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| Chinese thriller wins best film and best actor prizes at Berlin festival | Chinese thriller wins best film and best actor prizes at Berlin festival |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The 64th Berlin film festival ends on Sunday after a resounding | The 64th Berlin film festival ends on Sunday after a resounding |
| triumph for Asian cinema at its gala awards ceremony, including the | triumph for Asian cinema at its gala awards ceremony, including the |
| Golden Bear top prize for a Chinese noir mystery. | Golden Bear top prize for a Chinese noir mystery. |
| Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan about a | Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan about a |
| washed up ex-cop investigating a series of grisly murders took the | washed up ex-cop investigating a series of grisly murders took the |
| highest honour on Saturday as well as the Silver Bear best actor award | highest honour on Saturday as well as the Silver Bear best actor award |
| for its star Liao Fan. | for its star Liao Fan. |
| “It’s really hard to believe that this dream has come true,” Diao said as he accepted the trophy, fighting back tears. | “It’s really hard to believe that this dream has come true,” Diao said as he accepted the trophy, fighting back tears. |
| It was the first Chinese film to win in Berlin since the | It was the first Chinese film to win in Berlin since the |
| unconventional love story Tuya’s Marriage by Wang | unconventional love story Tuya’s Marriage by Wang |
| Quan’an brought home the gold in 2007. | Quan’an brought home the gold in 2007. |
| In a remarkably strong showing for Asian contenders, the | In a remarkably strong showing for Asian contenders, the |
| Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, gave its best | Berlinale, Europe’s first major film festival of the year, gave its best |
| actress prize to Japan’s Haru Kuroki for her role as a discreet | actress prize to Japan’s Haru Kuroki for her role as a discreet |
| housemaid in wartime Tokyo in Yoji Yamada’s The Little House. | housemaid in wartime Tokyo in Yoji Yamada’s The Little House. |
| American films shared the glory, with Wes Anderson’s historical | American films shared the glory, with Wes Anderson’s historical |
| caper The Grand Budapest Hotel, offering a nostalgic look back at a | caper The Grand Budapest Hotel, offering a nostalgic look back at a |
| Europe lost to war, claiming the runner-up Silver Bear grand jury prize. | Europe lost to war, claiming the runner-up Silver Bear grand jury prize. |
| The picture starring Ralph Fiennes had opened the Berlinale on | The picture starring Ralph Fiennes had opened the Berlinale on |
| February 6. Anderson noted in an acceptance speech read out by US | February 6. Anderson noted in an acceptance speech read out by US |
| actress Greta Gerwig, a member of the jury, that it was his first award | actress Greta Gerwig, a member of the jury, that it was his first award |
| at a film festival. | at a film festival. |
| Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater, who shot his innovative | Texas filmmaker Richard Linklater, who shot his innovative |
| coming-of-age drama Boyhood over more than a decade with the same | coming-of-age drama Boyhood over more than a decade with the same |
| actors and was widely tipped to take the Golden Bear, won best director. | actors and was widely tipped to take the Golden Bear, won best director. |
| “This says best director but I want to think of it as best ensemble,” said Linklater, clutching the trophy. | “This says best director but I want to think of it as best ensemble,” said Linklater, clutching the trophy. |
| Best screenplay went to the German siblings Dietrich and Anna | Best screenplay went to the German siblings Dietrich and Anna |
| Brueggemann for their wrenching drama Stations of the Cross (Kreuzweg) | Brueggemann for their wrenching drama Stations of the Cross (Kreuzweg) |
| about a teenager who makes the ultimate sacrifice for her | about a teenager who makes the ultimate sacrifice for her |
| fundamentalist Catholic family. | fundamentalist Catholic family. |
| Veteran French director Alain Resnais drew the Alfred Bauer Prize | Veteran French director Alain Resnais drew the Alfred Bauer Prize |
| for work of particular innovation for his play-within-a-film Life of | for work of particular innovation for his play-within-a-film Life of |
