Claudia Llosa’s La teta asustada (The Milk of Sorrow) was awarded the Golden Bear for best film at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) on 14 February. This is the first Peruvian film to be bestowed this honour and tells the story of a woman who is haunted by the abuse that her mother suffered. The film was made with support from Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund.
Adrian Biniez’s Gigante, about a Uruguayan supermarket guard obsessed with a co-worker, shared the Grand Prix Silver Bear with Maren Ade’s local relationship drama Alle Anderen (Everyone Else). Gigante also won the Alfred Bauer Prize and the First Feature Award.
Iranina director Asqhar Farhadi won the Silvery Bear for his mystery-thriller Darbareye Elley (About Elly). Best actress and actor honours went to Birgit Minichmayr for Everyone Else and Mali’s Sotiqui Kouyate for London River respectively.
Oscar-winning actress Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) headed the jury. Burkinabe filmmaker Gaston Kabore was one of the jury members.
