Described by its director as “an independent low-budget film made quickly and well”, Kontinental '25 follows a bailiff, who goes into a moral crisis after evicting a homeless man from a cellar in the Romanian town of Cluj-Napoca. The film, shot with an iPhone 15 and minimal equipment, is a coproduction between Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, the UK, and Luxembourg.
Screened as a world premiere in the Generation 14plus section, the Hungarian animated film Wish You Were Ear by Mirjana Balogh received the Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film from the Youth Jury Generation.
Little Trouble Girls / Kaj ti je deklica by Urška Djukić, which is a coproduction between Slovenia, Italy, Croatia and Serbia, received the FIPRESCI Award for a film screened in the Perspectives section.
Autokar (Belgium, France) directed by Polish-born Sylwia Szkiłądź received The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Short Film in the Generation Kplus Competition.
The Swan Song of Fedor Ozerov (Lithuania, Belarus) directed by Yuri Semashko, which screened in Forum, received the Tagesspiegel Readers’ Jury Award.
The FNE FIPRESCI Critics ratings for the Main Competition, Perspectives and Forum can be seen HERE.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY:
Golden Bear for Best Film:
Dreams (Sex Love) / Drømmer (Norway)
Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize:
The Blue Trail / O último azul (Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Chile)
Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
Silver Bear Jury Prize:
The Message / El mensaje (Argentina, Spain, Uruguay)
Directed by Iván Fund
Silver Bear for Best Director:
Huo Meng for Living the Land / Sheng zhidi (China)
Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance:
Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I‘d Kick You (USA)
Directed by Mary Bronstein
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance:
Andrew Scott in Blue Moon (USA)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay:
Kontinental '25 (Romania, Brazil, Switzerland, UK, Luxembourg)
Directed by Radu Jude
Produced by Saga Film
Coproduced by RT Features, Bord Cadre films, Sovereign Films, Paul Thiltges Distributions
Supported by UPFAR – ARGOA, the Romanian cash rebate scheme
Sales agent: Luxbox
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution:
The creative ensemble of The Ice Tower / La Tour de Glace (France, Germany, Italy)
Direted by Lucile Hadžihalilović
PRIZES OF THE PERSPECTIVES JURY:
Best First Feature Award:
The Devil Smokes (and Saves the Burnt Matches in the Same Box) / El Diablo Fuma (y guarda las cabezas de los cerillos quemados en la misma caja) (Mexico)
Directed by Ernesto Martínez Bucio
Special Mention:
We Believe You / On vous croit (Belgium)
Directed by Charlotte Devillers, Arnaud Dufeys
BERLINALE DOCUMENTARY AWARD:
Berlinale Documentary Award:
Holding Liat (USA)
Directed by Brandon Kramer
Special Mention:
The Memory of Butterflies / La memoria de las mariposas (Peru, Portugal)
Directed by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski
Special Mention:
Canone effimero (Italy)
Directed by Gianluca De Serio, Massimiliano De Serio
PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY:
Golden Bear for Best Short Film:
Lloyd Wong, Unfinished (Canada)
Directed by Lesley Loksi Chan
Silver Bear Jury Prize (Short Film):
Ordinary Life / Futsu no seikatsu (France, Japan)
Directed by Yoriko Mizushiri
Berlinale Shorts Cupra Filmmaker Award:
Quenton Miller for Koki, Ciao (the Netherlands)
Berlin Short Film Candidate for the European Film Awards:
How Are You? / Comment ça va? (France)
Directed by Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel
PRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION:
Prizes of Generation Kplus:
Children’s Jury Generation Kplus:
Crystal Bear for the Best Film:
Maya, Give Me a Title / Maya, donne-moi un titre (France)
Directed by Michel Gondry
Special Mention:
Circusboy / Zirkuskind (Germany)
Directed by Julia Lemke, Anna Koch
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film:
Rebels Cinema Club (Indonesia)
Direted by Khozy Rizal
Special Mention:
Down in the Dumps / Tief unten (the Netherlands)
Directed by Vera van Wolferen
International Jury in the Generation Kplus Competition:
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Film:
The Botanist / Zhi Wu Xue Jia (China)
Directed by Jing Yi
Special Mention:
Seaside Serendipity / Umibe é Iku Michi (Japan)
Directed by Satoko Yokohama
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for the Best Short Film:
Autokar (Belgium, France)
Directed by Sylwia Szkiłądź
Special Mention:
Akababuru: Expression of Astonishment / Akababuru: Expresión de asombro (Columbia)
Directed by Irati Dojura Landa Yagarí
Prizes of Generation 14plus:
Youth Jury Generation 14plus:
Crystal Bear for the Best Film:
Sunshine (Philippines)
Directed by Antoinette Jadaone
Special Mention:
Playtime / Hora do recreio (Brazil)
Directed by Lucia Murat
Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film:
Wish You Were Ear (Hungary)
Directed by Mirjana Balogh
Special Mention:
