Monday, February 19------In a surprise twist, a Chinese film has won the Berlinale Golden Bear, the Berlin Film Festival's highest honor. TUYA'S MARRIAGE by Chinese director Wang Quan'an won the Festival's top prize, which was announced with other awards at the Festival's closing  ceremony on Saturday evening. The film, the story of a woman living in rural northwestern Mongolia and facing pressure to abandon her life as a shepherd, did not figure on most critics' prediction lists. A gentle, atmospheric and almost non-verbal study of rural life, the film flew under the radar, especially in competition with its higher profile and more overtly political competitors.

TUYA'S WEDDING

BEAUFORT

The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize was awarded  to EL OTRO (The Other), directed by Argentine director Ariel Rotter.  The film is an existential drama about a man who decides to change his identity. Israeli director Joseph Cedar won the Silver Bear as Best Director for his film BEAUFORT set in Lebanon in 2000. BEAUFORT tells the story of Liraz Liberti, the 22 year-old outpost commander and his troops in the months before Israel pulled out of Lebanon. "This is a story about how wars end," Cedar said to rousing applause from the stage of the Berlinale Palast. "I want to wish that our leaders be fearful of war and find the courage to know how to end them." CYBORG 

Korean director  Park Chan-wook's I AM A CYBORG BUT THAT'S OK  won the Alfred Bauer Prize, named for the founder of the Berlinale and honoring a work of particular innovation. Determining the Awards was the International Jury (the most stellar in years), including: Jury President Paul Schrader (whose new film THE WALKER was shown out of competition), and jurors including Danish editor Molly Malene Stensgaard, American actor Willem Dafoe, German actor Mario Adorf, French/Palestinian actor/director Hiam Abbass, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, and Chinese producer Nansun Shi. 

BERLINALE AWARD WINNERS

Wang Quan'anGolden Bear:
TUYA'S WEDDING (China, Wang Quan'an)

Silver Bear - The Jury Grand Prix:
EL OTRO (The Other), directed by Ariel Rotter (Argentina) 

Silver Bear - Best Director:
Joseph Cedar, BEAUFORT (Israel)

Silver Bear - Best Actress:
Nina Hoss, YELLA

Silver Bear - Best Actor:
Julio Chavez, EL OTRO (The Other)

THE GOOD SHEPHERDSilver Bear - Artistic Contribution:
Ensemble Cast of THE GOOD SHEPHERD (USA, Robert DeNiro)

Silver Bear - Best Film Music:
David Mackenzie, HALLAM FOE (UK)

Alfred Bauer Prize:
I AM A CYBORG, BUT THAT'S OK (South Korea, Park Chan-wook)

FIPRESCI Prizes
Competition:  I SERVED THE KING OF ENGLAND (Czech Republic, Jiri Menzel) 
Panorama: TAKVA--A MAN'S FEAR OF GOD (Ozer Kiziltan)
Forum: HOUNDS (Germany, Ann-Kristin Reyels)

THE TRACEY FRAGMENTSManfred Salzberger Prize
THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS (Canada, Bruce McDonald)

Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Prize
IRINA PALM (UK/Belgium, Sam Garbarski)

A complete list of additional prizes is available on the Berlinale website: http://www.berlinale.de

Sandy Mandelberger, Awards Watch Editor