| Riley. | Riley. |
| And the second of three Chinese films in competition in Berlin, Blind Massage featuring a cast made up in part of amateur | And the second of three Chinese films in competition in Berlin, Blind Massage featuring a cast made up in part of amateur |
| blind actors, captured a Silver Bear prize for outstanding artistic | blind actors, captured a Silver Bear prize for outstanding artistic |
| contribution for cinematographer Zeng Jian. | contribution for cinematographer Zeng Jian. |
| A nine-member jury led by US producer James Schamus (Crouching | A nine-member jury led by US producer James Schamus (Crouching |
| Tiger, Hidden Dragon) handed out the prizes at a theatre in the German | Tiger, Hidden Dragon) handed out the prizes at a theatre in the German |
| capital. | capital. |
| Black Coal, Thin Ice is set in the late 1990s in the frosty | Black Coal, Thin Ice is set in the late 1990s in the frosty |
| reaches of northern China and its murder mystery plot is told through | reaches of northern China and its murder mystery plot is told through |
| enigmatic flashbacks. It is Diao’s third feature film. | enigmatic flashbacks. It is Diao’s third feature film. |
| Liao said he put on 20kg to play the | Liao said he put on 20kg to play the |
| alcoholic suspended police officer who falls hard for a beautiful murder | alcoholic suspended police officer who falls hard for a beautiful murder |
| suspect (Gwei Lun Mei). | suspect (Gwei Lun Mei). |
| Diao said he saw his film as bridging the gap between pure arthouse cinema and multiplex fare. | Diao said he saw his film as bridging the gap between pure arthouse cinema and multiplex fare. |
| “I finally did find the right way to combine a film which has a | “I finally did find the right way to combine a film which has a |
| commercial aspect to it but which is nonetheless art, so that it’s | commercial aspect to it but which is nonetheless art, so that it’s |
| possible to launch it in these terms,” he told reporters after the | possible to launch it in these terms,” he told reporters after the |
| awards ceremony. | awards ceremony. |
| He said Chinese films were gaining ground in Western cinemas thanks in part to their exposure at major film festivals. | He said Chinese films were gaining ground in Western cinemas thanks in part to their exposure at major film festivals. |
| “Every time that we take our films abroad it seems that there is an ever greater enthusiasm for Chinese cinema,” he said. | “Every time that we take our films abroad it seems that there is an ever greater enthusiasm for Chinese cinema,” he said. |
| Black Coal, Thin Ice divided audiences in Berlin but won over many critics. | Black Coal, Thin Ice divided audiences in Berlin but won over many critics. |
| Movie news website Indiewire noted buzz about the picture had | Movie news website Indiewire noted buzz about the picture had |
| been strong ahead of its screening “on the possibility of the film | been strong ahead of its screening “on the possibility of the film |
| becoming that whitest of whales: a crossover Chinese-language | becoming that whitest of whales: a crossover Chinese-language |
| international hit”. | international hit”. |
| Industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter hailed it as “a salute | Industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter hailed it as “a salute |
| to the classic Hollywood film noir, an exciting stylistic tour-de-force” | to the classic Hollywood film noir, an exciting stylistic tour-de-force” |
| but questioned its foreign box-office prospects. | but questioned its foreign box-office prospects. |
| The 11-day festival wraps up Sunday with screenings of its most popular features from a lineup of more than 400 movies. | The 11-day festival wraps up Sunday with screenings of its most popular features from a lineup of more than 400 movies. |
| On Thursday British director Ken Loach picked up an honorary Golden Bear for his life’s work. | On Thursday British director Ken Loach picked up an honorary Golden Bear for his life’s work. |
| 52 Tuesdays by Australian director Sophie Hyde was honoured on Friday with the Generations 14+ prize, an award given by juries made up of the same age group as the target audience. | |
| The film, which is about a teenage girl whose mother has a sex change operation, also won at the American Sundance festival last month . |