Prospects: Berlinale

For all the budding film makers out there, the upcoming makers who are already in the industry now and for general film enthusiasts alike, this is a guide to all the award categories that there are at the Berlinale. Most people tend to have this misunderstanding that a movie can be awarded or submitted for one category at the Berlin International Film Festival. However, the truth is there are several categories, with different jury panels one can apply for with prizes and fame in all categories. So here is a concise guide to Berlinale and its awards, along with this year's winners at the 66th festival.

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY

1.    GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM: Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea)
2.    SILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZE: Smrt u Sarajevu / Mort à Sarajevo (Death in Sarajevo)
3.    SILVER BEAR ALFRED BAUER PRIZE: Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery)
4.    SILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR: Mia Hansen-Løve
5.    SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS: Trine Dyrholm in Kollektivet (The Commune)
6.    SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR: Majd Mastoura in Inhebbek Hedi (Hedi)
7.    SILVER BEAR FOR BEST SCRIPT: Tomasz Wasilewski for Zjednoczone stany miłości (United States of Love)
8.    BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD: (Prize: € 50,000) Inhebbek Hedi
9.    GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST SHORT FILM: Balada de um Batráquio (Batrachian's Ballad) by Leonor Teles
10.    SILVER BEAR JURY PRIZE (SHORT FILM): A Man Returned by Mahdi Fleifel
11.    BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS: A Man Returned by Mahdi Fleifel
12.    AUDI SHORT FILM AWARD: (Prize: € 20,000) Jin zhi xia mao (Anchorage Prohibited) by Chiang Wei Liang
13.    CRYSTAL BEAR FOR THE BEST FILM: Ottaal (The Trap)
14.    CRYSTAL BEAR FOR THE BEST SHORT FILM: El inicio de Fabrizio (Fabrizio's Initiation)
15.    THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY: Genç Pehlivanlar (Young Wrestlers)

PRIZES OF THE INDEPENDENT JURIES

In addition to these, there are smaller, independent juries like the Ecumenical Jury, the FIPRESCI Jury, the Guild of German Art House Cinemas, CICAE Art Cinema Award, Label Europa Cinemas, Teddy Award, Caligari Film Prize, Amnesty International Film Prize and the Heiner Carow Priz, each with multiple prizes with them.

READER'S JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARDS

While some producers and film makers strive to make good quality films just for the love of the art, many are focused on the primary market they serve, the viewers. At the end of the day, commercial success is necessary to drive and support the artistic success of film makers everywhere, and only the audience and the fans make it possible.

Berlinale also features awards by Reader's Juries and Audiences like the Panorama Audience Award, Teddy Audience Award, Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury Award and Männer Magazin Readers' Jury Award, many of which have multiple prizes in sub-categories among them. Every year the festival also has talent awards like the ARTE International Prize and the VFF Talent Highlight Pitch Award which scout specifically for future talent prospects.

So there you have it, all the Berlinale prospects, big and small. What are you waiting for? Do some research and hopefully we'll see Bangladesh in such stages and beyond in no time.