La Presse at the 74th Berlinale | The Golden Bear to Matty Diop

The jury, chaired by Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o, unanimously approved the fascinating documentary, which centers on the return of 26 royal treasures of Dahomey looted in the 19th century to France Benin in 2021.^e century An impressionist film with supernatural overtonesAtlanticMati Diop's debut film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019.

This peculiar documentary finds its full meaning in the very concrete, metaphysical question of the souls freed from these snatched sculptures and the students of Abomi University.

Of the 7,000 looted works, only 26 were recovered. Is this a shame or the beginning of redemption? This powerful film, only one hour long, questions colonialism and its impact on African populations.

Amid Germany's unconditional support for Israel, 41-year-old Matti Diop used his platform to show his solidarity with the Palestinian people, following several winners and presenters at the closing ceremony. The words “apartheid” and “genocide” were repeatedly uttered, while the festival's outgoing co-director, Mariette Riesenbeek, again avoided calling for a ceasefire.

The Silver Bear of the Grand Jury Award went to Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. A traveler's needs, which stars Isabel Huppert as a tourist and a glamorous hottie who thrives as a French teacher in Seoul. “I'm curious to know what you find in this film. This is too much! », this iconoclast declared, exploding the jury.

Even more, thanks to him and on the screen, the Frenchman Bruno Dumont and his parody Star Wars, Empire, crowned with the Silver Bear of Jury Prize. Set in the north of France, this madcap comedy combines an intentionally under-talented professional and non-professional cast. Dumont pokes fun at the Manichaeism of sci-fi films, which is great, but his Star Wars at the Cities runs out of steam by trying to reach new heights of absurdity.

Emily Watson won the new Gender Neutral Award for Best Supporting Actress Little things like that By Tim Mielants. I found her to be a bit of a caricature in the elevated role of an iron-fisted mother who, despite outwardly benevolent, seems tyrannical and stubborn. It wasn't her co-star Cillian Murphy who won the Silver Bear for Best Performance in a Leading Role. He would have deserved it though.

“For a little guy born in Romania, it's a big honor,” said Sebastian Stan (the series' Winter Soldier The Avengers), who won the prize A different person By Aaron Shimberg. The character is a severely disabled man who undergoes experimental facial reconstruction surgery that turns his life upside down, for better and for worse.

Matthias Klausner won the award for best screenplay dieLos Santos Area's Nelson Carlo won Best Director Pepeand Martin Gschlacht, Outstanding Artistic Contribution to Photography Devil's Bath.

Where we come from, Montrealer Meriam Jubiure's poetic debut, didn't chart. Montrealer Oksana Karbovich, on the other hand, received a Special Mention from the Ecumenical Jury on Saturday afternoon for her disturbing documentary. intercepted.

Accommodation expenses were provided by Berlinale and Telefilm Canada.