Sunset over America / Atardecer en América (Brazil, Chile, Columbia)
Directed by Matías Rojas Valencia
International Jury in the Generation 14plus Competition:
The Grand Prix of the International Jury for Best Film:
Christy (Ireland, UK)
Directed by Brendan Canty
Special Mention:
Têtes brûlées (Belgium)
Directed by Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
The Special Prix of the International Jury for Best Film:
Don’t Wake the Sleeping Child / Ne réveillez pas l’enfant qui dort (Senegal, France, Morocco)
Directed by Kevin Aubert
Special Mention:
Beneath Which Rivers Flow (Iraq)
Directed by Ali Yahya
PRIZES OF THE INDEPENDENT JURIES:
Prizes of the Ecumenical Jury:
Competition:
The Blue Trail / O último azul (Brazil, Mexico, Chile, the Netherlands)
Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
Panorama:
The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa, Saudi Arabia)
Directed by Imran Hamdulay
Forum:
Holding Liat (USA)
Directed by Brandon Kramer
PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY:
Competition:
Dreams (Sex Love) / Drømmer (Norway)
Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud
Perspectives:
Little Trouble Girls / Kaj ti je deklica (Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Serbia)
Directed by Urška Djukić
Produced by Spok Films, Staragara I.T., Izazov 365
Coproduced by Nosorogi, RTV Slovenija, Non-Aligned Films
Supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, RTV Slovenija, Direzione generale Cinema e audiovisivo del Ministero della Cultura DGCA-Mic (MIBACT), the Friuli Venezia Giulia Audiovisual Fund, the Film Commission Friuli Venezia Gulia (FVG), the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Film Center Serbia (fcs.rs), with technical support provided by FS Viba. The development of the film was supported by the Slovenian Film Centre, Creative Europe MEDIA, RE-ACT, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Panorama:
Under the Flags, the Sun / Bajo las banderas, el sol (Paraguay, Argentina, USA, France, Germany)
Directed by Juanjo Pereira
Forum:
The Memory of Butterflies / La memoria de las mariposas (Peru, Portugal)
Directed by Tatiana Fuentes Sadowski
TEDDY AWARDS:
Best Feature Film:
Lesbian Space Princess (Australia)
Directed by Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese
Best Documentary/Essay Film:
Satanic Sow / Satanische Sau (Germany)
Directed by Rosa von Praunheim
Best Short Film:
Lloyd Wong, Unfinished (Canada)
Directed by Lesley Loksi Chan
Jury Award:
If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart into Your Mouth and Smile / Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst (Austria)
Directed by Marie Luise Lehner
Special Teddy Award:
Todd Haynes
CICAE ART CINEMA AWARD:
Panorama:
Deaf / Sorda (Spain)
Directed by Eva Libertad
Forum:
If You Are Afraid You Put Your Heart into Your Mouth and Smile / Wenn du Angst hast nimmst du dein Herz in den Mund und lächelst (Austria)
Directed by Marie Luise Lehner
GUILD FILM PRIZE:
Dreams (Sex Love) / Drømmer (Norway)
Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud
Special Mention:
What Marielle Knows / Was Marielle weiß (Germany)
Directed by Frédéric Hambalek
CALIGARI FILM PRIZE:
Fwends (Australia)
Directed by Sophie Somerville
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARD:
The Moelln Letters / Die Möllner Briefe (Germany)
Directed by Martina Priessner
HEINER CAROW PRIZE:
Palliative Care Unit / Palliativstation (Germany)
Directed by Philipp Döring
PRIZE OF AG KINO – GILDE – CINEMA VISION 14PLUS:
Paternal Leave (Germany, Italy)
Directed by Alissa Jung
Honourable Mention:
Têtes brûlées (Belgium)
Directed by Maja-Ajmia Yde Zellama
FURTHER PRIZES
Audience Awards:
Panorama Audience Award - Feature Film:
Deaf / Sorda (Spain)
Directed by Eva Libertad
Panorama Audience Award - Documentary Film:
The Moelln Letters / Die Möllner Briefe (Germany)
Directed by Martina Priessner
Readers’ Juries Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Jury Award:
The Blue Trail / O último azul (Brazil, Mexico, Chile, the Netherlands)
Directed by Gabriel Mascaro
Tagesspiegel Readers’ Jury Award:
The Swan Song of Fedor Ozerov (Lithuania, Belarus)
Directed by Yuri Semashko
Produced by ARTBOX Production House
Coproduced by Belarusian Filmmakers’ Network, Singo
Supported by the Lithuanian Film Centre
DEVELOPMENT AWARDS:
ARTEKino International Award:
Dreamgirl (Turkey)
Directed by Kaan Müjdeci
Eurimages Co-Production Development Award:
Ibicaba - Visions of Paradise (Switzerland)
Directed by Andrea Štaka
Eurimages Special Co-Production Development Award:
The Earth Is Flat – I Flew Around and Saw It (Ukraine)
Directed by Maksym Nakonechnyi
VFF Talent Highlight Award:
March 14th (Spain)
Directed by Alberto Gross Molo
Nomination Awards:
All That We Could Be (France)
Directed by Rohena Gera
The Serpent (Brazil)
Directed by Diogo Hayashi
Talents Footprints – Mastercard Enablement Programme:
Bavaneedha Loganathan
Kit Hung
Alumni Projects:
Carlos Ormeño Palma
Laura Bermúdez
Gen Z Audience Award:
30 Days of Summer (Ukraine)
Directed by Anastasiia Solonevych
Click HERE to read about Winners of CICAE Arthouse Cinema Award at 75th Berlinale.
