Myanmar Diaries by the Myanmar Film Collective, produced By Dutch Corinne van Egeraat, was handed the 2022 Berlinale Documentary Award February 16. The hybrid film, told through the personal stories of a group of anonymous young Burmese filmmakers, depicts life under the regime of terror in Myanmar in the aftermath of the military coup of February 2021.
The Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution went to Rithy Panh’s Everything Will Be OK, the only documentary in Berlinale Competition.
Mutzenbacher by Ruth Beckermann won Encounters Best Film while Mitra Farahani’s See You Friday, Robinson, comprising a correspondence between Jean-Luc Godard and Ebrahim Golestan, won the Encounters Special Jury Award.
Earlier in the day, the winners within the Berlinale Generation section were announced, among which documentaries were in the ascendant.
The Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the Best Film (valued at €7,500) was given to Kind Hearts by Olivia Rochette and Gerard-Jan Claes (Belgium). Jury Citation: the first of two equal Grand Prix (the other was awarded to the fiction Skhema by Farkhat Sharipov, Kazakhstan) goes to a film that effortlessly plunges us into the lives of two ordinary young people, sharing a delicate insight in their emotional growth, while reminding us of the unpredictable and elusive nature of that thing called love.
The Crystal Bear for Best Film was awarded to Alis by Clare Weiskopf and Nicolas van Hemelryck (Colombia/Chile/Romania). Jury Citation: A moving film which, utilising the simplest of means, creates an unbelievable closeness and intimacy. The protagonists and the audience are all confronted with pain and memories, albeit in a gentle manner. How do I manage to come to terms with my past without falling apart beneath it? The film answers this question with impressive honesty and directness.
The Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film was awarded to Born in Damascus by Laura Wadha (UK). Jury citation: Impressive and intimate in its narrative style, this short film convinced us and also prevailed against the strong competition. By virtue of this film, we have gained access to a new reality that we had never encountered before in everyday life. In an impenetrable style, the film examines the influence that repressed memories have on our identity. Long after the end of the film, each one of us had something to think about. We were all touched by this film in a very special way.
In the Crystal Bear Short Film category a Special Mention was given to Nada para ver aqui (Nothing to See Here) by Nicolas Bouchez (Portugal/Belgium/Hungary).
In Generation Kplus, the international jury gave a Grand Prix Special Mention to Shabu by Shamira Raphaëla (Netherlands).
