The 62nd annual

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

was held from 9 to 19 February 2012. British film director

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Des ...

was the President of the Jury. The first five films to be screened in the competition were announced on 19 December 2011. American actress

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear on 14 February.

Benoît Jacquot Benoît Jacquot (; born 5 February 1947) is a French film director and screenwriter who has had a varied career in European cinema. Life and career Born in Paris, Jacquot began his career as assistant director of Marguerite Duras films, inclu ...

's film '' Les adieux à la reine'' was announced as the opening film. The Golden Bear for Best Film went to the Italian film '' Caesar Must Die'', directed by

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; born 8 November 1931) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the C ...

, which also served as closing night film.

Competition

Jury

The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival: International jury *

, director and screenwriter (United Kingdom) - Jury President *

Anton Corbijn Anton Johannes Gerrit Corbijn van Willenswaard (; born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, film director and music video director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2,Pitman, Joanna"The silent partner"' ...

, photographer and director (Netherlands) *

Asghar Farhadi Asghar Farhadi ( fa, اصغر فرهادی, ; born 7 May 1972)Soureh Movie Database

, director, screenwriter and producer (Iran) * Charlotte Gainsbourg, actress (France) *

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...

, actor (United States) *

François Ozon François Ozon (; born 15 November 1967) is a French film director and screenwriter. Ozon is considered one of the most important modern French filmmakers. His films are characterized by aesthetic beauty, sharp satirical humor and a free-wheeli ...

, director and screenwriter (France) *

Boualem Sansal Boualem Sansal ( ar, بوعلام صنصال; born 15 October 1949) is an Algerian author. In 2012, he was named winner of the Prix du roman arabe, but the prize money was withdrawn due to Sansal's visit to Israel to speak at the Jerusalem Writ ...

, writer (Algeria) * Barbara Sukowa, actress (Germany) Best First Feature Award Jury * Matthew Modine, actor (United States) * Hania Mroué, producer and distributor (Lebanon) *

Moritz Rinke Moritz is the German equivalent of the name Maurice. It may refer to: People Given name * Saint Maurice, also called Saint Moritz, the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century * Prince Moritz of Hesse (2007), the son of ...

, journalist and writer (Germany) International Short Film Jury * Sandra Hüller, actress (Germany) *

Emily Jacir Emily Jacir ( ar, املي جاسر) is a Palestinian artist and filmmaker. Biography Jacir was born in Bethlehem in 1973, Jacir spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, attending high school in Italy. She attended the University of Dallas, ...

, artist and producer (Palestine) * David O'Reilly, director, screenwriter and producer (Ireland)

In competition

The following films were in competition for the Golden Bear and Silver Bear awards:

Out of competition

Panorama

Key

Awards

The following prizes were awarded by the International Jury: Golden Bear for Best Film: '' Caesar Must Die'' by

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' described the outcome as "a major upset". ''

Der Spiegel ''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...

'' said it was a "very conservative selection." ''

Der Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, ...

'' criticised the outcome, "The jury shunned almost all the contemporary films that were admired or hotly debated at an otherwise pretty remarkable festival." Paolo Taviani said "We hope that when the film is released to the general public that cinemagoers will say to themselves or even those around them... that even a prisoner with a dreadful sentence, even a life sentence, is and remains a human being". Vittorio Taviani read out the names of the cast. Silver Bears * Jury Grand Prix: ''

Just the Wind ''Just the Wind'' ( hu, Csak a szél) is a 2012 Hungarian drama film directed by Benedek Fliegauf. The film competed in competition at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Jury Grand Prix. The film was selected as the Hun ...

'' by Benedek Fliegauf * Silver Bear for Best Director: Christian Petzold for '' Barbara'' * Silver Bear for Best Actress: Rachel Mwanza for ''

War Witch ''War Witch'' (french: Rebelle) is a 2012 Canadian dramatic war film written and directed by Kim Nguyen and starring Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien and Serge Kanyinda. It is about a child soldier forced into a civil war in Africa, ...

'' * Silver Bear for Best Actor: Mikkel Følsgaard for '' A Royal Affair'' * Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Lutz Reitemeier for the photography in '' White Deer Plain'' * Silver Bear for Best Script: Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg for '' A Royal Affair'' * Alfred Bauer Prize for a work of particular innovation: '' Tabu'' by Miguel Gomes * Special Award – Silver Bear: '' Sister'' by

Ursula Meier Ursula Meier (born 24 June 1971) is a French- Swiss film director and screenwriter. Career A native of Besançon, the capital of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, near the Swiss border, Ursula Meier graduated from Belgium's Instit ...

Honorary Golden Bear *

Crystal Bears * Generation Kplus (Feature Length Film): '' Arcadia'' by Olivia Silver * Generation 14plus (Feature Length Film): ''Night of Silence'' by Reis Çelik

FIPRESCI The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

Prizes *Competition: '' Tabu'' by Miguel Gomes *Panorama: ''Atomic Age'' by Héléna Klotz *Forum: ''Hemel'' by Sacha Polak Golden Bear for Best Short Film: ''Rafa'' by

João Salaviza João Salaviza (born João Salaviza Manso Feldman da Silva; 19 February 1984) is a Portuguese film director, screenwriter, editor, producer, and former actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including the Short Film Golden Bear, the Sh ...

References

External links

Yearbook 2012 at berlinale.de

62nd Berlin International Film Festival 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berlin International Film Festival, 62nd 62 2012 film festivals 2012 festivals in Europe 2012 in Berlin Berl