“Fire at Sea” wins Golden Bear at Berlinale

“Fire at Sea” (original title “Fuocoammare”), Gianfranco Rosi's Italian documentary about the refugee crisis on the island of Lampedusa, won the 66th Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear for Best Film on Saturday.

The film's win came as no surprise. From the start of this year's fest, taking place amidst the gravest refugee crisis facing Europe in modern history, the theme of displaced people, forced from their homes due to war, violence and economic necessity, has deeply defined the event.

“Fire at Sea” looks at the harrowing journeys undertaken by immigrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia as they risk their lives to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa in the hopes of making it to mainland Europe.

“At this moment I have to think about all the people who did not survive the journey to Lampedusa,” Rosi said upon accepting the prize. “Lampedusa is a generous place. It is a place of fishermen, and fishermen always open their arms to those who come from the sea.”

The seven-member Berlinale jury, headed by Meryl Streep, honored a diverse selection of international films. The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to Danis Tanovic's Bosnian drama “Death in Sarajevo”, about the staff and guests of a hotel hosting an international diplomatic delegation. Mia Hansen-Love won the Silver Bear for best director for her French film “Things to Come”, starring Isabelle Huppert as a Paris high school philosophy teacher forced to deal with sudden changes in her life, while Trine Dyrholm received the Silver Bear for best actress for Thomas Vinterberg's “The Commune”.

Mohamed Ben Attia's Tunisian drama “Hedi” took the best actor Silver Bear for Majd Mastoura as well as the best first feature award (presented by a separate jury).

The fest's Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize, which honors feature films that open new perspectives, went to Philippine helmer Lav Diaz's challenging eight-hour historical drama “A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery”.

Source: Variety