s son Mathieu Demy and Birkin’s daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

Mourning Jacques Demy

1990 was a sad year for Varda following the death of her long-time husband and fellow French New Wave director Jacques Demy, who suffered from AIDS. Varda channeled her mourning for him into the film “Jacquot de Nantes” in 1991. Based on Demy’s notebooks, it depicts the youth and artistic career of the director who was best known for his musicals like “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” (1964).

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

A look at film history

In 1995, the film world celebrated the 100th anniversary of the medium. Agnes Varda made her own contribution to the event with “One Hundred and One Nights.” The highly imaginative film brought together many stars like Michel Piccoli and Jean-Paul Belmondo to produce an artistic kaleidoscope of film history.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

‘The Gleaners and I’

Around the turn of the century, Agnes Varda directed yet another documentary, this time featuring people in rural France. A lawyer dressed in a dark robe leads the viewer through the film, while the title “The Gleaners and I” refers to people collecting edible remains from freshly harvested fields.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

A retrospective on her own life

In 2008, the director took a remarkable look at her own life with “The Beaches of Agnes.” However, Varda didn’t resort to old materials or clippings. Viewers rather see her at her favorite locations, including the beaches of France. The film was a reflection on her life and her passions, as well as on art and film.

And the Berlinale Camera 2019 goes to: Agnes Varda

An Oscar addition

Agnes Varda has received numerous awards, including a special award at the Berlinale, a Golden Lion at the 1985 Venice Film Festival, and an honorary Leopard at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival. In 2017, she received an honorary Oscar. And still hasn’t become tired of filmmaking. Some thought “Faces Places” in 2017 would be her last. But this pioneer of French cinema still had energy to spare.

Author: Jochen Kürten (als/crh)